Book Review: On the outside: Prisoner reentry and reintegration

• Author: Ken Balusek
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0734016819883915
• Published date: 01 March 2023
• Date: 01 March 2023
• Subject Matter: Book Reviews

Harding, D. J., Morenoff, J. D., & Wyse, J. J. B. (2019). On the outside: Prisoner reentry and reintegration. Chicago,

IL: University of Chicago Press. 308 pp. $30, ISBN 978-0-2266-0764-1.

Reviewed by: Ken Balusek ,Rockhurst University, Kansas City, MO, USA

DOI: 10.1177/0734016819883915

Within the f‌irst pages of On the Outside: Prisoner Reentry and Reintegration, some readers may fear

that what is contained in the pages that lie ahead is nothing more than a “novel-like”politically based

and biased, opinionated diatribe against society in general, and more specif‌ically, the criminal justice

system. Fears are quickly diminished as the authors introduce the foundations of the book in the form

of a mixed-methods model involving both qualitative and quantitative data.

The introduction of the book does a good job of presenting all the facts regarding mass incarcer-

ation that corrections scholars are all too familiar with. A brief history of the prison boom is also

presented. For those new to the study of corrections, this information serves as a great primer to

the phenomena of mass incarceration. This is also important to the remainder of the book because

it puts into perspective the scope of the need to be more cognizant of the growing reentry paradigm.

Considering that the vast majority of inmates will eventually leave prison, reentry will continue to be

a relevant and important issue to corrections scholars, practitioners, and students alike.

The introduction also introduces the reader to the original research that serves as the foundation

for the book. The authors draw upon two sources of data. First, they describe the qualitative portion

of the research, which involved interviews of six individuals who were incarcerated in the prison

system in Michigan. These individuals are followed after their release from prison in order to give

the reader a deeper insight into the individuals and their experiences with reentering society. The

six individuals were selected for their variation in race, gender, and experiences. These individuals

are introduced to the reader in Chapter 1 through an in-depth discussion of the individuals’social,

educational, and criminal backgrounds. These individual case studies are used throughout the book

as examples for the various issues related to reentry. These experiences enhance the book in a way

that makes the issues more personal, which allows the reader to gain a greater appreciation of the

diff‌iculties individuals face with reentry.

The quantitative aspect of the study is also presented. The original research data source the authors

draw upon occasionally throughout the book is a quantitative longitudinal study which followed

every prisoner released to parole in 2003 in Michigan. This totaled 11,064 prisoners as participants

in the study. Basic sociodemographic variables, criminal history, postprison experiences with the

criminal justice system, employment and earnings, living arrangements, neighborhood contexts,

and parole agents’case notes were collected and analyzed. In addition to providing additional

data related to issues presented and discussed in the book, this data set helps contextualize the qual-

itative interviews discussed above. The Appendix provides more detail regarding the methodology of

both the qualitative and quantitative data collection. Included is an interview schedule outlining the

qualitative interviews with the case study participants.

The heart of the book is found in Chapters 2–6. Each of these chapters tackles an issue the authors

deem important to prisoners reentering society after a term of incarceration. For example, in Chapter

2, the authors discuss how the six individuals interviewed must adjust to life outside of prison. They

also present some of the expectations the prisoners had when preparing to leave prison. This chapter

relies heavily on the qualitative portion of the research for a deep and rich presentation of the par-

ticipants’expectations and adjustments after leaving prison. The prisoners express their joy of

their impending freedom to do some of the little things they enjoy but are unable to do in prison.

They also express the joy of leaving behind the prison routine and the “dead”time that is all too

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