Corrections_Today_Winter_2025-2026_Vol.87_No.4

COMMUNICATIONS & PUBLICATIONS

T he American Correctional Association is pleased to offer book reviews. For more information or to become a book reviewer, contact Kirk Raymond at (703) 224-0193 or kraymond@aca.org. Bookshelf

their imagination, while basing their assumptions on the primary points of reference they have: movies, TV, and the media. The miscon ceptions, borne of negative views, shine a light on the “bad” things inmates do, or have done, and the “Guards” who are depicted as just a notch above them on the societal totem pole, wielding batons to keep inmates in line. Of course, those inside the walls know different, but that does little to assuage the overall perceptions. In their book, Imprisoned Minds , authors Erik S. Maloney and Doctor Kevin A. Wright, have collaborated to bring to light the stories of six incarcerated individuals, exploring their “Imprisoned Minds” and how their lived experiences shaped their mind set. This is not a typical prison story of drugs, gang violence, beat-downs, sexual assaults, etc., or what one might call your “bad news sells” stereotypes. This isn’t the movies. In a truly unique way, the narrative brings to the surface a humanity often lost to despair and hopelessness as experienced by those housed in our nation’s jails and prisons. The stories unfolded in an unapologetic way that doesn’t excuse their

actions, but allowed the reader to have a level of understanding of cultural, socioeconomic, and familial expectations, as well as the childhood trauma and neglect, that brought about the “Imprisoned Mind” within each of them. Throughout the book, we learn of Kidd, Sergeant, Oso, Dee, Oakland, and Unique, describing the varied and challenging lives they lived prior to incarceration. Through several inmate interviews, the authors selected those of diverse race, ethnicity, and culture to bring impactful narratives. The concept of the “Imprisoned Mind”, and how it came about is well documented in each story, as are ideas for early recognition, preventive measures, and post “Imprisoned Mind” counseling. The idea, as eloquently stated, is to break the cycle and truly help to keep us all safer while bringing a positive change to society overall. I would bargain that neither author wished for notoriety, wanting the focus to be on the “Imprisoned Minds” concept and the individuals who shared their stories in an environment where a well-rounded and authentic collection of meaningful and

Imprisoned Minds: Lost Boys, Trapped Men, and Solutions from within the Prison By Erik S. Maloney & Kevin A. Wright, Rutgers University Press, 2024, 210pp

REVIEWED BY Kraig Emery, Training Sergeant, Merrimack County Department of Corrections, Boscawen, New Hamphire.

T here are many articles, books, movies, etc. that depict the real and imagined worlds of incarceration, a major ity through a dark lens. In general, society has a significant lack of understanding of what truly hap pens in a correctional facility, leaving the void of true context to

Corrections Today | Winter 2025-2026

100