Bruce Western (Harvard University), author of the new RSF book Homeward: Life in the Year After Prison, recently gave a talk as part of the Vera Institute’s Neil A. Weiner Research Speaker Series, which invites distinguished scholars and researchers to share their work on justice issues. In his lecture, Western discussed his new book, which examines the tumultuous first year after release from prison. Drawing from in-depth interviews with over one hundred individuals, Western describes the lives of the formerly incarcerated and demonstrates how poverty, racial inequality, and failures of social support trap many in a cycle of vulnerability despite their efforts to rejoin society.

Western finds that in the first year after prison, most respondents could not afford their own housing and relied on family support and government programs, with half living in deep poverty. Many were unemployed and struggled with chronic pain, mental illnesses, or addiction—the most important predictor of recidivism. In contrast to the stereotype of tough criminals preying upon helpless citizens, Western shows that many former prisoners were themselves subject to lifetimes of violence and abuse and encountered more violence after leaving prison, blurring the line between victims and perpetrators. He argues that boosting the social integration of ex-offenders through policies such as guaranteed housing, drug treatment, and transitional employment in the first year after prison is key to both ameliorating deep disadvantage and strengthening public safety. Described as “a gripping study of the totality of the lives of people reentering society” in the Atlantic, Homeward illuminates how overhauling the process of prisoner reentry and rethinking the foundations of justice policy are crucial steps in addressing the harms of mass incarceration. 

Read more or purchase a copy of the book.