Sentencing and punishment Books

Book SynopsisWritten by some of the world's leading penologists, this collection of accessible essays looks at why prison persists, why prisoner populations are rapidly rising in many countries and principles and strategies that could be adopted to radically reduce our reliance upon imprisonment.Trade Review'Finally, David Scott's edited collection Why Prison? will have the most relevance to prison practitioners and will also have the broadest appeal. It offers an impressive array of leading scholars dissecting the emergence of global hyper-incarceration and strategies for change.' Jamie Bennett, Prison Service Journal'This collection of exceptional scholarship reflects a critical juncture in penal reform that moves the discourse beyond that of mass incarceration. The contributing authors and their research on the inefficacy of incarceration make a compelling case for penal reform. A truly innovative, thought-provoking and engaging text, Why Prison? unearths seldom-considered lines of enquiry rather than merely following the well-worn paths that have been previously pursued by penological scholars. In sum, editor Scott and colleagues have done a superb job of providing readers with a profound opportunity to participate in a creative and comprehensive conversation about one of the essential social questions of our time: 'why prison?'' H. Bennett Wilcox III, Criminal Law and Criminal JusticeTable of ContentsForeword: on stemming the tide Thomas Mathiesen; 1. Why prison? Posing the question David Scott; 2. Prisons and social structure in late-capitalist societies Alessandro De Giorgi; 3. The prison paradox in neoliberal Britain Emma Bell; 4. Crafting the neoliberal state: workfare, prisonfare, and social insecurity Loïc Wacquant; 5. Pleasure, punishment and the professional middle class Magnus Hörnqvist; 6. Penal spectatorship and the culture of punishment Michelle Brown; 7. Prison and the public sphere: toward a democratic theory of penal order Vanessa Barker; 8. The iron cage of prison studies Mark Brown; 9. The prison and national identity: citizenship, punishment and the sovereign state Emma Kaufman and Mary Bosworth; 10. Punishing the detritus and the damned: penal and semi-penal institutions in Liverpool Vickie Cooper and Joe Sim; 11. Why prison? Incarceration and the great recession Keally McBride; 12. Ghosts of the past, present, and future of penal reform in the United States Marie Gottschalk; 13. Schooling the carceral state: challenging the school to prison pipeline Erica Meiners; 14. Why no prisons? Julia Oparah; 15. Unequalled in pain David Scott.

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Book SynopsisThis book makes a unique contribution to the internationalisation of criminological knowledge about gender and desistance through a qualitative cross-national exploration of the female route out of crime in Sweden and England. By situating the female desistance journey in diverse penal cultures, the study addresses two major gaps in the literature: the neglect of critical explorations of gender in desistance-related processes, and the lack of internationally comparative perspectives on the lived experience of desistance.Grounded in a feminist methodology underpinned by a critical humanist perspective this book draws on 24 life-story narrative interviews with female desisters across Sweden and England. The discussion covers departure points, qualitative experiences of criminal justice, as well as barriers and ladders' in the female route out. While some cross-national symmetry is detected, particularly in the areas of victimisation and issues around short custodial sentencesTrade Review"Linnéa Österman's book makes an important contribution to the international literature on desistance. Not only does it focus on women’s experiences of desistance but, more significantly, by comparing the experiences of female desisters in England and Sweden, it highlights the role of broader penal cultures – characterised as ‘Anglophone Excess’ and ‘Nordic Exceptionalism’ – in shaping barriers to desistance and routes out of crime."– Gill McIvor, Professor of Criminology and Co-Director of the SCCJR, University of Stirling, UKTable of Contents1. Introducing penal cultures and female desistance 2. Gender, penality and desistance in cross-national contexts 3. Researching women’s journey towards desistance in diverse cultures and contexts 4. Mapping the female offender’s journey: Points of departure 5. Penological landscapes and female perspectives: ‘Nordic Exceptionalism’ and ‘Anglophone Excess’ 6. The female route out: Barriers, ‘ladders’ and the role of relationality 7. The female route out: Employment, inclusion and participation 8. Concluding thoughts on penal cultures and female desistance Appendix

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Book SynopsisIn recent times the question of private sector involvement in public affairs has become framed in altogether new terms. Across Europe, there has been a growth in various forms of public-private cooperation in building and maintaining (new) penal institutions and an increasing presence of private companies offering security services within penal institutions as well as delivering security goods such as electronic monitoring and other equipment to penal authorities. Such developments are part of a wider trend towards privatising and marketising security. Bringing together key scholars in criminology and penology from across Europe and beyond, this book maps and describes trends of privatising punishment throughout Europe, paying attention both to prisons and community sanctions. In doing so, it initiates a continent-wide dialogue among academics and key public and private actors on the future of privatisation in Europe. Debates on the privatisation of punishment in Europe are sTable of Contents1.Privatising punishment in Europe? An agenda for research and policy, Tom Daems and Tom Vander Beken 2.Privatizing criminal justice: An historical analysis of entrepreneurship and innovation, Malcolm M. Feeley 3.Privatization of punishment in Poland, Krzysztof Krajewski 4.Privatization of punishment in Belgium, Danique Gudders and Tom Daems 5. Privatising probation in England and Wales: Manufacturing a crisis to create a market? Lol Burke 6. French probation and prisoner resettlement: Involuntary ‘privatisation’ and corporatism, Martine Herzog-Evans 7. Electronically monitoring offenders as ‘coercive connectivity’: Commerce and penality in surveillance capitalism, Mike Nellis 8.Uneven business: Privatization of immigration detention in Europe, Michael Flynn, Matthew B. Flynn and Eryn Wagnon 9.What is lost when punishment is privatized? Lucia Zedner

