Book Review: Digital punishment: Privacy, stigma and the harms of data-driven criminal justice

Abstract

Ultimately, he credited religion for the change in his outlook, but the unwavering support from his mother was essential. The mantra that seemed to solidify the author's change came from a prison instructor who said he could either accept his criminal label or be truly exceptional, there was no in-between. It was then that he "…made the decision…that [he] would be just that-exceptional" (p. 141). To exemplify this, he became eligible to enroll in college courses and achieved an associate's degree just prior to being paroled.Mechanisms conducive for survival in prison left the author largely unprepared for conventional adult life. Part III, Redemption, serves to document these struggles. More specifically, this section is a glimpse into the reentry issues that offenders face while also showing what it means to completely defy the odds. As an example, when imprisoned, most decisions had been made on Bolden's behalf, so simple tasks-such as choosing a wardrobe-were overwhelming; furthermore, he quickly discovered that finding employment with a criminal record was nearly impossible. Upon release, however, he was able to reside with his mother and stepfather who did their best to help him adjust. After months of unsuccessfully trying to find employment, his stepfather got him a job as a bagger at a grocery store. After 6 months of working at the store, he was dismissed because of his criminal conviction despite having disclosed it at the time of hiring.He enrolled in a bachelor's degree program where he faced new challenges of fitting in on campus. This was largely complicated by a lack of conventional social skills necessary for engaging others. He found solace within the Criminology Department and successfully completed his degree-though his employment struggles continued. It was a mentor who told him, rather than merely suggesting, that he must go to graduate school. True to the preceding pages of the book, Dr. Bolden walks the reader through this chapter of his journey. He explains each of the moments that became instrumental to his success, but also how having people willing to help makes all the difference.The lessons of this book are not only as direct as street culture, gang research, and theory but that of second chances and the ability to help in changing a punitive culture and system built on a trajectory of failure. Dr. Bolden achieves his goal of finding a balance between academic theory and realworld experiences. Readers without prerequisite knowledge of the topics covered will be able to easily follow and learn from the information presented, while those possessing a greater understanding of theory will be able to infer main tenets. Accordingly, it is well suited for undergraduate and graduate courses as well as for practitioners.