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Loading... Among Murderers: Life after Prison (edition 2013)by Sabine Heinlein
Work InformationAmong Murderers: Life after Prison by Sabine Heinlein
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. This book really grabbed me. I just intended to leaf through the pages but found myself unable to put it down, to coin a cliche, and read it straight through. Sabine Heinlein follows two years in the lives of three people who were convicted of murder, spent decades behind bars and just got released from prison into a world they no longer recognize. You get to see her subjects as human beings, not monsters, although she doesn't mince words about their crimes. She also talks a great deal about the "reentry" system (the programs for recently released prisoners) and its problems and the things it does right. I learned a lot from this book. no reviews | add a review
What is it like for a convicted murderer who has spent decades behind bars to suddenly find himself released into a world he barely recognizes? What is it like to start over from nothing? To answer these questions Sabine Heinlein followed the everyday lives and emotional struggles of Angel Ramos and his friends Bruce and Adam-three men convicted of some of society's most heinous crimes-as they return to the free world.Heinlein spent more than two years at the Castle, a prominent halfway house in West Harlem, shadowing her protagonists as they painstakingly learn how to master their freedom. Having lived most of their lives behind bars, the men struggle to cross the street, choose a dish at a restaurant, and withdraw money from an ATM. Her empathetic first-person narrative gives a visceral sense of the men's inner lives and of the institutions they encounter on their odyssey to redemption. Heinlein follows the men as they navigate the subway, visit the barber shop, venture on stage, celebrate Halloween, and loop through the maze of New York's reentry programs. She asks what constitutes successful rehabilitation and how one faces the guilt and shame of having taken someone's life.With more than 700,000 people being released from prisons each year to a society largely unprepared-and unwilling-to receive them, this book provides an incomparable perspective on a pressing public policy issue. It offers a poignant view into a rarely seen social setting and into the hearts and minds of three unforgettable individuals who struggle with some of life's harshest challenges. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)364.80973Social sciences Social problems and services; associations Criminology Release from prisonLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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What is it like for a convicted murderer who has spent decades behind bars to suddenly find himself released into a world he barely recognizes? What is it like to start over from nothing? To answer these questions Sabine Heinlein followed the everyday lives and emotional struggles of Angel Ramos and his friends Bruce and Adam - three men convicted of some of society's most heinous crimes - as they return to the free world.
However, this isn't only a book about the difficulties of reintegrating - like finding a job, finding a home, dating, and figuring out how to live in a world that has matured 30 years while you were locked away - it is mainly comprised of doing research into the murderers' backgrounds in order to give an adequate description of their crimes, who they were, who they have become, and what factors have influenced their lives. This gives the book a personal flavor - it encourages compassion and understanding for the three men and their troubles, without totally discouraging your caution in dealing with such men.
I'm going to soon be volunteering with people recently paroled, helping them to reintegrate and to reduce their chance of recidivism. I thought this book would be helpful and interesting. Although it spent a little less time focusing on current troubles of the three men, this book was incredibly helpful. ( )