Halfway to Nowhere

Reuben Jonathan Miller’s father and two brothers have all been incarcerated before, so he has some personal experience with what the result of that is. Miller was so affected by it that he went to seminary and became a chaplain at Chicago’s Cook County Jail. He is also now a criminologist and sociologist and a professor at the University of Chicago. But, this book is not primarily about incarceration. What he wants us to understand is that the life after prison becomes another form of prison with so many restrictions and prohibitions that it becomes nearly impossible for a person who has served their time to free themselves and live a normal life again, one of the reasons why so many end up back in prison and their children often follow them. 

We’ve read about states that are trying to restore the right to vote to former felons and so most people know about that restriction. We know that they must meet certain parole requirements, theoretically meant to see that they are working and not engaging in activities that could put them back in prison. What we don’t know is how easy it is to unintentionally violate parole and how the system sometimes seems designed to make sure that some do so. There are at least 45,000 laws that regulate the life of a felon and the US has almost 20 million felons at this time. A third of all African American men have felony records. There are many laws that restrict what jobs a felon can hold and these apply for the rest of their life, not for some period of time where they can prove themselves. An employer who hires a felon, even unknowingly, can be subject to large fines if they are caught. And, of course, as soon as a potential employer finds out that a person has a record, they often refuse to hire them. Together that often makes it very difficult to get any job and impossible to get one that pays a living wage. Laws that made landlords responsible for their tenants also meant that they can refuse to rent to a felon and even can evict someone if they allow a felon to temporarily live with them. And, if you own your own home and take in a felon as a boarder, you can be subject to random checks, phone calls in the middle of the night, and inspection raids at any time. Halfway houses normally have a long waiting list, and they are temporary. The problem is that they are not halfway to anything--there is nothing out there for them to be “halfway” to.  

Miller’s book is based on interviews with 250 felons and is full not just of statistics and analysis, but also of personal stories. His research required him to be objective and keep some distance, so he was not able to do anything to directly help those he was interviewing. He often accompanied them though, traveling with them on public transportation as they tried to search for jobs or meet parole commitments. He describes walking two miles with one in the dead of winter to the workforce development agency to fill out job applications as a condition of his parole, only to arrive at a gray high-rise that was closed. If he missed it, he would be arrested and sent back to prison for breach of parole. Miller broke his research rules and gave the man a ride to another agency that was open. What about others with no one to give them a ride?

This is hot off the press, published in February 2021, and the timing is perfect. It’s quite obvious that there are flaws in our criminal justice system and Miller has given us a lot to think about.

5 people found this helpful

Poignant and gripping

Heard the author, Dr. Reuben Jonathan Miller, interviewed on NPR and found him so compelling that I immediately pre-ordered the audiobook.

Dr. Miller is an accomplished professor and has a brother who has been forced to navigate the Byzantine and arbitrary criminal justice system. This book gives both academic and personal insights into the second class citizenship that formerly incarcerated peoples are subjected to. I found the book difficult to put down and finished it in only a few days.

Halfway Home should be required reading for every American. I’ve already recommended it to my mentor and multiple friends. If you choose to only read a handful of books this year, add this one to your list.

4 people found this helpful

Very Impressed

I loved this book. It is a very pertinent piece. I would recommend this book to anyone who has been involved with the criminal justice system or has any family or friends involved with the criminal justice system in the US.

3 people found this helpful

illustrates a broken system.

Held my interest. Engaging story describing a disfunctional trilogy of race, poverty and incarceration. Another institution in need of reform. Reform far beyond the reach of our current national discourse and attention span. Narration was very good, easy listen.

3 people found this helpful

Call to Action

Enlightening, thought provoking, and educational. A call to action of the most difficult kind, to change hearts and minds.

1 person found this helpful

Wonderful. Human. Telling.

Easy listen, filled with heart and truth. Just honest truth about what it means to be arrested and imprisoned in the United States, or to be in any way related to someone who is. Its so important to put this in our heads, to know the full reality of our environments, and this book tells this story beautifully.

good book!

really eye opening book. the research is well balanced with the story and really drives home the point. well narrated too!

A Stupendously Important Book

Not just another indictment of the criminal justice system, but a brilliant analysis of all the forces that lead to crime and a prescription for finally ending four centuries of American racism.

Taught me something

It's always interesting to expand your perspective to hear people's views from the other side of the coin glad I read this book

Phenomenal. Informative. Consistently engaging.

This book is simply amazing. Thank you for such poignant documentation. Eye and Mind opening book.