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Book SynopsisHandbook on the Consequences of Sentencing and Punishment Decisions, the third volume in the Routledge ASC Division on Corrections & Sentencing Series, includes contemporary essays on the consequences of punishment during an era of mass incarceration. The Handbook Series offers state-of-the-art volumes on seminal and topical issues that span the fields of sentencing and corrections. In that spirit, the editors gathered contributions that summarize what is known in each topical area and also identify emerging theoretical, empirical, and policy work. The book is grounded in the current knowledge about the specific topics, but also includes new, synthesizingmaterial that reflects the knowledge of the leading minds in the field.Following an editors' introduction, the volume is divided into four sections. First, two contributions situate and contextualize the volume by providing insight into the growth of mass punishment over the past three decades and an overview of the Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION The Consequences of Sentencing and Punishment Decisions I. CONSEQUENCES OF PUNISHMENT DECISIONS 1. Historical Trends in Punishment and the Lens of American Federalism 2. Collateral Sanctions: The Intended Collateral Consequences of Felony Convictions II. BROAD IMPACTS 3. The Collateral Consequences of Incarceration for Housing 4. Residential Insecurities and Neighborhood Quality Following Incarceration 5. Impact of Incarceration on Employment Prospects 6. Incarceration, Reentry, and Health 7. The Psychological Effects of Contact with the Criminal Justice System 8. Impacts of Incarceration on Children and Families 9. Impacts of Conviction and Imprisonment for Women III. CONSEQUENCES OF SENTENCING DECISIONS 10. Punished for being Punished: Collateral Consequences of a Drug Offense Conviction 11. Compounded Stigmatization: Collateral Consequences of a Sex Offense Conviction 12. The Hidden Consequences of Visible Juvenile Records 13. Deportation as a Collateral Consequence IV. INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXTS 14. Mass Jail Incarceration and Its Consequences 15. Collateral Consequences of Pretrial Detention 16. The Impact of Restrictive Housing on Inmate Behavior: A Systematic Review of the Evidence 17. The Impacts of Privatization in Corrections: The State of Evidence and Recommendations for Moving Forward V. BROAD IMPLICATIONS 18. “Raise the Age” Legislation as a Prevention Approach to Address Mass Incarceration 19. Mass Incarceration in Jail and Family Visitation 20. The Hardest Time: Gang Members in Total Institutions 21. Exportation Hypothesis: Bringing Prison Violence Home to the Community

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Book SynopsisThis second edition of the Handbook of Victims and Victimology presents a comprehensively revised and updated set of essays, bringing together internationally recognised scholars and practitioners to offer substantial research informed overviews within their specialist fields of investigation. This handbook is divided into five parts, with each part addressing a different theme within victimology: Part I offers a scene-setting exploration of new developments in the field, enduring issues that remain relatively unchanged and the gaps and traps within the contemporary victimological agenda Part II examines of the complex dimensions to victim experiences as structured by gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality and intersectionality Part III reflects on the problems and possibilities of formulating policy responses in the light of the changing appreciation of the nature and extent of victimhood Part IV focused on the vTrade Review"This anthology is essential reading for anyone seeking a contemporary critical understanding of victimology. Edited by one of the world's leading experts in the field, the Handbook covers a broad range of important topics and it is directly relevant to policy and practice." - Walter S. DeKeseredy, Anna Deane Carlson Endowed Chair of Social Sciences, Director of the Research Center on Violence, and Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, West Virginia University, USA "This broad-ranging volume is a significant contribution to victimological scholarship, building on the success of the first edition to extend its reach and scope and raising fundamental questions about how we view and treat victims of crime, and other social harms as an international community. It is a must read for scholars, students and policy makers interested in all aspects of society’s response to harm and risk." - Matthew Hall, Professor of Law & Criminal Justice, Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Lincoln Law School, University of Lincoln, UK "The Handbook of Victims and Victimology is a collection of essays that offer comprehensive, comparative and critical analyses of complex dimensions of victim experiences as structured by gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality and intersectionality. Looking back into history, together with reflecting on contemporary victimisation and victim policy developments, the new edition offers a fresh and inspiring look at both old and new victimological issues and challenges. Moreover, it offers a valuable and much needed vision of the future of victimological theory and practice, which is well-structured and shaped in the form of an agenda for a (critical) victimology." - Vesna Nikolić-Ristanović, Director of the Victimology Society of Serbia and Professor at the Faculty for Special Education and Rehabilitation, University of Belgrade, Serbia "A few decades ago Victimology was described unflatteringly as a ‘hotchpotch’ of ideas, concepts and theories. Contrary, this second edition of the widely respected Handbook confirms that Victimology is now a unifying social science. Sandra Walklate and an array of authors stimulate thinking about victims of conventional and non-conventional crime, criminal victimisation, consequences of victimisation and responses (individual and collective) to crime and victimisation. The thorough and comprehensive analysis features debate on the role of the victim in modern criminal justice and on emerging issues and policy on victims’ rights and victim assistance. It focuses on the plight of vulnerable and disenfranchised victims of domestic and transnational crimes. Further, it draws attention to current developments in law, policy and procedure. The Handbook is ideal to challenge undergraduate and post-graduate students with fresh research and new concepts. It is also an excellent resource for researchers, lecturers, criminal justice practitioners, victims’ rights advocates and victim assistance workers, as well as informative for law and policy makers. In fact, it is an engaging read for anyone with an interest in criminal victimisation." - Michael O’Connell APM, Commissioner for Victims’ Rights, South Australia "Researchers, policy-makers, social service practitioners, instructors, and engaged students surely will find specific chapters in this handbook to be valuable resources for reference purposes. The numerous contributors share their insights about the suffering as well as the steps toward recovery of a wide variety of crime victims in a great many different societies. Taken collectively, the broad scope of these readings provides useful coverage of emerging concerns, enduring issues, theoretical matters, opposing views, policy alternatives, and proposed solutions to practical problems." - Andrew Karmen, Professor of Sociology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, USA Table of ContentsIntroduction and Overview (Sandra Walklate) Part I: Perspectives on Victims and Victimisation Introduction to Part I (Sandra Walklate) 1. A Question of History (Barry Godfrey) 2. Theoretical Perspectives on Victimisation (Paul Rock) 3. The social epidemiology of crime victimization: The paradox of prevention (Tim Hope) 4. The Impact of Crime: Victimisation, Harm and Resilience (Simon Green and Anthony Pemberton) Part II: Victims, Victimology and ‘Difference’ Introduction to Part II (Sandra Walklate) 5. Feminist Voices, Gender and Victimisation (Pamela Davies) 6. Child Victims of Human Rights Violation (Elizabeth Stanley) 7. Victims of Hate Crime (Neil Chakraborti) 8. Sexuality and victimisation (Leslie J Moran) 9. Intersectionality and Victimisation (Patrina Duhaney) Part III: Policy Directions and Service Delivery Introduction to Part III (Sandra Walklate) 10. Interventions and services for victims of crime (Joanna Shapland) 11. The victim in court (Samantha Fairclough and Imogen Jones) 12. Restorative Justice and Victims of Crime: Directions and developments (Meredith Rossner) 13. Theorising victimisation through the individual and collective reparations programs for Indian Residential School abuse (Konstantin Petroukhov) Part IV: Comparative Perspectives Introduction to Part IV (Sandra Walklate) 14. A glass half full, or half empty? On the implementation of the EU’s Victims Directive regarding police reception and specialized support (Jan Van Dijk and Marc Groenhuijsen) 15. Victims support in policy and legal process in Australia: Still an ambivalent and contested space (Tracey Booth and Kerry Carrington) 16. Looking into Asia: Managing crime through victim policy? (Susyan Jou and Bill Hebenton) Part V: Other Visions of Victims and Victimology Introduction to Part V (Sandra Walklate) 17. Crime as a Social Relation of Power: Reframing the ‘Ideal Victim’ of Corporate Crimes (David Whyte) 18. We Are All Complicit: Victimization and Crimes of the Powerful (Dawn L. Rothe and David Kauzlarich) 19. Cultural Victimology Revisited: Synergies of Risk, Fear and Resilience (Gabe Mythen and Will McGowan) Conclusion: Developing an agenda for a (critical) victimology (Sandra Walklate)

