Jack Henry Abbott

Jack Henry Abbott (January 21, 1944 – February 10, 2002) was an American murderer and author. With a long history of criminal convictions, Abbott's writing concerning his life and experiences was lauded by author Norman Mailer. Due partly to lobbying by Mailer and others on Abbott's behalf, Abbott was released from prison in 1981 where he was serving sentences for forgery, manslaughter, and bank robbery. Abbott's memoir In the Belly of the Beast was published with positive reviews soon after his release.

Six weeks after being paroled from prison, Abbott killed waiter Richard Adan following an argument at a New York City cafe. Abbott was convicted and sent back to prison, where he killed himself in 2002.

Abbott described his life as being a "state-raised convict", having spent just over nine months outside of confinement in state facilities, including solitary confinement, between the ages of 12 and 37. He wrote that because of confinement with other violent offenders from whom he could not escape, he developed a subjective perspective that every encounter was potentially threatening.