Challenging the ideology of treatment in the prison world

"The Professional Convict's Tale: The Survival of John O'Neill In and Out of Prison "offers a unique, inside view of life behind bars in the 1960s. Elmer H. Johnson, a criminologist who has specialized in prison life for half a century, gave Menard Penitentiary parolee John O'Neill a tape recorder and a set of questions designed to draw out his opinions and observations about the prison world.

This study frames O'Neill's responses with Johnson's analysis. O'Neill's narrative guides readers through the world beyond the prison gate as he shares his strategies for survival and proposes alternatives to rebellion or submission. He discusses the fractionalization between the keepers and the kept and the effects that subterranean communication, threats of inmate predators, and prison riots can have on the psyche of both inmates and staff.

O'Neill's frustrations and the inadequate responses from the community to which he was paroled illustrate the social costs and impact of parole for the community and for the parolee. Although O'Neill recorded his comments more than forty years ago, they are still relevant today when thousands of convicts are being released from prison each year.

The "Handbook" clearly points out that although the literature on crime prevention is voluminous, the social conditions that invoke criminality are resistant to social change. The articles repeatedly demand a critical evaluation of prevention theories and programs, and call for accountability within the crime-prevention profession. The collection will serve as a valuable resource for policymakers and practitioners as well as for academics. The volume includes an excellent directory of crime/delinquency-prevention organizations and a supplementary bibliography. "Choice"

In recent years, the idea of prevention as a means of controlling crime has gained unprecedented popularity. Advocates of crime prevention frequently see its proactive nature to be superior to the reactive stance of typical law enforcement. Yet major questions continue to arise about what prevention is, how it can be carried out, to whom it should be directed and where it can best be implemented. Elmer E. Johnson has drawn together a variety of perspectives in an effort to provide an integrated analysis of fundamental concepts relating to the preventive approach.