Community Corrections and Human Dignity.

Source: (2006) Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett.

In writing this book about community corrections and human dignity, Edward Sieh begins with the following observations. The United States has more people in prison than at any time in its history. Billions of dollars are spent punishing men, women, boys, and girls. In Sieh’s view, how a nation treats those who have committed a crime is a measure of the level of civilization it can claim to have reached. These observations lead him to ask basic but important questions about what is actually happening in probation and parole, what should be happening, and why anyone should care about the offender at all. Within this framework, Sieh offers in this book an overview of probation and parole as it is practiced in the United States. He bases his work on research he conducted in two counties, each with a population of more than one million people, one on the East coast and one in the Midwest. He interviewed more than 50 probation officers of varying rank and experience. He added to his direct observation of field and office visits with up to date research in community corrections. On the foundation of his research efforts, he covers the following topics in the book: the history of probation; probation in the twentieth century; the social context of probation; probationers; risk, needs, and responsivity; offender supervision; restorative and community justice; regulatory probation; public safety and collaborative prevention; juvenile probation; the evolution and current status of parole; and human dignity in relation to community corrections now and in the future. To aid the student or general reader, each chapter in the book includes a chapter outline, learning objectives, key terms, suggested activities, questions for review, and a summary of the chapter.