Summary

A roadmap from the gutters of society to respectability and success. For those seeking a straight life, it describes what they must change about themselves, and the hazards they must avoid. For anyone interested in crime, punishment, and rehabilitation, it provides an unprecedented look into the minds of offenders. Bluntly acknowledges the existence of unfairness and hypocrisy in society, but not with bitterness or self-pity. Rather it puts these in perspective and shows how the individual offender CAN change and build a respectable life, in spite of the barriers and pitfalls. The author has seen criminal justice and corrections all the way from the cold floor of a solitary cell to the courtroom as an expert witness. Without mincing words and with a touch of humor, he turns this experience to the service of both the offender and society as a whole.(Personal note: Today is November 28, 2010, so GOING STRAIGHT... has been available for almost ten years. I've received numerous letters and emails from readers, telling how they've used it to help themselves and others. Not a single one has told me that he or she considered it a waste of time and money. Whatever your own situation, whether you're in a cell sweating out a parole hearing, or a corrections officer, or teacher, or you care for someone trapped in a criminal lifestyle, or an activist pushing for more rehabilitation-oriented corrections, or interested for any other reason, I sincerely hope you also find this book helpful. My main interest is not the royalties -- they just help offset SOME of the cost of my websites and other rehabilitation efforts. My goal is to know, when it's my time to leave this world, that there are a few people whose lives are better because I was here. PKF)