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One of the greatest needs for persons leaving prison and returning to their communities is immediate employment. Although this has been researched and written about by many in the field of criminology and criminal justice, this study, based on interview data obtained from seventy men and women on parole in Colorado, expands on the recognized need for employment by identifying and analyzing the additional collateral financial obligations that are rarely addressed by researchers and correctional practitioners. In addition to describing barriers to obtaining employment, we explore financial obligations that may significantly prevent ex-offenders from gaining an economic foothold, even when employed, including mandatory parole expenses and other debts incurred prior to and after incarceration. Without the ability to meet these financial obligations, many returning former prisoners came to believe they will never achieve economic success. A lack of financial stability and little hope for a better future may significantly affect the ability of many persons leaving prison to successfully reenter society.

Women's prisons have traditionally been viewed as less violent compared with men's prisons. While the male inmate subculture has long been studied and theories developed to explain the existence of such a subculture, women's prisons and female inmate subcultures have not been examined as thoroughly. Compared to men's prisons and male inmates, female prisons were viewed as less volatile, the relationships between female inmates were described as attempts to replicate family relationships in the community, and interactions between female inmates and correctional officers were seen as being less antagonistic. However, women's prisons may differ significantly from how they have been perceived and the existence of a female inmate subculture that includes aggressiveness, violence, and victimization may play a larger role in women's prisons than originally believed. Given the common and extensive histories of victimization and trauma that many female inmates bring to prison, in addition to the losses associated with motherhood, facing a more aggressive and violent inmate subculture may make incarceration especially trying for women. In addition, the effects of loss and victimization prior to and during incarceration may make the challenges of reentry even more difficult for women leaving prison.

In Chapter 6, qualitative interviews with 21 offenders are used to help the reader understand how offenders themselves view the reentry process. Particularly valuable is a discussion of ways to enhance the reentry process. Hanlon, R. E. (2013). Survived by one: The life and mind of a family mass murderer. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press. 195 pp. $29.95, ISBN 978-0-8093-3262-5.