The Born Again by John Mullins
Joe, a violent sadistic offender since his teens, has received a life sentence for multiple murder. But is it enough? Most traditional life sentences have a fixed minimum term which means most rapists and killers will eventually be freed. Its only a matter of time. But their victims cannot be brought back from the dead, or from psychic mutilation they have suffered. Their families endure a true life sentence of suffering from which there is no possibility of parole or early prison release.
A clique of retired judges, called The Project, have formed a secret supreme court to covertly review all the traditional life sentences, and, in cases of the worst injustices, intervene. They employ a network of ghosts to secretly whisk away the selected prisoner, Joe in this case, to the invisible supermax, a futuristic prison. There, Joe is forced to undergo a radical treatment of self-discovery called The Born Again, conducted by four mysterious doctors and an android robot. Few inmates can endure. They either commit suicide or go mad. Joe must find a way to survive The Born Again.
The story has a gripping plot which offers great originality. It is a pleasure to read such a profound, intelligent piece of writing. Its certainly opened my eyes to a more spiritual understanding of life, and has given me hope. Abby Davis, author and editor at Jericho Writers