Five to Fifteen: A Woman, A Prison, A Redemption

In September 1975, Denise Sassoon entered the front gates of the Arizona State Prison for Women inside the back of a caged state transport van. She was sentenced to "no less than five, no more than fifteen" years of incarceration. At 21 years old, how had she-a 1960s hippie child who embraced peace, love, and freedom-wound up in this strange, confined, and violent place? What would she become within the walls of prison and what would become of her once she was granted her freedom again? Fascinating in its detailed and personal perspective, Five to Fifteen: A Woman, A Prison, A Redemption is Denise's story. She not only shares how she survived being in prison from 1975 to 1980, but is also candid about how, once released, she dove into the rampant drug culture of the 1980s and journeyed through 22 challenging years of battling her demons. A woman hopeful to overcome her life of molestation, rape, beatings, addiction, and prison, Denise was indeed able to redeem her life by conquering her past and allowing love to heal her. Since 1988, Denise has helped countless other people do the same, as she has worked tirelessly in many aspects of the field of recovery. Now she is hopeful that sharing the story of her journey will aid others in having the courage to do as she did. Denise is also hopeful that she can help others choose to experience the joy and personal peace that exist in moving toward the light of self-love.

In 1975, at the age of 21, Denise Sassoon was sentenced to ＂no less than five, no more than fifteen＂ years in the Arizona State Prison for Women. The years she spent in prison and the choices she made following her incarceration tested her resilience and her strength, awakened her heart to true love, and helped her have the courage to start healing her life’s greatest wounds. Since 1988, Denise has worked continuously in some aspect of programs designed for prison reentry or drug/alcohol treatment, including counseling clients, training counselors and support staff, managing in-house treatment programs for prison inmates, and assisting with or directing residential treatment facilities. She also helped develop pioneering programs for ex-convicts with drug and alcohol dependency issues, programs that later served as models for state-wide treatment modalities. In her book ＂Five to Fifteen: A Woman, A Prison, A Redemption,＂ Denise candidly shares details of her life’s journey of transformation and inspires others with the awareness that at any given moment they can change their lives by making a different choice. Denise resides in her hometown of Tucson, Arizona, with her partner, Liz, and their beloved Maltese named Bentley. Denise is currently writing her second book.