Corrections_Today_January_February_2019

Communications & Publications

Inequality in America.” Later, he co-chaired the National Science Foundation’s influential “Committee on Causes and Consequences of High Rates of Incarceration.” The stories are sobering, but well written and engaging. His new book delves into the re-entry experience of prototypical individuals and incorporates the findings of a recent qualitative research study titled “The Boston Re-entry Study.” That well- resourced, cooperative research project, a joint effort of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, identified 135 men and women shortly before release from prison and followed them into the community for a full year. Periodic one-on-one interviews captured extensive personal information. Unlike similar efforts, this study both achieved a near-zero dropout rate and combined interview information with an examination of case records. Researchers reached out as needed to family and case workers to fill in information gaps. The study’s findings documented the extent to which returning citizens: – live in conditions of extreme poverty, – depend on a combination of

public aid and family support, – experience precarious housing situations, – fail again and again to gain traction in the employment market and – experience chronic physical and/ or mental health challenges. Western’s narrative in “Homeward” adds considerable depth to the findings of the Boston Re-entry Study. He has been remarkably successful in “putting flesh on the bones” of research findings. He accomplishes this by weaving together the findings with illustrative case descriptions. The narrative material is masterfully constructed to engage readers through rich personal stories. The stories are sobering, but well written and engaging. This professional read is much more than a dry text. Western does not hesitate to make challenging and controversial observations on the fundamental issues of our criminal justice system. He puts forward “solutions” that some would characterize as radical. Whether or not readers embrace these specific solutions, few will question whether or not he has brought forward the challenges of re-entry, challenges that need to be recognized and addressed by those of us committed to building a system of fair justice tempered with compassion. u

“Homeward: Life in the Year After Prison”

Written by Bruce Western, The Russell Sage Foundation, 1 st edition (May 15, 2018), 234 pp. Reviewed by John P. Linton, retired

director, Office of Correctional Education, U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C.

Corrections professionals are often asked why recidivism rates are so high. Harvard sociologist Bruce Western’s new book on re-entry, “Homeward, Life in the Year After Prison,” answers that question. Western’s previous work examined the U.S. criminal justice system through the lens of a sociologist with a particular focus on the roles played by race and poverty. In 2007, he authored the award-winning “Punishment and

60 — January/February 2019 Corrections Today