This book, which incorporates Rosecrance's 20 years of experience as a probation and parole officer, gives students a feel for what it is really like to work as a probation or parole officer and allows them to recognize this work as an assignment at which they can succeed. The book includes real -life examples, quotes from practitioners and clients, and authentic descriptions of contemporary practices give insights to the practical side of probation, parole, and community corrections and help students make informed decisions about whether they wish to pursue a career in this field. "

This easy-to-read guide provides the necessary information for anyone interesting in becoming a probation officer or just starting out in the field. It can be used as a helpful supplement to training or as a manual for students. Festervan describes the ethics behind probation including how to maintain a professional relationship, officer safety and casework, court work, and documentation. With more than 4-million people on probation or parole, it is essential to train and inform probation officers of their duties to the offender, as well as the community.

A former parole officer shines a bright light on a huge yet hidden part of our justice system through the intertwining stories of seven parolees striving to survive the chaos that awaits them after prison in this illuminating and dramatic book. Prompted by a dead-end retail job and a vague desire to increase the amount of justice in his hometown, Jason Hardy became a parole officer in New Orleans at the worst possible moment. Louisiana’s incarceration rates were the highest in the US and his department’s caseload had just been increased to 220 “offenders” per parole officer, whereas the national average is around 100. Almost immediately, he discovered that the biggest problem with our prison system is what we do—and don’t do—when people get out of prison. Deprived of social support and jobs, these former convicts are often worse off than when they first entered prison and Hardy dramatizes their dilemmas with empathy and grace. He’s given unique access to their lives and a growing recognition of their struggles and takes on his job with the hope that he can change people’s fates—but he quickly learns otherwise. The best Hardy and his colleagues can do is watch out for impending disaster and help clean up the mess left behind. But he finds that some of his charges can muster the miraculous power to save themselves. By following these heroes, he both stokes our hope and fuels our outrage by showing us how most offenders, even those with the best intentions, end up back in prison—or dead—because the system systematically fails them. Our focus should be, he argues, to give offenders the tools they need to re-enter society which is not only humane but also vastly cheaper for taxpayers. As immersive and dramatic as Evicted and as revelatory as The New Jim Crow, The Second Chance Club shows us how to solve the cruelest problems prisons create for offenders and society at large.

This paper was originally prepared for the Federal Judicial Center, Washington, D. C.