Dangerous Men: The Sociology of Parole, Second Edition

By: Richard McCleary

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Synopsis: What happens when a prison inmate gets out on parole? What factors determine who stays out of prison -- and whose paroles get revoked? In this classic participant-observer study of the parole bureaucracy, Richard McCleary focuses on the interactions between parole officers and parolees; between parole officers and parolees; between parole officers and their colleagues (and superiors); and on the organization of work in a parole agency. His findings -- and their implications for all actors in this vital segment of the criminal justice system -- are as relevant today as they were when the study was first conducted in 1978. In the Foreword to the second edition of this volume, Prof. Todd Clear asserts that McCleary's book is not only "compelling social science" but "teaches fundamental lessons about...penology." Dr. Clear identifies a burning question submerged in McCleary's work: "Why does it seem that all good efforts to build reform systems seem inevitably to disadvantage the offender?"