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Book SynopsisFrom a prominent criminal law professor, a provocative and timely exploration of how plea bargaining prevents true criminal justice reform and how we can fix it. When Americans think of the criminal justice system, the image that comes to mind is a trial—a standard court­room scene with a defendant, attorneys, a judge, and most important, a jury. It’s a fair assumption. The right to a trial by jury is enshrined in both the body of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It’s supposed to be the foundation that undergirds our entire justice system. But in Punishment Without Trial: Why Plea Bargaining Is a Bad Deal, University of North Carolina law professor Carissa Byrne Hessick shows that the popular conception of a jury trial couldn’t be further from reality. That bed­rock constitutional right has all but disappeared thanks to the unstoppable march of plea bargaining, which began to take hold during Prohibition aTrade ReviewAnyone interested in criminal justice reform needs to understand plea bargaining because it is responsible for so much of what is wrong with how criminal law is administered in America. Carissa Byrne Hessick carefully and objectively analyzes all of plea bargaining's shortcomings and offers realistic solutions to curb its abuses. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to tackle mass incarceration, by one of the country's most thoughtful scholars. -- Rachel E. Barkow * author of Prisoners of Politics: Breaking the Cycle of Mass Incarceration *With sound logic, empirical evidence, and appeals to our sense of justice, Carissa Hessick makes an urgent case to fix a problem unknown to much of the public. Plea bargaining may seem innocuous enough, particularly when it's used in individual cases. But the practice has become so pervasive that most prosecutors, judges, and defense attorneys can't imagine the system functioning without it. In calm, thorough, and authoritative prose, Hessick explains how this dependence on adjudicating cases without trial corrupts the core values we associate with a fair justice system. With illustrative anecdotes backed by hard data, Hessick explains how overreliance on the plea bargain has chipped away at the presumption of innocence, punishes those who exercise their constitutional right to a fair trial, and obscures prosecutor and police misconduct. -- Radley Balko * Washington Post award-winning journalist and author of Rise of the Warrior Cop *

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Book SynopsisExamines the hidden use of non-judicial officers in the criminal justice systemTrade Review“The issues of nonjudges making judicial decisions are, as the lead chapter of this indispensable collection tells us, hiding in plain view. These masterful essays place a therapeutic jurisprudence lens on issues that permeate the criminal justice, mental disability law, and family law systems, and demonstrate clearly how we fail when we outsource so many of the issues that are covered here. Justice Outsourced is a comprehensive and welcome—and necessary—addition to the transitional justice literature.”—David B. Wexler, Professor of Law at the University of Puerto Rico and Distinguished Research Professor of Law at the University of Arizona“Justice Outsourced provides a powerful critique of the forensic mental health system from the theoretical perspective of therapeutic jurisprudence. Central to this critique is the likely unknown fact that far too many legal decisions affecting this population are made by nonlegal authorities, whose decisions at times are at odds with the sentencing judge adjudicating these cases. Justice Outsourced is the first text of its kind to explore the implications of these questionable administrative practices. It is a must-read.”—David Polizzi, Professor at Indiana State University

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Book SynopsisExamines the hidden use of non-judicial officers in the criminal justice systemTrade Review“The issues of nonjudges making judicial decisions are, as the lead chapter of this indispensable collection tells us, hiding in plain view. These masterful essays place a therapeutic jurisprudence lens on issues that permeate the criminal justice, mental disability law, and family law systems, and demonstrate clearly how we fail when we outsource so many of the issues that are covered here. Justice Outsourced is a comprehensive and welcome—and necessary—addition to the transitional justice literature.”—David B. Wexler, Professor of Law at the University of Puerto Rico and Distinguished Research Professor of Law at the University of Arizona“Justice Outsourced provides a powerful critique of the forensic mental health system from the theoretical perspective of therapeutic jurisprudence. Central to this critique is the likely unknown fact that far too many legal decisions affecting this population are made by nonlegal authorities, whose decisions at times are at odds with the sentencing judge adjudicating these cases. Justice Outsourced is the first text of its kind to explore the implications of these questionable administrative practices. It is a must-read.”—David Polizzi, Professor at Indiana State University

