CORRECTION

What the flawed parole system tells us about American (in)justice.

As Chicago journalist Austen clearly demonstrates, America’s commitment to mass incarceration over the last half century has exacted a staggering human and economic toll. Moreover, the logic of incarceration—what it is meant to achieve in relation to offenders, victims, and the public at large—has remained disastrously ill defined. In this follow-up to his acclaimed debut, High-Risers: Cabrini-Green and the Fate of American Public Housing, Austen explores the senselessness of the parole system. The experiences of Johnnie Veal and Michael Henderson, men convicted of serious crimes at young ages and held in prison for decades, provide illuminating case studies for how the system has gone wrong. Parole decisions have often hinged on irrelevant criteria or impossible standards, and the possibility of an early release from a long sentence often simply amounts to false hope. For those granted parole, other daunting obstacles remain in place: Adequate help in transitioning from prison life is routinely unavailable, and parole supervision often seems designed to catch parolees in infractions in order to send them back behind bars. Systemic racism in policing and discriminatory sentencing guidelines have also meant that nonwhite Americans have suffered disproportionately from these failings. The author’s contention that the recent history of the parole system represents an ethical catastrophe is compelling. “Imprisonment became the default response to crime,” he writes. “Imprisonment also became the de facto response to poverty, lack of social mobility, addiction, joblessness, housing insecurity, mental health issues, and segregation. A sense of justice in the United States was shaped by a profound lack of mutual responsibility and collective identity.” Despite a few clunky passages, Austen argues persuasively that improving the carceral system must involve shifting emphasis from “vengeance and permanent punishment” to genuine rehabilitation and the chance for the incarcerated to lead productive lives after serving their time.

A cleareyed, compassionate, urgent appeal for prison reform.