On the Parole Board: Reflections on Crime, Punishment, Redemption, and Justice

Reamer (social work, Rhode Island Coll. Sch. of Social Work) spent 24 years on the Rhode Island Parole Board, where, according to prison protocol, he sanctioned or denied the release of prisoners eligible for parole. He tells his story as a conscientious member of the board who considered the nature of the crime and extent of an individual's rehabilitation. To support his decisions, Reamer relates in a true crime-like style the accounts of inmates who crossed his path. Occasionally, he goes off track to discuss his personal notions of good, evil, redemption, and justice. Readers who are unfamiliar with the criminal justice system will find all of this information like the beam of a flashlight in a black hole: a light has finally been shed on a process shrouded in mystery. In the final chapter, the author offers his opinion of the complexities of criminal justice and the ways the system can be corrected. Few of his suggestions are original, but coming from a former member of a parole board, they pack an unmistakable punch.