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Book SynopsisDespite the rising number of confirmed false confession cases, most people have a hard time grasping why someone would confess to a crime they did not commit, or even why a guilty person would admit to something that could put them in jail for life. How the Police Generate False Confessions takes you inside the interrogation room, exposing the tactics that law enforcement uses to make confessions happen. James L. Trainum reveals how innocent people can become suspects and then confessed criminals even when they have not committed a crime. Using real stories, he looks at the inherent coerciveness of the interrogation process and why so many false confessions contain so many of the details that only the true perpetrator would know. More disturbingly, the book examines how these same processes corrupt witness and victim statements, create lying informants and cooperators, and induce innocent people to plead guilty. Trainum also offers recommendations for change in the U.S. by looking at hTrade ReviewIn this groundbreaking book on the U.S. criminal justice system, Trainum, a former Washington, D.C. police detective, argues for reform of police interviewing and interrogation practices. The confession is considered the gold standard for law enforcement, because 'most people believe that they would never confess to a crime they did not do.' Yet suspects, witnesses, and informants often feel that they have no other option. Trainum carefully demonstrates why in an era of minimum sentences, where the worst-case scenario can be significant jail time, registration as a sex offender, or even the death penalty, prosecutors have breathtaking power to hold a person's life in the balance. The best option for a suspect or witness may be a false confession, informing, or a plea bargain, especially when a long legal fight may drain a family bank account, or when a prosecutor offers a reduced sentence or jailhouse privileges as reward. Without reform, prosecutors, police, and investigators may soon discover that 'harsh and verbally abusive interrogation tactics that focused solely on obtaining confessions... not only [contribute] to false confessions but also to the negative perception of law enforcement by the public.' Using numerous examples and backed by persuasive academic research, Trainum proposes a better way that is already at work in countries with similar criminal justice systems. His book will hit a nerve with a public newly concerned with abuses of police power, and hopefully will influence those tasked with law enforcement and public policy as well. * Publishers Weekly, Starred Review *The first step to solving any problem is realizing that it exists. This enlightening work by retired Washington, DC, police detective Trainum leaves no doubt that there are complications with false confessions and police interrogation techniques. Trainum walks readers through the steps police are taught to use in the interrogation room and the coercive methods that can lead to contamination of the interview and false confession. His explanations are well supported with relevant and interesting case studies and previous research. He includes information on problems with statements from witnesses and informants and the role played by plea bargains and mandatory sentences. After presenting a thoroughly convincing portrait of the issue, Trainum provides 'a better way' forward, outlining the PEACE method of interrogation and reviewing other safeguards, including videotaping of interviews. His 27 years of experience provide an insider's realistic, practical view, making this an especially important addition on the topic. VERDICT Essential for those working in the criminal justice system. It will also be of interest to the general public concerned with criminal justice issues and reform, as well as fans of police procedurals and true crime. * Library Journal, Starred Review *[I]f you have an interest in fairness, justice and preventing wrongful convictions, then the new book How the Police Generate False Confessions by former Washington, D.C., homicide detective James Trainum is an important read. It takes you inside the interrogation room to see how investigators extract admissions from innocent people, and how the justice system can fix this persistent problem, seen in high profile cases such as the Central Park Five, the Norfolk Four and the teenaged suspect from Wisconsin in the Netflix series ‘Making a Murderer.’... I [Washington Post reporter Tom Jackman] asked Brandon Garrett, a University of Virginia law professor who has focused on wrongful convictions, about Trainum’s book. ‘It is such an important new book,’ Garrett said. ‘For decades, we have seen false confession after false confession lead to tragic wrongful convictions of the innocent while serious criminals go undetected. The courts have done little to respond to abuses in the interrogation room; if anything they have eroded constitutional protections, such as the right to remain silent. Trainum explains that for police, there is another way. Overly coercive interrogation techniques not only produce false confessions but they are not good at uncovering good information. In the U.K. and in more agencies in the U.S., police have changed gears, turning from psychologically coercive techniques to information gathering techniques. Trainum and his book are at the forefront of a revolution in police interrogations.’ Now that’s a lot better book review quote than mine. * The Washington Post *Who could falsely confess to a crime they didn’t do? In this must read book, Trainum gives us the inside story. He shows how shockingly easy it is for police to secure a false confession, even without intending to do so. That confession, though false, may appear to be highly accurate. Trainum concludes by pointing the way towards less coercive interrogation methods. The result will be a revolution in police questioning. -- Brandon L. Garrett, Justice Thurgood Marshall Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of LawThis is not a book about bad cops; it is a book about a very good cop discovering a process for making himself a great cop: beginning by calmly confronting his own mistakes, using research to understand their lessons, and then sharing those lessons with the justice professions. A tremendous contribution. -- James Doyle, Attorney, Boston, MA; author of True Witness: Cops, Courts, Science and the Battle Against MisidentificationFalse confessions are a leading cause of wrongful convictions. Jim Trainum, a retired Washington, DC, homicide detective, explores the nature of this problem in his book, How the Police Generate False Confessions, and discusses how the interview process can be improved and reformed. Investigators, prosecutors, and defense attorneys will all benefit from his experience and insights. -- D. Kim Rossmo, Professor, School of Criminal Justice at Texas State UniversityThe curtain is being drawn back on the interrogation room, and America doesn’t necessarily like what it sees. This is being led by those who are willing to discuss what they know about interrogation practices and the unjust outcomes that happen as a result. Jim Trainum is one of those voices, detailing not only issues related to interrogations and false confessions, but the larger investigative culture that can make changing this situation very difficult. The first step to change is admitting you have a problem. Law enforcement has not come around to this realization. In this book, however, the problem becomes clear. Through historical examples and personal experience as a Detective, Jim takes the reader on a journey through the various ways in which a false confession can happen, and does happen. In the end, the reader is left with the realization that what happens in the interrogation room is in large part a reflection of our criminal justice system itself. As a result of this knowledge, we are faced with the choice about whether we want the system to change, or to remain as it is. In making this decision, the reader comes to realize that the next false confession that is given might very well be your own, and that no one is necessarily immune from the forces of persuasion and coercion that exist in the interrogation. -- Gary C. David, PhD, Associate Professor of Sociology, Department Chair; Associate Professor of Information Design and Corporate Communication, Bentley UniversityBlending his career as a decorated homicide detective with his uncanny academic insights and understanding Jim has given us a book that addresses the complicated issues inherent in police interview and interrogations with piercing precision and unique insights. This is a must-read for practitioners, academicians and anyone interested in what really happens when cops, suspects, policies and the law converge in a pressure-filled interview room. Not to be missed. -- Gregg O. McCrary, FBI, retiredOthers have written books about how police generate false confessions. Richard Ofshe, Saul Kassin, Richard Leo (Laura Nirider and I) and many others frequently lecture about the causes and consequences of false confessions. But it is one thing for social scientists, academics, and defense attorneys to write and talk about these things, it is another for a homicide detective to do so. Jim Trainum's book, How the Police Generate False Confessions: An Inside Look at the Interrogation Room, may just turn out to be the most important book on the subject ever written. I learned more about the way police officers investigate homicides and the way tunnel vision and confirmation bias leads to investigative failure from this book than from any other book I have read. The book puts a lie to so many myths about police interrogations that I lost count of them all. But it does so much more. Det. Trainum is not just a critic; he is a reformer, charting a course for the proper way for police officers to investigate cases, interview suspects, witnesses and informants and to obtain reliable information from them. If you buy one book this year in the area of wrongful convictions, this is the book you should buy. -- Steven Drizin, Clinical Professor of Law, Northwestern University School of Law; attorney for Brendan Dassey of Making a MurdererTable of ContentsIntroduction 1: History 2: Do We Even Have a Problem? 3: Types of Confessions and Statements 4: Taking the First Steps 5: Good Police Work or Coercion? 6: Contamination 7: Statement Evaluation 8: Witnesses 9: Cooperators and Informants 10: Plea Bargaining 11: Is There a Better Way? 12: Reform 13: What Lays in Store for the Future

