ABSTRACT
There are many examples of persistent offenders who move on from a life of crime to become law-abiding, trusted citizens, and who seem unlikely to become involved in criminal activity ever again. This is the heart-warming, reassuring ending that we in criminal justice occupations surely all aspire towards: the reformed person whose offending is in the past and who in society is now imperceptibly one of us. The statistics on recidivism, however, and inquiries into the effects of imprisonment and the problems typically faced by returning prisoners, show that the road from leaving prison to integration within the community is often long and faltering.
