Halfway Hopeless?

There is no way you can read this book and not feel frustrated, disheartened, and all the other somber words the thesaurus can throw at you. I kept finding myself mired down by all the gloominess and futility of the penal system and how aberrant it is, and wanting some kind of handhold to grasp. A solution of sorts--something. As horrific as the constant barrage of negativity was regarding the whole shebang of arrest, trial, imprisonment, and then parole, I suppose the real horror is that this system runs so deep in the fiber of our culture I don't know if there is an answer. The author deftly and effectively makes his point here, and it's a heavy one. The fallout from this systemic imprisoning machine ultimately affects all of us.