From the passage of Bill C-10, with its punitive, tough-on-crime provisions, to sensationalist media accounts of dangerous ex-convicts, it is evident that Canada is a country that is taking an increasingly hard line on crime. In reality, however, the vast majority of prisoners who serve out their sentences do not re-offend but rather reintegrate into society and never see the inside of a prison cell again. The lack of discussion regarding those who “make good” perpetuates the illusion that most ex-prisoners pose a danger to the public and renders invisible the complex and sometimes treacherous path out of prison. On the Outside illuminates that journey, exploring the post-carceral lives of men who have successfully resettled into the community after serving at least a decade in Canada’s penitentiaries. Discussing the transition from imprisonment, release, and re-entry through to the challenges of resettlement, this book will change the way you think about Canada’s prisoners and open up the debate on the perils of tough-on-crime legislation.

Melissa Munn is a professor in the Department of Sociology at Okanagan College.

Melissa Munn's profile page

Chris Bruckert is an associate professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa. Since receiving her PhD from Carleton University in 2000, she has devoted herself to researching various sectors of the Canadian adult sex industry through the lens of feminist labour theory. Committed to Sex Worker rights, she endeavours to contribute to the movement as an academic activism.

Chris Bruckert's profile page