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Book SynopsisThis concise and accessible guide offers a critical overview of the prison system in England and Wales for students and practitioners. The book guides the reader through prison life as experienced by different stakeholder groups and is packed with learning features such as case studies and key concepts.Table of Contents1. Orienting the Prison 2. The Birth of the Prison 3. Prison: The Modern Context 4. Doing Time: How Different Groups Experience Prison Differently 5. Prison Life 6. Theorising Punishment and the Pains of Imprisonment 7. Doing Prison Work 8. Leaving Prison, Resettling and Returning 9. Prison on an International Scale 10. What Next for Prisons?

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Book SynopsisThis concise and accessible guide offers a critical overview of the prison system in England and Wales for students and practitioners. The book guides the reader through prison life as experienced by different stakeholder groups and is packed with learning features such as case studies and key concepts.Table of Contents1. Orienting the Prison 2. The Birth of the Prison 3. Prison: The Modern Context 4. Doing Time: How Different Groups Experience Prison Differently 5. Prison Life 6. Theorising Punishment and the Pains of Imprisonment 7. Doing Prison Work 8. Leaving Prison, Resettling and Returning 9. Prison on an International Scale 10. What Next for Prisons?

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Book Synopsis''A compelling, vividly realised prison drama with a mystery at its heart. Hugely enjoyed it'' Steve Cavanagh, author of Thirteen Jenna knows she didn''t do it. But she is running out of time to prove it . . . A heartbreaking, compulsive thriller with a killer twist! Framed. Imprisoned. Pregnant. Jenna thought she had the perfect life: a loving fiancé, a great job, a beautiful home. Then she finds her stepdaughter murdered; her partner missing. And the police think she did it . . . Locked up to await trial, surrounded by prisoners who''d hurt her if they knew what she''s accused of, certain someone close to her has framed her, Jenna knows what she needs to do: Clear her name Save her baby Find the killer But can she do it in time? Authors love On My Life! ''An angry, powerful read'' Mick Herron, author of London Rules ''I loved it. A Trade ReviewAn angry, powerful read - one of those rare crime novels with more to deliver than routine thrills. -- Mick Herron, author of London RulesI loved it. A searing take on the treatment of women in prison as well as a fast-paced and smart thriller. -- Gillian McAllister, author of No Further QuestionsWhat an amazing, roller-coaster ride and also a searing indictment of the way women are treated in prison. Highly recommended. -- Elly Griffiths, author of The Stranger DiariesON MY LIFE by Angela Clarke is a heart-rending mystery, and an unflinching study of life in the prison system. -- Stuart Neville, author of So Say The FallenMesmerising and unflinching. Angela Clarke's meticulously researched book expertly captures the sense of fear and dog-eat-dog mentality that permeates our institutions. A propulsive, utterly compelling novel. -- Fiona CumminsA compelling, vividly realised prison drama with a mystery at its heart. Hugely enjoyed it. -- Steve Cavanagh, author of ThirteenIt's her best yet. ON MY LIFE is a claustrophobic helter skelter that had me racing to the end to find out who was telling the truth! -- Katerina Diamond, author of The PromiseIntelligent, pacy thriller... Taut, claustrophobic, fast-paced, moving. An incredibly gripping read. -- Will Dean, author of Dark PinesCompelling, intense, and breathtakingly brilliant. -- Angela Marsons, author of the DI Kim Stone novelsThis book was so heaped with tension, threat and menace that I had to read it very quickly! Absolutely engrossing and entertaining as well as being a searing indictment of the penal system. This is an eye-opening, jaw-dropping read that will keep you up to the wee small hours. -- Liz Nugent, author of Skin DeepFrom the very first chapter I was truly captivated... I cannot recommend this book enough. Angela Clarke is a force to be reckoned with. -- Caroline Mitchell, author of Silent VictimLoved this... The pace never drops and the detail of prison life is so moving and brutal. -- Claire McGowan, author of the Paula Maguire seriesIn a word, brilliant... So engaging at times I found it hard to breathe! It kept me up well past lights out several nights in a row. -- James Oswald, author of the Inspector McLean seriesAn explosive story of murder, injustice and sheer survival instincts - the fear almost leapt from the page! -- Mel SherrattAngela has knocked it out of the park with this book - it's incredible. Dramatic, unputdownable, heart breaking, utterly compelling - and important. I read it in pretty much one sitting, with my heart in my mouth. Definitely in my Top 3 of the year! -- Louise VossA book to grip you by the throat and haunt your dreams after you have put it down. ON MY LIFE will stay with me for some time. -- Cass GreenA claustrophobic, character-driven tour de force from Angela Clarke. Powerful, affecting and utterly compelling, the plot twists and turns like a corkscrew digging into your brain. Unmissable... -- Neil Broadfoot, author of No Man's LandA thrilling, terrifying novel... I was caught from the first frightening page and the unflinching look at prison life was shocking, addictive and, at times, very moving. The ending left me breathless. -- Kate Helm, author of The Secrets You HideAbsolutely loved ON MY LIFE - a twisty, involving roller-coaster of a read with a powerful social message at its heart. -- Roz Watkins, author of The Devil's DiceI finished Angela's book in one quick gulp. An absolute thrill-ride. I loved the prison setting and the entire cast. Fabulous pacing. -- Jo Spain, author of The ConfessionTense, touching and claustrophobic, Clarke nails the horror of being imprisoned for something you didn't do. A rollercoaster ride of a thriller. -- Ali Knight, author of Before I Find YouAngela Clarke has written a very sensitive, moving and sympathetic look at incarcerated women in ON MY LIFE. Empathy (and good research) on every page -- Sinéad Crowley, author of One Bad TurnThis isn't just a smart, high-tension page turner, it's a book that shines clear bright light on contemporary prison life. -- William Shaw, author of Salt LaneA fantastic story, brilliantly told...a great mystery, a high-stakes personal struggle, and a pile of massive twists. ON MY LIFE is a total triumph. -- Julia Crouch, author of Her Husband's LoverAngela Clarke layers on the tension with this blistering, angry thriller which will change the way you think about women in prison. -- Tammy Cohen, author of They All Fall DownThe new thriller by Angela Clarke packs a powerful punch. An authentic and gripping account of an innocent woman trapped in the prison system. -- Anna Mazzola, author of The Story KeeperA compulsive read with insight into women in the prison system; a mystery that is unpicked with pace and increasing tension. -- Lisa Ballantyne, author of The Guilty OneCompelling, sympathetic and tense, with some wonderfully drawn characters and a truly cinematic ending. -- Rod Reynolds, author of Cold Desert SkyAn unputdownable read about an ordinary