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Convicted and Condemned: The Politics and Policies of Prisoner Reentry PDF

298 Pages·2017·13.279 MB·English
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Convicted and Condemned Convicted and Condemned The Politics and Policies of Prisoner Reentry Keesha M. Middlemass NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS New York NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS New York www.nyupress.org © 2017 by New York University All rights reserved References to Internet websites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. Neither the author nor New York University Press is responsible for URLs that may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared. ISBN: 978-0-8147-2439-2 (hardback) ISBN: 978-0-8147-7062-7 (paperback) For Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data, please contact the Library of Congress. New York University Press books are printed on acid- free paper, and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability. We strive to use environmentally responsible suppli- ers and materials to the greatest extent possible in publishing our books. Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Also available as an ebook Dedicated to Zook He was a word artist extraordinaire, trusted keeper of keys, and my friend. Contents Preface and Acknowledgments ix Introduction: Felons Are Contemporary Outlaws 1 1. Felony Conviction as Social Disability 21 2. Unwelcome Homecoming 51 3. Denying Access to Public Housing 81 4. Education’s Failed Promise 109 5. Not Working and Unable to Work 141 Conclusion: Public Hostility 171 Methodological Appendix 189 Notes 199 Bibliography 239 Index 269 About the Author 283 vii Preface and Acknowledgments First and foremost, I am profoundly thankful to the men and women who were willing to share so much of their private lives with me, includ- ing their personal successes and struggles. I think about each of them often, and wish them all well. Participants’ lived experiences unfolded over quiet conversations and amusing exchanges, and I deeply appreci- ate their candor and am indebted to them for revealing what it means to be a modern-d ay felon, how government and public policies undermine their reentry efforts, and what it means to live on the periphery of soci- ety. This book is the participants’ collective story: Their narratives shape the trajectory of this research in immeasurable ways to offer a distinct viewpoint about what it means to live as a convicted felon. I am grateful for the opportunity to be their narrator and hope that each participant recognizes his or her voice in the text and that my efforts live up to their expectations. Many participated with the goal of helping others: “I want them out there to know that just because we did bad don’t mean we can’t do good.”1 I owe a special debt of thanks to three organizations: the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Vera Institute of Justice, and The Ohio State University’s inaugural Crime and Justice Summer Research Institute: Broadening Perspectives & Participation. I am beholden to the Mel- lon Foundation for its financial support, which afforded me the time to write, think, and conduct preliminary research for this project while at the Vera Institute of Justice. Special thanks to Chris Stone and Michael Jacobson for supporting the Postdoctoral Fellowship on Race, Crime, and Justice, which provided the space for intellectual discourse and in- vestigative research at the intersection of race, policy, crime, politics, and prisoner reentry. My residency in New York City set the stage to broaden my examination of prisoner reentry and the socially disabling effects of a felony conviction. The Summer Research Institute at The Ohio State University was a boot camp for academics, offering invalu- ix

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