Justice Reform

Locked In is a revelatory investigation into the root causes of mass incarceration by one of the most exciting scholars in the country. Having spent 15 years studying the data on imprisonment, John Pfaff takes apart the reigning consensus created by Michelle Alexander and other reformers, revealing that the most widely accepted explanations - the failed War on Drugs, draconian sentencing laws, an increasing reliance on private prisons - tell us much less than we think.

Pulitzer Prize–winning author Gilbert King also narrates this chilling exploration of one of America’s most haunting wrongful conviction cases. Based on the hit podcast, Bone Valley dives into the dark heart of rural Florida, where a young man’s life was upended by a tragic miscarriage of...

They’re Still Kids: A Juvenile Probation Guide for Parents, Caregivers, Caseworkers, and Juvenile Offenders This compassionate, no-nonsense guide offers a rare and vital look into the world of juvenile probation. Written for families, educators, youth advocates, and young people themselves, They’re Still Kids delivers clarity in a system often clouded by confusion and stigma. Through 15 informative chapters, readers will explore every stage of the juvenile probation process—from arrest and court conditions to rehabilitation and reform. With real-life case studies, expert insights, and...

When Bill Bratton became a Boston street cop after his return from serving in Vietnam, he was dismayed by the corrupt old guard, and it is fair to say the old guard was dismayed by him, too. But his success fighting crime could not be denied. Propelled by extraordinary results, Bratton had a dazzling rise, and ultimately a dazzling career, becoming the most famous police commissioner of modern times. The Profession is the story of that career in full.

Despite reform efforts that have grown in scope and intensity over the last two decades, the machine of American mass incarceration continues to flourish. In this powerful polemic, formerly incarcerated activist, essayist, and organizer Emile Suotonye DeWeaver argues that the root of the problem is white supremacy.

Sid challenges the current property tax system as inherently regressive, arguing that it disproportionately burdens middle-class homeowners while favoring the wealthy. He paints a picture of the system as a significant annual burden for many, particularly for seniors and minorities who may be forced out of their neighborhoods due to rising property taxes. Sid proposes a comprehensive overhaul of the tax system, replacing property taxes with middle-class-friendly, progressive alternatives. His proposed reforms include various consumption taxes to redistribute the tax burden more equitably, ...

From failed political leadership to media-driven narratives, The Great Divider and Chief exposes how America’s trust in law enforcement was shattered—and who truly bears the blame. Drawing on more than 27 years of law enforcement leadership and firsthand experience, Keith Grounsell examines the rise of anti-police movements, the mental health crisis among officers, the collapse of recruitment, and the dangerous disconnect between public expectations and political realities. Spanning over 40 deeply investigative chapters, this book is not just an exposé—it’s a roadmap for restoring ...

In 2020, while the COVID-19 pandemic raged, the US was hit by a ripple of political discontent the likes of which had not been seen since the 1960s. The spark was the viral video of the horrific police murder of an unarmed Black man. The killing of George Floyd galvanized a nation already reeling from COVID and a toxic political cycle. Tens of thousands poured into the streets to protest. The entire country suddenly seemed to be roaring for change in one voice. Then nothing much happened. Fredrik deBoer explores why these passionate movements failed and how they could succeed in the future.

This book is the culmination of a lifetime of love and lessons that have shaped my personal journey from a young man in crisis to a champion for children. There were critical moments in my story where self-appointed “Hope Dealers” like my mother, Alice Lovelace, and my educator, Dr. Lorraine Wilson, intervened in my projected course to failure. The lessons I learned from them became the foundation of my own work with and for young people facing challenges that they often did not believe they can face alone: hopelessness, shame, disability, tragic home life, generally summed up as the ...

In this very personal work - adapted from the original number one best seller, which the New York Times calls "as compelling as To Kill a Mockingbird, and in some ways more so" - acclaimed lawyer and social justice advocate Bryan Stevenson offers a glimpse into the lives of the wrongfully imprisoned and his efforts to fight for their freedom.