woman's worst nightmare, ON MY LIFE is well researched, brilliantly written, scarily realistic and utterly heartbreaking. -- SJI Holliday, author of The LingeringAs dark and twisty as a tornado - Angela Clarke's best yet. -- Mel McGrath, author of Give Me the ChildON MY LIFE is fast paced, twisty and nail biting, but it's so much more too. -- Holly Seddon, author of Don't Close Your EyesA gripping thriller with a shockingly searing insight into prison life for women. Couldn't put this down. -- Luca Veste, author of The Bone KeeperA terrifying and moving story. You won't be able to look away, desperate to see if justice is done. -- Lucy Dawson, author of The DaughterTense, unflinching and heartbreaking. This one kept me up late in the night. Angela Clarke has excelled herself. -- Colette McBethMoving and compassionate... As well as being fast-paced and involving it's a thought-provoking, and at times very tender, read. I found myself hurtling towards the end as the tension ratcheted up. -- Amanda Jennings, author of The Cliff HousePacy, addictive... couldn't put it down. Insightful, intelligent and moving with unforgettable characters and a brilliant twist. Stunning! -- Claire Douglas, author of Last Seen AliveON MY LIFE is truly special. On one hand a gut-punching psychological thriller and on the other a haunting exploration of the female prison system. It's a raw, honest and twisty novel about truth and bravery and I couldn't put it down. -- Fran Dorricott, author of After the EclipseClever, gripping and powerful - Angela Clarke's ON MY LIFE is a great read. -- William Ryan, author of A House of GhostsAngela Clarke is an author with something real to say, and a grip that only tightens as she says it. -- Tony Kent, author of Marked For DeathTense and heartbreaking, this is a beautifully constructed thriller. -- Lucy Ayrton, author of One More ChanceON MY LIFE is an exhaustively researched, expertly-crafted and brilliantly-written prison story that places the reader firmly in the room. Angela Clarke movingly chronicles a woman's worst nightmare with a killer-twist at the end. A must-read. -- Howard Linskey, author of The Chosen OnesAn absolute page turner with excellently-realised characters and surprising humour. Even better, it has a huge heart. It will make you think differently about prisons and how pregnant women fare in them. -- Alex Reeve, author of The House on Half Moon StreetReading this book was like being on an emotional rollercoaster: sometimes harrowing, sometimes heart-warming. I was enthralled from start to finish. -- Rachel Abbott, author of Come A Little CloserSuch an expertly executed novel and a thrilling page-turner too. -- Michelle Davies, author of False WitnessAuthentic and bold, with a searing story and cracking characterisation. -- LV HayThis is a fresh, smart and important novel that absolutely stands out from the crowd. Highly recommended. -- Catherine Ryan Howard, author of The Liar's GirlA smart, fast-paced prison thriller with a ticking clock scenario that's at once novel, and as old as humanity. -- Mason Cross, author of the Carter Blake seriesThis is a pacy read about a perfect life gone wrong...I didn't see the twist coming! * Prima *A chilling portrait of prison life, and a brilliantly pacy plot * Sunday Mirror *A twisty thriller that intensifies as it reaches it's conclusion - a clever and compelling read * Woman’s Weekly *The story is so compellingly told that you won't be putting it down * Sunday Express S Magazine *With shocking twists until the very end, you won't want to put this down * Heat *On My Life has all the hallmarks of a classic Angela Clarke novel. She thoughtfully, sensitively and cleverly sheds light on the hidden world behind bars, but never lets the pace flag for one second. It's a blistering thriller with a big heart -- Marnie Riches, bestselling author of TightropeSome books are hard to put down - this is one of them...With a twisting tale that races to a tense conclusion, this is a compelling and vivid read * Woman & Home *Well researched and shocking, this is both a gripping thriller and an indictment of prison policy * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisAn inside look at the struggles former prisoners face in reentering society Every year, roughly 650,000 people prepare to reenter society after being released from state and federal prisons. In Halfway House, Liam Martin shines a light on their difficult journeys, taking us behind the scenes at Bridge House, a residential reentry program near Boston, Massachusetts. Drawing on three years of research, Martin explores the obstacles these former prisoners face in the real world. From drug addiction to poverty, he captures the ups and downs of life after incarceration in vivid, engaging detail. He shows us what, exactly, it is like to live in a halfway house, giving us a rare, up-close view of its role in a dense and often confusing web of organizations governing prisoner reentry. Martin asks us to rethink the possibilitiesand pitfallsof using halfway houses to manage the worst excesses of mass incarceration. A portrait of life in the long shadow of the cTrade ReviewMartin empathetically plunges us into the cauldron of America’s carceral mesh of punishment, mandatory treatment, homelessness and interminable abuse at the height of the US overdose epidemic. We meet an inspiringly charismatic Puerto Rican heroin injector, with a history of violent crime and chronic incarceration, who actually manages to recover from chronic injection, drug use, violent crime and re-incarceration against all structural odds by bravely confronting the heartbreakingly painful breakdown of his battered body. -- Philippe Bourgois, author of In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El BarrioHalfway House tells the story of the transition from prison to community, helping us think about reentry and formerly incarcerated people in a different light. Liam Martin successfully identifies and illuminates the many tensions inherent in the halfway house model and offers a compelling and ultimately very human account of the lives of men trying to 'make good.' -- Natasha Frost, co-author of The Punishment Imperative: The Rise and Failure of Mass Incarceration in AmericaMartin focuses on the role of the halfway house in a dense and often confusing web of organizations governing prisoner reentry and calls for a rethinking of the possibilities and pitfalls of using halfway houses to manage the worst excesses of mass incarceration. * Law and Social Inquiry *This highly sophisticated, indeed exemplary, ethnographic study of Bridge House, a halfway house in Boston, is an essential contribution to contemporary and future discussions within both academic and policy-making circles. It is an excellent account of the many dilemmas surrounding reentry organizations and programs that still retain many carceral elements that the target population experienced in prisons and jails. -- C. Powell, formerly, University of Southern Maine * Choice *Across nine chapters, Martin offers a moving ethnographic account of Joe's experience at Bridge House, framed with sharp insights into the social forces bearing down on him within and beyond this public and privately funded organization… Like the concept of carceral care, this book is fundamentally about contradictions. * Punishment & Society *

