Making It in the Free World: Women in Transition from Prison

There are many books on female offenders and women in prison but none previously to my knowledge on women in transition following imprisonment. Making It in the "Free World" admirably fills this gap. Read this book and hear the stories of women who have made it on the outside; read about the hurdles set by an uncaring system before them. This book is a must read for politicians,proabation officers, and social workers.Well written and compelling reading.

Based on Dr. O'Brien's thoughtful research, this book was a fascinating look into the lives of women as they struggled to create a new life for themselves after serving their sentences in prison. This is clearly an academic book, but stories the women tell in their own words are quite moving. They relate desperate efforts to make it on the outside, in many cases so that they can be reunited with their children. I found Dr. O'Brien's discussion of what these women have to teach us to be quite thought-provoking. She makes excellent use of theory to help make the reader understand ways we can view the aftermath of prison life. She also convincingly urges practitioners to take a more proactive stance when working with non-recidivist women (and makes suggestions which may help pracitioners assist more women to avoid the revolving door back into prison life by helping the reader to better understand and to identify needs of this population and more responsive to these needs of these women). In addition, I was ver interested in her suggestions of ways to change policies -- especially alternatives to imprisonment (which could also better serve the children of women who are now sent hundreds of miles away to serve their sentences and denied regular access to their children). I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in the impact of the USA's criminal justice system on women and children. This topic is all too often ignored in the ever-increasing discussions of sentencing guidelines. This book is a giant step forward in helping us all to better understand how the transition from prison life can be facilitated or barricaded for women. The voices of the women in this book need to be heard!