In a Box - by Merry Morash (Paperback)

About the Book

"In a Box draws on the experiences of over one hundred Michigan women on probation or parole to analyze how the criminal justice system and neoliberal social policies hampered the state's efforts at gender-responsive reforms in community supervision. Closely narrating the stories of a diverse sample of six of these women, Merry Morash shows how countervailing influences kept reform-oriented probation and parole agents and women they supervise "in a box" by limiting and even blocking positive effects of supervision approaches that break away from the punitive frameworks that characterize many past and present correctional efforts. Inspired by the interviewees' reflections on their own experiences, the book concludes with recommendations for truly effective reforms within and outside the justice system"--

Book Synopsis

In a Box draws on the experiences of more than one hundred Michigan women on probation or parole to analyze how court, state, and federal policies hamper the state's efforts at gender-responsive reforms in community supervision. Closely narrating the stories of six of these women, Merry Morash shows how countervailing influences keep reform-oriented probation and parole agents and the women they supervise "in a box." Supervisory approaches that attempt to move away from punitive frameworks are limited or blocked by neoliberal social policies. Inspired by the interviewees' reflections on their own experiences, the book offers recommendations for truly effective reforms within and outside the justice system.

From the Back Cover

"Merry Morash, a scholar long focused on efforts to make the criminal system more gender responsive, shows that this is hard work. Speaking directly to women who have experienced correctional supervision, she powerfully documents how the punitive nature of neoliberal policies undermines even earnest efforts of probation and parole agents to address women's unique needs."--Meda Chesney-Lind, author of The Female Offender: Girls, Women, and Crime

"In a Box provides much-needed scholarship about women on probation and parole with an incredibly comprehensive dive into their lives and the often-insurmountable quagmires they encounter due to judicial practices, welfare cuts, and lack of access to needed services. The six women who constitute the bulk of the qualitative analyses are portrayed with great care, insight, and dignity."--Joanne Belknap, author of The Invisible Woman: Gender, Crime, and Justice

"Compelling and sensitively told, In a Box offers an original and timely perspective on community supervision and its impact on justice-involved women. Policymakers, students, and academics alike will find much of value in Merry Morash's deeply researched, nuanced book."--Jayne Mooney, author of The Theoretical Foundations of Criminology: Place, Time, and Context

"Drawing on extensive research, this rich and insightful work casts a much-needed critical eye on the obstacles placed in the paths of system-impacted women even as they attempt to escape criminalization."--Vera Lopez, author of Complicated Lives: Girls, Parents, Drugs, and Juvenile Justice

Review Quotes

"...By providing a conduit to the voices and experiences of those currently in prison, Morash's work offers a message of hope for scholars, policymakers, and community members: that the lives of those within the confines of correctional facilities have worth and deserve protection and respect."-- "Theory in Action"

"The book is exciting not only for feminist criminologists. It delivers topnotch qualitative research that is accessible to a wide range of readers and promises to make a dent in actual correctional practice."-- "Gender & Society"

About the Author

Merry Morash is Professor of Criminal Justice and University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University. She is the author of Women on Probation and Parole: A Feminist Critique of Community Programs and Services.