On the Parole Board
Reflections on Crime, Punishment, Redemption, and Justice
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- $31.99
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- $31.99
Publisher Description
Few people experience life inside of prison. Even fewer are charged with the formidable responsibility of deciding whether inmates should be released. In his twenty-four years on the Rhode Island Parole Board, Frederic G. Reamer has judged the fates of thousands of inmates, deciding which are ready to reenter society and which are not. It is a complicated choice that balances injury to victims and their families against an offender's capacity for transformation.
With rich retellings of criminal cases—some banal, some brutal—On the Parole Board is a singular book that explains from an insider's perspective how a variety of factors play into the board's decisions: the ongoing effect on victims and their loved ones, the life histories of offenders, the circumstances of the crimes, and the powerful and often extraordinary displays of forgiveness and remorse. Pulling back the curtain on a process largely shrouded in mystery, Reamer lays bare the thorny philosophical issues of crime and justice and their staggering consequences for inmates, victims, and the public at large. Reamer and his colleagues often hope, despite encountering behavior at its worst, that criminals who have made horrible mistakes have the capacity for redemption. Yet that hope must be tempered with a realistic appraisal of risk, given the potentially grave consequences of releasing an inmate who may commit a future crime. This book will appeal to anyone interested in the complexities of the criminal justice system, the need to correct its injustices, and the challenges of those who must decide when justice has been served.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
After serving for nearly 25 years on the Rhode Island Parole Board, social worker Reamer (Risk Management in Social Work) gives an insider look at his role in deciding the fate of prisoners. In a narrative-driven account that goes beyond his own work, he explores the complexity of criminal behavior, victim trauma, and the parameters of justice and punishment. He engages moral philosophy, social science research, history, and lived experience in order to come to grips with crime from the gruesome to the mundane and punishment. He also analyzes common catalysts for crime, including addiction, psychiatric illness, and prior histories of physical abuse and neglect. Delving into firsthand experiences, the book incorporates transcripts from parole hearings and personal testimonies from both prisoners and crime victims. Its in-depth look at criminal justice practices, including the benefits of restorative justice and the harms of solitary confinement, is especially instructive. Reamer combines a comprehensive overview of the criminal justice system with a generous and deeply personal account of crime's human impact, and his work will appeal most strongly to social work practitioners. He ends the book by outlining tenets of just punishment that the U.S. prison system could implement and practice.