Chapters 1-9: Family Discussion Reflection

RESEARCH

Summary

I found a study about the difficulties of finding a job after being released from prison. The study found that it was difficult due to the loss of work skills and the unwillingness of employers to hire the formerly incarcerated. Within eight months of being released from prison, only 45% of former prison inmates were currently employed. On average, only 30% of post-release income was from legal employment, while 66% came from family and friends.

Evaluation

This text connects to the assigned reading because when the reader is first introduced to Tom Joad, he is fresh out of prison. He was planning on working for his parents, which is the primary way ex-convicts make money according to the study I researched. 

MLA Citation

Debus, Sara, Christy Visher, and Jennifer Yahner. "Employment after Prison: A Longitudinal Study of Releases in Three States." Urban Institute. Justice Policy Center, Oct. 2008. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.

PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTIONING

1. When and when aren't second chances appropriate?

2. What roles do friends and family play in initiating second chances?

3. What factors affect one's ability to start over?

REFLECTION

1. The most memorable moment of my discussion with a family member (my mom) was when we were discussing the third question I had prepared. We began talking about how ex-convicts surrounded by poverty are trapped because of how difficult it is to get a job. When a former inmate can't rely on a job or family for income, options are thin and times are desperate, much like Tom Joad in the first nine chapters of The Grapes of Wrath.

2. My mother's forgiving viewpoints on second chances were very satisfying (especially being her son). We discussed how everyone only has one life, and there are very few crimes in which the criminal doesn't deserve another try. If that person can change for the better, new opportunities should be possible.

3. I believe my questions might have been slightly too general. I could have made them more directly relate to both my research and the novel. I think the questions mostly leaned towards my research, and not so much The Grapes of Wrath, especially since my research basically only connected to a few of the nine chapters.