Book review: Andrea Leverentz, Elsa Y Chen and Johnna Christian (eds), Beyond Recidivism: New Approaches to Research on Prisoner Reentry and Reintegration
| Date | 01 November 2021 |
| Author | Annika Yvette Anderson |
| Published date | 01 November 2021 |
| DOI | 10.1177/13624806211001968 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
motivations, ‘the binding of conspicuous consumption to social status in western and
westernised societies’(p. 65), symbolism, culturally specific meanings and emotions,
and a diverse range of legitimate, lifestyle aspirations for many of which corresponding
legal markets already exist. Illegal markets are not always as ‘sexy’as they are being por-
trayed in the media and Hollywood blockbusters, and criminal entrepreneurs are not
always as ‘cool’as their cinematic incarnations. What makes illegal markets and market-
ers remarkable is their very un-remarkability.
Transnational Criminology, which links the local with the transnational, the illegal
with the legal, and the market with the individual, is written with economy, clarity and
calmness, and is refreshingly kept at a safe distance from apocalyptic, emotionally and
ideologically charged accounts on manifestations of ‘organized crime’and figures that
serve specific agendas, are produced or invented out of ‘thin air’, and are ‘legitimized’
through mere repetition. It is a book offering fascinating insights and it is most definitely
a welcome addition to the literature.
References
Ruggiero V (2001) Crime and Markets. Oxford: OUP.
Van Duyne PC (2005) Crime and commercial activity: An introduction to two half-brothers. In:
Van Duyne PC, Von Lampe K, Van Dijck M, et al. (eds) The Organised Crime Economy.
Nijmegen: Wolf Legal Publishers, 1–17.
Van Duyne PC, Strémy T, Harvey J, et al. (eds) (2018) The Janus-Faces of Cross-Border Crime in
Europe. The Hague: Eleven International Publishing.
Andrea Leverentz, Elsa Y Chen and Johnna Christian (eds), Beyond Recidivism: New Approaches to
Research on Prisoner Reentry and Reintegration, Afterword by Shadd Maruna, New York University
Press: New York, 2020; 400 pp., 19 black and white illustrations: 9781479862726, $99.00 (hbk),
9781479853885, $35.00 (pbk)
Reviewed by: Annika Yvette Anderson, California State University, San Bernardino, USA
Beyond Recidivism: New Approaches to Research on Prisoner Reentry and Reintegration
illustrates the current research and methods in reentry and their related policy implica-
tions. The book opens with a discussion of mass incarceration in the United States
before turning to the desistance and reentry process. It provides a brief review of how
reentry studies incorporate theories of desistance from life-course criminology while
examining incarceration and post-incarceration experiences. In its introductory chapter,
the book also mentions the influence of socio-demographic factors and policies on incar-
ceration, desistance, recidivism and reentry.
Chapter 1 discusses the challenge of defining and measuring recidivism. Recidivism
can be measured as rearrest, reconviction, or reincarceration for new crimes or parole vio-
lations (pp. 14–15). The time frame for computing recidivism rates varies across states,
complicating comparisons across jurisdictions (p. 16). According to some practitioners,
the inconsistencies in defining recidivism can lead to confusion and inaccurate compar-
isons, particularly during data sharing and integration across agencies (p. 25). Yet, the
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