RX For Recidivism - Softcover

Mullen Reed, EdD, Barbara H

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1627471464 ISBN 13: 9781627471466

Publisher: Sojourn Publishing, LLC, 2017

Synopsis

About the Book Rx For Recidivism blends fact-based fiction with suspense. The story line addresses a situation that has grown more urgent over time. The families depicted live in rural areas, far removed from large cities. This demographic is rarely, if ever, included in sociological studies in the field of criminology. The every-day lives of the teenaged children of these families, the children whose crimes land them in the criminal justice system, are often notable for their struggle to survive economically in geographic pockets of poverty. Family farms are disappearing rapidly as are other employment opportunities for unskilled workers. Finishing High School is not always a priority. In contrast to the high drama of media accounts of perpetrators of criminal offenses in metropolitan areas, the exploits of small town and rural teenage felony offenders and their families receive little publicity. Once sentenced and incarcerated for one or more felonies, the 16-18 year olds from rural areas do not acclimate well to prison life. Nor is the alternative of probation preferable, as that returns them immediately to their unstable home situations. The usual outcome is predictable. If they are released on probation, the lack of a family and community support system almost guarantees a repeat offense. Or, if they complete the traumatic months of a prison sentence, they leave the institution ill prepared for the return to their unstructured lives on the outside. The cycle repeats, and they often become lifelong casualties of “the system.” Over the years, I have seen instances of exploitation of the naiveté and inexperience of young men who are facing the harsh reality of life as convicted felons. I believe their story must at last be told. Rather than continuing to prescribe institutional remedies that are almost certain to be a prescription for a return to a life of increased criminal activity, it is time to break the cycle and implement instead an “Rx for Rehabilitation.” Barbara H Mullen Reed, EdD

About this title

About the Author

About the Author Barbara H Mullen Reed grew up in the picturesque Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. She was awarded a BS degree by the State University of New York and received permanent certification to teach elementary grades K-6 and also secondary level English. As a Research Associate at Cornell University, she was part of the initial studies that resulted in the formation of the national programs known as Home Start and Head Start. As a teacher and the mother of four, she studied at Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania and received an MS in Religious Studies. As her teaching career advanced, Reed operated a school for disabled pre-school children and received an EdD degree from the University of Sarasota in Sarasota, Florida. Her doctoral dissertation focused on recidivism among 15-17-year-old felony offenders from rural and small town areas of upstate New York. As a Chaplain at Cornell University, she periodically led small groups of students in visits to examine social justice issues in rural areas of Haiti. She is presently retired and living in Arizona where, as a member of Amnesty International, she is a volunteer participant on the team of the PACT project at Arizona State University that is seeking to engage students and faculty in developing transcultural interactions in the area of transborder matters.

Edition details

• Publisher: Sojourn Publishing, LLC
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1627471464
• ISBN 13: 9781627471466
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 202