But They All Come Back: Facing the Challenges of Prisoner Reentry

by Jeremy Travis

As our justice system has embarked upon one of our time's greatest social experiments—responding to crime by expanding prisons—we have forgotten the iron law of imprisonment: they all come back. In 2002, more than 630,000 individuals left federal and state prisons. Thirty years ago, only 150,000 did. In the intense political debate over America's punishment policies, the impact of these returning prisoners on families and communities has been largely overlooked. In But They All Come Back, Jeremy Travis continues his pioneering work on the new realities of punishment in America vis-a-vis public safety, families and children, work, housing, public health, civic identity, and community capacity. Travis proposes organizing the criminal justice system around five principles of reentry to encourage change and spur innovation.

Genres: Nonfiction

420 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2005

Reviews

[Sarah Jane Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting subject, and it was presented in a very convincing manner. It was a little redundant at times, and it was also tedious to read after a while. The writing was clear though, and could be easily understood by a layperson. It's a great introduction to the problems in our current prison system.

[Suzyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfectly fine book on prisoner re-entry issue from an academic "people as chess pieces" perspective.