Inside and on the Outs

Inside and on the Outs is an account of one man’s struggle to find redemption. The story begins in his early teen years which were full of drugs and destruction, and moves on to his successes in high school, and the trials of college life. But how did he end up inside the Illinois Shawnee Correctional Center? He is now an adult living in the Chicago area. He is divorced; he is a father; he is a college graduate; he is an ex-convict. He was sentenced to eight years inside the penitentiary, sharing an eight by ten foot cell with a man who was serving time for first-degree murder and strong-armed robbery. Worse, he was sentenced to those eight years for DUI convictions. His dreams came crashing down around him. He is now working through the toughest battle of all…how to live the life that he has created for himself. Inside a medium-maximum penitentiary in Illinois, hundreds of miles away from the people he loves, he had to seek forgiveness and come to terms with all that he had done. This is his life…this is his story.

Author Biography

After marrying, having a son, and creating the life he thought he wanted, Ryan Harnish found himself escaping trouble by turning to drugs and alcohol. His choices led to incarceration in the Illinois Penitentiary System. He now lives near Chicago where he has reunited with his son.