jmc

Let $a$ be the first term in the arithmetic sequence, and let $d$ be the common difference. The sixteenth term is $a+15d=8$, and the seventeenth term is $a+16d=10$, so the common difference is $d=10-8=2$.

Substituting into the equation $a+15d=8$, we get $a+30=8$, so $a=-22$. Then the second term is $a+d=-22+2=\boxed{-20}$.