That Bird Has My Wings tells the story of Jarvis Jay Masters’ childhood with parents addicted to heroin, an abusive foster family, a life of crime and imprisonment, and the eventual embracing of Buddhism while on Death Row at San Quentin Prison. A cautionary tale for kids in danger of following the same path, his book is also meant to inspire government officials and social service professionals who are truly in a position to fix our broken system.

This brand new text identifies the macroeconomic forces relevant to imprisonment—poverty and political powerlessness—and explores viable and humane alternatives to our current incarceration binge.

Jerome G. Miller, founder and president of the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives, writes an autobiographical account of his tenure as former head of the Massachusetts juvenile justice system during which he daringly closed reformatories and returned the juveniles to the community.