High Risk Offender

"Please Barry, don't rob a bank. They'll bury you so deep you'll have your own postal code." Not usually: Although most people prefer to forget about criminals once they are sentenced, most--at some point--are released back into society. What's the next step? This video takes us to Toronto, Canada, following the fortunes of seven men over a ten month period as they take their first, tentative steps back toward a normal life. We see the men sparring with their parole officers over employment plans, drug tests, living arrangements, and other adjustments to life outside prison. Although one man accuses his parole officer of being cold and uncaring, the evidence suggests that these men and women are doing the best they can in a difficult situation, while for the criminals, drug abuse and a persistent inability to accept responsibility for their actions seems to be a factor in their bad behavior. Some of the stories here are bizarre (Steven, who admits to having a problem managing his anger, suddenly kills the transvestite with whom he lives), while others are poignant (Doug, a convicted bank robber, longs for a date and eventually attempts suicide), but this award-winning Canadian production from Barry Greenwald lacks--I think-- a strong point of view, simply ending with the unsurprising note that the Canadian crime rate and case load of parole officers is increasing. Likely to be of interest to Canadian libraries, this relatively tame--though it includes some strong language--documentary is not a necessary addition to American criminology collections. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)