In 2014, Shane Bauer was hired for nine dollars an hour to work as an entry-level prison guard at a private prison in Winnfield, Louisiana. An award-winning investigative journalist, he used his real name. Four months later, his employment came to an abrupt end. But he had seen enough and wrote an exposé about his experiences that won a National Magazine Award. In American Prison, Bauer weaves a much deeper reckoning with his experiences together with a thoroughly researched history of for-profit prisons in America from their origins in the decades before the Civil War.

"What if prison did not punish but actually healed? In The Prison Cure, Jesse J. Jacoby offers a revolutionary blueprint for reform. One born not from politics or theory, but from personal experience behind the walls. Incarcerated as a teenager, and later again as an adult for cannabis charges, Jacoby witnessed firsthand how the system breaks people further instead of helping them rise. While most surrendered to the cycle, he chose another path: Purity. Discipline. Nutrition. Inner transformation. Refusing to eat toxic meals designed to dull the spirit, he fasted for 94 days, lost 40 pounds...

A Bold Blueprint for a New Era of Economic Power & Democracy The United States is at a crossroads. Decades of growing income inequality, corporate influence over politics, and a government that too often serves the powerful rather than the people have left millions of Americans disillusioned. But a better future is possible. The New Democratic Party: A Vision for Economic Empowerment & True Democracy is a call to action—a comprehensive, pragmatic, and visionary roadmap for revitalizing the American economy, restoring democracy, and ensuring prosperity for all. This book challenges the ...

A Just Future addresses the precarious future of American higher education and diversity and inclusion initiatives along with it. From a global pandemic to a national reckoning with anti-Blackness, the 2020 historical conjuncture brutally revealed the impact of structural inequalities on historically marginalized communities and galvanized college students, diversity officers, and educators on a scale not seen since the 1960s. In so doing, it exposed the unfinished business of the civil rights era and the limits of diversity and inclusion reforms.

Unlock the hidden layers of the world's penal systems with International Perspectives on Penal Systems. This comprehensive eBook delves deep into the intricacies of penal reform movements, offering a global viewpoint on the effectiveness of different penal policies. Begin your journey with a historical overview of penal systems, understanding the importance and the drivers behind reforms. Explore the significant role of human rights and see how international standards shape prison policies across continents. Investigate real-world case studies that highlight human rights violations and ...

The United States incarcerates more of its residents than any other nation. Though home to five percent of the global population, the United States has nearly 25 percent of the world’s prisoners - a total of over two million people. This number continues to steadily rise. Over the past 40 years, the number of people behind bars in the United States has increased by 500 percent.

How can we be proud of a system of justice that often pressures the innocent to plead guilty? How can we claim that justice is equal when we imprison thousands of poor Black men for relatively modest crimes but rarely prosecute rich white executives who commit crimes having far greater impact? Federal Judge Jed S. Rakoff, a leading authority on white-collar crime, explores these and other puzzles in Why the Innocent Plead Guilty and the Guilty Go Free, a startling account of our broken legal system.

Judge Cordell, the first African American woman to sit on the Superior Court of Northern California, knows firsthand how prejudice has permeated our legal system. And yet, she believes in the system. From ending school segregation to legalizing same-sex marriage, its progress relies on legal professionals and jurors who strive to make the imperfect system as fair as possible. Her Honor is an entertaining and provocative look into the hearts and minds of judges.

The Many Faces of Incarceration: From Punishment to Restoration offers a deeply personal and theological exploration of the modern prison system. Drawing on nearly 25 years of experience in prison ministry, Geoffrey Schmitt examines incarceration through multiple lenses: punishment, deterrence, incapacitation, reform, restorative justice, social control, and spiritual transformation. Each chapter combines scriptural reflection, real-life stories, poetry, and thoughtful questions for reflection, inviting readers to see the incarcerated not as statistics but as human beings made in the image ...

Electronic monitoring. Locked-down drug treatment centers. House arrest. Mandated psychiatric treatment. Data-driven surveillance. Extended probation. These are some of the key alternatives held up as cost-effective substitutes for jails and prisons. But many of these so-called reforms actually widen the net, weaving in new strands of punishment and control, and bringing new populations, who would not otherwise have been subject to imprisonment, under physical control by the state.