Making Good: How Ex-Convicts Reform & Rebuild Their Lives [Hardcover]

Shadd Maruna (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2001 | ISBN-10: 1557987319 | ISBN-13: 978-1557987310 | Edition: 1

Can hardened criminals really reform? Making Good provides resounding proof that the answer is yes. This book provides a fascinating narrative analysis of the lives of repeat offenders who, by all statistical measures, should have continued on the criminal path but instead have created lives of productivity and purpose. This examination of the phenomenology of "making good" includes an encyclopedic review of the literature on personal reform as well as a practical guide to the use of narratives in offender counseling and rehabilitation. The author's research shows that criminals who desist from crime have constructed powerful narratives that aided them in making sense of their pasts, finding fulfillment in productive behaviors, and feeling in control of their future. Borrowing from the field of narrative psychology, Maruna argues that to truly understand offenders, we must understand the stories that they tell -- and that in turn this story-making process has the capacity to transform lives. Making Good challenges some of the cherished assumptions of various therapy models for offenders and supports new paradigms for offender rehabilitation. This groundbreaking book is a must read for criminologists, forensic psychologists, lawyers, rehabilitation counselors, or anyone interested in the generative process of change. You may also be interested in: Treating Adult and Juvenile Offenders With Special Needs Violent Offenders: Appraising and Managing Risk

Editorial Reviews

Review

Winner, American Society of Criminology Michael J. Hindelang Award for the Most Outstanding Contribution to Research in Criminology, 2001 --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 211 pages
• Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA); 1 edition (January 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557987319
• ISBN-13: 978-1557987310
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #986,514 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Making Good" makes good sense!, December 6, 2001

By 

Paul K. Fauteck, Psy.D., DABPS, forensic psyc... (Chicago, IL, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making Good: How Ex-Convicts Reform & Rebuild Their Lives (Hardcover)

Dr. Maruna shines the bright lights of objectivity, intellectual courage, and scientific inquiry, into a dimly understood subject, one which too many people would rather ignore: Specifically, why is criminal recidivism so commonplace, what are the social policies and practices that discourage rehabilitation, what beliefs about criminal behavior do we need to re-examine, how do some offenders manage to reconstruct their lives in spite of all the barriers, and what should we be learning from them. He doesn't preach, he doesn't harangue, he just presents the facts in a convincing and very readable manner, and enlivens the text with a variety of case histories and interviews. Sure to be appreciated by the general public as well as behavioral scientists and correctional experts, "Making Good..." is destined to be a classic in its field.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bursts stereotypes with empirical data, November 1, 2006

By 

Karen Franklin "Forensic Psychologist" (El Cerrito, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Making Good: How Ex-Convicts Reform & Rebuild Their Lives (Hardcover)

Winner of a 2001 American Society of Criminology Award for Most Outstanding Contribution To Criminology, this meticulously researched book describes the process through which hard-core criminal recidivists desist from crime to lead productive lives.

As the pendulum begins to turn from a crazed rush to incarcerate, there is more and more interest in the topic of prisoner re-entry. What can help criminals turn their lives around and become productive citizens? This book is a great starting point for answering this complex question.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone should read this book., June 11, 2009

By 

Andrew Morgan - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Making Good: How Ex-Convicts Reform and Rebuild Their Lives (Paperback)

"People act in ways that agree with the stories or myths they have created about themselves."

A powerful tool for understanding how the self functions in criminal persisters and desisters (or in anybody for that matter). Does not purport to have all the answers, but does offer an insightful analysis and foundation for seeking solutions.