Full Description
From the passage of Bill C-10, with its punitive, tough-on-crime provisions, to sensationalist media accounts of dangerous ex-convicts, it is evident that Canada is a country that is taking an increasingly hard line on crime. In reality, however, the vast majority of prisoners who serve out their sentences do not re-offend but rather reintegrate into society and never see the inside of a prison cell again. The lack of discussion regarding those who "make good" perpetuates the illusion that most ex-prisoners pose a danger to the public and renders invisible the complex and sometimes treacherous path out of prison. On the Outside illuminates that journey, exploring the post-carceral lives of men who have successfully resettled into the community after serving at least a decade in Canada's penitentiaries. Discussing the transition from imprisonment, release, and re-entry through to the challenges of resettlement, this book will change the way you think about Canada's prisoners and open up the debate on the perils of tough-on-crime legislation.
Contents
1 Telling Tales: State Talk, Con Talk, and Back Talk
2 Introducing the Men
Part 1: Inside Out
3 Being In: Negotiating Prison
4 Getting Out: Finding a Way to the Street
5 Starting Out: Halfway There
Part 2: Outside In
6 Negotiating "Freedom": Echoes and Reverberations
7 Identity: Fractured and Fragmented Selves
8 Stigma: Negative Expectations and Amazing Reversals
9 Home and Homelessness: Being In and Out of Place
10 Work and Finance: Navigating the New Economy
11 Interactions: Etiquette, Intimacy, and Fitting In
Final Thoughts: Understanding Life outside "the Rabbit Hole"
Epilogue
Appendix: Methodological Considerations
Notes
References
Index
