Corrections_Today_July_August_2020_Vol.82_No.4

Communications & Publications

Bookshelf

The addicted-to-the-lifestyle crowd appeared to be the most challenging, as they were the most at-risk population. The basic restriction that was enforced included home inspections “plain view” only. There appears to be no seamless transition for them to return to their communities. Most return back to the same communities where their criminal connections still exist. The only situational adaptability they possess is the reward for a drug deal that nets enough money to purchase conspicuous consumption (clothing, vehicles, jewelry, etc.). They already have leveraged existing partnerships in their communities. Probation and parole officers could make referrals to different courts with incentives for those assigned to their caseloads. There were drug courts, mental health courts, and veterans courts that could help to reduce caseloads and provide specialized programming with deliverables to address strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for completion. All seven offenders had suffered some trauma throughout their lives, especially moral injuries such as feeling betrayed by those in authority, loss of trust, difficulty forgiving and self-condemnation. They had lost their inherent self-worth. Trauma therapy was extremely specialized and limited. Probationers and parolees need to develop new coping skills to replace the maladaptive ones. The seven depicted in “The Second Chance Club: Hardship and Hope After Prison” needed behavior modification

programs which would not have been easy and never would be. NOLA for Life gave some relief from two programs that made the case for providing a wider array of social services that would allow the parole and probation staff to deliver a safer, fairer, and less costly justice system. The structure and administration were dependent on research from renowned criminologist David Kennedy. His assessment considered need as the most important indicator of risk and expressed less obvious factors like zip codes. Young men were most likely to turn to dealing and murder to survive. Strategic guidance is provided with reference to communication, issues and developments that can have potential impact on the work provided by parole and probation officers. Reentry programming needs to be accessible in jails, prisons, and community corrections. There is a predominant need for housing, education, employment (jobs training), healthcare that includes both

The Second Chance Club: Hardship and Hope After Prison Written by Jason Hardy, Simon & Schuster (2020), 271 pp.

Reviewed by Alexis E. L. Chase, Ph.D., retired warden with the Georgia Department of Corrections.

Jason Hardy was a probation and parole officer for the Louisiana Division of Probation and Parole for four years. Most of the events in “The Second Chance Club: Hardship and Hope After Prison” book occurred between 2013 and 2015. Hardy focuses on seven offenders that depict race, gender, generation, and a lack of resources. The book contents focus on three sections: Part One — need, Part Two — risk and Part Three — harm reduction. Central City was the most violent neighborhood in New Orleans with the highest density of offenders and is side-by-side with the richest part of New Orleans, the Garden District. They represented two Americas that co-existed side by side.

54 — July/August 2020 Corrections Today