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Book SynopsisAn inside look at the struggles former prisoners face in reentering society Every year, roughly 650,000 people prepare to reenter society after being released from state and federal prisons. In Halfway House, Liam Martin shines a light on their difficult journeys, taking us behind the scenes at Bridge House, a residential reentry program near Boston, Massachusetts. Drawing on three years of research, Martin explores the obstacles these former prisoners face in the real world. From drug addiction to poverty, he captures the ups and downs of life after incarceration in vivid, engaging detail. He shows us what, exactly, it is like to live in a halfway house, giving us a rare, up-close view of its role in a dense and often confusing web of organizations governing prisoner reentry. Martin asks us to rethink the possibilitiesand pitfallsof using halfway houses to manage the worst excesses of mass incarceration. A portrait of life in the long shadow of the cTrade ReviewMartin empathetically plunges us into the cauldron of America’s carceral mesh of punishment, mandatory treatment, homelessness and interminable abuse at the height of the US overdose epidemic. We meet an inspiringly charismatic Puerto Rican heroin injector, with a history of violent crime and chronic incarceration, who actually manages to recover from chronic injection, drug use, violent crime and re-incarceration against all structural odds by bravely confronting the heartbreakingly painful breakdown of his battered body. -- Philippe Bourgois, author of In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El BarrioHalfway House tells the story of the transition from prison to community, helping us think about reentry and formerly incarcerated people in a different light. Liam Martin successfully identifies and illuminates the many tensions inherent in the halfway house model and offers a compelling and ultimately very human account of the lives of men trying to 'make good.' -- Natasha Frost, co-author of The Punishment Imperative: The Rise and Failure of Mass Incarceration in AmericaMartin focuses on the role of the halfway house in a dense and often confusing web of organizations governing prisoner reentry and calls for a rethinking of the possibilities and pitfalls of using halfway houses to manage the worst excesses of mass incarceration. * Law and Social Inquiry *This highly sophisticated, indeed exemplary, ethnographic study of Bridge House, a halfway house in Boston, is an essential contribution to contemporary and future discussions within both academic and policy-making circles. It is an excellent account of the many dilemmas surrounding reentry organizations and programs that still retain many carceral elements that the target population experienced in prisons and jails. -- C. Powell, formerly, University of Southern Maine * Choice *Across nine chapters, Martin offers a moving ethnographic account of Joe's experience at Bridge House, framed with sharp insights into the social forces bearing down on him within and beyond this public and privately funded organization… Like the concept of carceral care, this book is fundamentally about contradictions. * Punishment & Society *

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Book SynopsisReveals the secretive, inaccurate, and often violent ways that the American criminal system really worksCurtis Flowers spent twenty-three years on death row for a murder he did not commit. Atlanta police killed 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston during a misguided raid on her home. Rachel Hoffman was murdered at age twenty-three while working for Florida police. Such tragedies are consequences of snitching. Although it is nearly invisible to the public, the massive informant market shapes the American legal system in risky and sometimes shocking ways. Police rely on criminal suspects to obtain warrants, to perform surveillance, and to justify arrests. Prosecutors negotiate with defendants for information and cooperation, offering to drop charges or lighten sentences in exchange. In this book, Alexandra Natapoff provides a comprehensive analysis of this powerful and problematic practice. She shows how informant deals generate unreliable evidence, allow serious criminals to escape punishment, Trade ReviewAlexandra Natapoff’s groundbreaking work upends much of what we know—or thought we knew—about how the criminal justice system works. . . Natapoff shows how police and prosecutors routinely reward informants with an array of benefits, ranging from cash to freedom, which are largely hidden from public view. Her damning account illuminates the profound unfairness and devastating consequences of incentivized testimony. Snitching is a revelatory book that will forever change the way we look at the role that informants play in both policing and criminal prosecutions. * Pamela Colloff, senior reporter at ProPublica and staff writer at The New York Times Magazine *The supply [of cooperators] is endless. I should know. There were at least three in the trials against me. After it was discovered that the first two cooperators had been offered favors and weren’t telling the truth, they never appeared again. The state just produced a new one. This book really explains how this process worked in my trials, and how it still works in others’. My hope is that this book shines a light so that other people do not have to suffer through what I did. * Curtis Flowers, exonerated in 2021 after serving twenty-three years for wrongful convictions based on informant testimony *This book […] was a godsend for me, especially as we fought to get ‘Rachel’s Law’ passed. The book educated all of us in such a meaningful way: legislators, law students and family members and friends. * Marjorie Weiss, advocate and mother of murdered twenty-three-year-old informant Rachel Hoffman *Superb . . .a searing indictment of how the secretive dynamics of informing have helped corrupt inner city life in America, and a deep scholarly analysis of how our legal rules contribute to this problem and can be reformed to mitigate it. This brilliantly original book is ...wise and ruthlessly honest in its understanding of the street level practices of informant-reliance. * Robert Weisberg, Edwin E. Huddleson, Jr. Professor of Law, Stanford Law School, founder and co-director of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center *One of the truly impressive contributions of the book comes in [Natapoff’s] explanation of the effects of widespread use of informants for the criminal justice system, our social structures, and our democracy. . . . Snitching should find a place in every law school course looking at legal issues in the criminal justice arena, and on the syllabi of every university course in criminal justice that aims to give students a realistic and nuanced view of how the system really works. * Criminal Justice *

