Convicted and Condemned: The Politics and Policies of Prisoner Reentry

298 Pages·2017·13.279 MB·English

by  Keesha Middlemass

Convicted and Condemned

Convicted and Condemned
The Politics and Policies of Prisoner Reentry
Keesha M. Middlemass
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York
www.nyupress.org
© 2017 by New York University
All rights reserved
References to Internet websites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. Neither the
author nor New York University Press is responsible for URLs that may have expired or
changed since the manuscript was prepared.
ISBN: 978-0-8147-2439-2 (hardback)
ISBN: 978-0-8147-7062-7 (paperback)
For Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data, please contact the
Library of Congress.
New York University Press books are printed on acid- free paper, and their binding materials
are chosen for strength and durability. We strive to use environmentally responsible suppli-
ers and materials to the greatest extent possible in publishing our books.
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Also available as an ebook
Dedicated to Zook
He was a word artist extraordinaire,
trusted keeper of keys,
and my friend.

Contents
Preface and Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: Felons Are Contemporary Outlaws 1
1. Felony Conviction as Social Disability 21
2. Unwelcome Homecoming 51
3. Denying Access to Public Housing 81
4. Education’s Failed Promise 109
5. Not Working and Unable to Work 141
Conclusion: Public Hostility 171
Methodological Appendix 189
Notes 199
Bibliography 239
Index 269
About the Author 283
vii

Preface and Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I am profoundly thankful to the men and women
who were willing to share so much of their private lives with me, includ-
ing their personal successes and struggles. I think about each of them
often, and wish them all well. Participants’ lived experiences unfolded
over quiet conversations and amusing exchanges, and I deeply appreci-
ate their candor and am indebted to them for revealing what it means to
be a modern-d ay felon, how government and public policies undermine
their reentry efforts, and what it means to live on the periphery of soci-
ety. This book is the participants’ collective story: Their narratives shape
the trajectory of this research in immeasurable ways to offer a distinct
viewpoint about what it means to live as a convicted felon. I am grateful
for the opportunity to be their narrator and hope that each participant
recognizes his or her voice in the text and that my efforts live up to their
expectations. Many participated with the goal of helping others: “I want
them out there to know that just because we did bad don’t mean we can’t
do good.”1
I owe a special debt of thanks to three organizations: the Andrew W.
Mellon Foundation, the Vera Institute of Justice, and The Ohio State
University’s inaugural Crime and Justice Summer Research Institute:
Broadening Perspectives & Participation. I am beholden to the Mel-
lon Foundation for its financial support, which afforded me the time to
write, think, and conduct preliminary research for this project while at
the Vera Institute of Justice. Special thanks to Chris Stone and Michael
Jacobson for supporting the Postdoctoral Fellowship on Race, Crime,
and Justice, which provided the space for intellectual discourse and in-
vestigative research at the intersection of race, policy, crime, politics,
and prisoner reentry. My residency in New York City set the stage to
broaden my examination of prisoner reentry and the socially disabling
effects of a felony conviction. The Summer Research Institute at The
Ohio State University was a boot camp for academics, offering invalu-
ix