Roll Call

Roll Call is a powerful prison memoir drawn from the author's decade inside some of California's most violent correctional institutions during the height of the modern drug war.

After becoming involved in drug trafficking and facing severe criminal charges, Glenn Langohr entered a prison system shaped by gang politics, racial divisions, and underground economies operating within the walls. Inside, survival depended on discipline, alliances, and learning the unwritten rules governing life on the yard.

Through firsthand experience, Roll Call examines the realities of incarceration and the broader social forces surrounding the war on drugs, sentencing policies, and prison culture in California. The story unfolds through encounters with organized crime figures, prison gangs, and law enforcement power structures, offering a rare insider's perspective on the complex world behind prison walls.

Kirkus Discoveries described the book as "a harrowing, down-and-dirty depiction of the U.S. war on drugs… sometimes reminiscent of Steven Soderbergh's film Traffic." The review also noted the author's ability to shift perspective throughout the narrative, "toggling the angle like a master director" while exploring the interconnected worlds of cartels, outlaw bikers, and the criminal justice system.

At the center of Roll Call is a turning point. While navigating the harsh realities of prison life, the author began writing as a way to confront his past and search for redemption. The result is both a gripping true-crime memoir and a deeply personal story about accountability, transformation, and the possibility of a new path forward.

Roll Call is the flagship memoir in the Life in Lockdown series, which also includes:

Down on the Yard
Lock Up Diaries
Caught in the CrossFire
Prison Riot
Race Riot
Gladiator
Underdog

Together these books document the realities of life inside the California prison system and the journey from incarceration toward redemption.