Faculty Member’s Unique Publication Garners National Recognition

Shane Tharrington, Manager of Inmate Classification and Mainframe Technical Support, N.C. Department of Public Safety, Prisons  Jason Whitley, Creative Lead, Educational Design and Innovation, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy  James Markham, Associate Prof

In October 2017, the School of Government published its first graphic novel, In Prison: Serving a Felony Sentence in North Carolina, written by School faculty member James Markham and North Carolina Department of Public Safety employee Shane Tharrington, with illustrations by UNC School of Pharmacy graphic designer Jason Whitley. In May 2018, the American Library Association announced that the publication had been selected as a “document of distinction” by the Association’s Notable Government Documents Panel. The graphic novel was submitted to the panel by Denise J. Jones, State Publications Clearinghouse Liaison at the North Carolina Government and Heritage Library.

In Prison and other documents recognized for excellence by the American Library Association can be found in the May 2018 Library Journal. The journal explains that the publication has used “the format of a graphic novel to explain how a felony prison sentence is served from the moment of sentencing to supervision after release.”

Two additional graphic novels are forthcoming—one about being on probation, and another about serving time in the county jail. Markham also uses other media to teach about sentencing corrections. He writes for the North Carolina Criminal Law Blog, hosts a YouTube channel (Sentencing Whiteboard), and has more than 4,000 followers on Twitter (@jamie_markham).