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Book SynopsisReveals the secretive, inaccurate, and often violent ways that the American criminal system really worksCurtis Flowers spent twenty-three years on death row for a murder he did not commit. Atlanta police killed 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston during a misguided raid on her home. Rachel Hoffman was murdered at age twenty-three while working for Florida police. Such tragedies are consequences of snitching. Although it is nearly invisible to the public, the massive informant market shapes the American legal system in risky and sometimes shocking ways. Police rely on criminal suspects to obtain warrants, to perform surveillance, and to justify arrests. Prosecutors negotiate with defendants for information and cooperation, offering to drop charges or lighten sentences in exchange. In this book, Alexandra Natapoff provides a comprehensive analysis of this powerful and problematic practice. She shows how informant deals generate unreliable evidence, allow serious criminals Trade ReviewAlexandra Natapoff’s groundbreaking work upends much of what we know—or thought we knew—about how the criminal justice system works. . . Natapoff shows how police and prosecutors routinely reward informants with an array of benefits, ranging from cash to freedom, which are largely hidden from public view. Her damning account illuminates the profound unfairness and devastating consequences of incentivized testimony. Snitching is a revelatory book that will forever change the way we look at the role that informants play in both policing and criminal prosecutions. * Pamela Colloff, senior reporter at ProPublica and staff writer at The New York Times Magazine *The supply [of cooperators] is endless. I should know. There were at least three in the trials against me. After it was discovered that the first two cooperators had been offered favors and weren’t telling the truth, they never appeared again. The state just produced a new one. This book really explains how this process worked in my trials, and how it still works in others’. My hope is that this book shines a light so that other people do not have to suffer through what I did. * Curtis Flowers, exonerated in 2021 after serving twenty-three years for wrongful convictions based on informant testimony *This book […] was a godsend for me, especially as we fought to get ‘Rachel’s Law’ passed. The book educated all of us in such a meaningful way: legislators, law students and family members and friends. * Marjorie Weiss, advocate and mother of murdered twenty-three-year-old informant Rachel Hoffman *Superb . . .a searing indictment of how the secretive dynamics of informing have helped corrupt inner city life in America, and a deep scholarly analysis of how our legal rules contribute to this problem and can be reformed to mitigate it. This brilliantly original book is ...wise and ruthlessly honest in its understanding of the street level practices of informant-reliance. * Robert Weisberg, Edwin E. Huddleson, Jr. Professor of Law, Stanford Law School, founder and co-director of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center *One of the truly impressive contributions of the book comes in [Natapoff’s] explanation of the effects of widespread use of informants for the criminal justice system, our social structures, and our democracy. . . . Snitching should find a place in every law school course looking at legal issues in the criminal justice arena, and on the syllabi of every university course in criminal justice that aims to give students a realistic and nuanced view of how the system really works. * Criminal Justice *

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Book SynopsisThe political dynamics that shape the Innocence MovementSince 1989, more than 3000 people are known to have been exonerated after being wrongly convicted in the United States. Each one of these cases represents a gross miscarriage of justice; they are stories of lives upended by a criminal legal system gone awry. Yet, this number just scratches the surface and does not capture the full breadth of wrongful convictions, which may well number in the tens of thousands. The Politics of Innocence explores the political dynamics that have shaped the proliferation of innocence-related policies across the United States and the ways in which wrongful convictions affect public opinion about the criminal legal system. Although some have suggested that this issue transcends ideological divisions, the authors argue that public opinion and the policies that address wrongful convictions are a product of the political landscape. Using original data, the authors show how political ideology influences Trade Review"In this brilliant book, the authors demonstrate the ideological divisions—on both the macro and micro level—that underlie incarceration and specifically reform efforts via the innocence movement. The authors provide compelling evidence that narratives can bridge political divides and push the state towards more democratic, humane policies. It is a book that anyone who cares about criminal justice and American democracy should read. " * James N. Druckman, author of Experimental Thinking: A Primer on Social Science Experiment *"Anyone curious about the politics surrounding the innocence movement should read this book. The authors here use state-of-the-art methods to understand differences in responses by Americans of different political persuasion and backgrounds to facts and arguments about innocence. The book goes beyond description and history to provide important practical and theoretical lessons. It reaches conclusions important for anyone interested in the future of the innocence movement, in criminal justice reform generally, or for those seeking to understand how social movements affect public opinion. " * Frank R. Baumgartner, co-author of The Decline of the Death Penalty and the Discovery of Innocence. *"A big picture examination of political and policy dimensions of wrongful convictions research. The authors cover everything from forensic evidence reform to compensation for exonerees, as well as political dimensions of addressing wrongful convictions inclusive of ideological commitments. I did not realize how necessary it was until I read it. It should be standard reading for every scholar in the field, and more importantly, it should be read by every elected official in the United States and beyond. The lessons are vitally important: crime victims deserve better, innocent prisoners deserve better, and their families, communities, and all taxpayers deserve better. " * Kimberly J. Cook, author of Shattered Justice: Crime Victims' Experiences with Wrongful Convictions and Exonerations *

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Book SynopsisWhat remains anti-democratic in our criminal justice systems, and where does it come from? Geoffroy de Lagasnerie spent years sitting in on trials, watching as individuals were judged and sentenced for armed robbery, assault, rape, and murder. His experience led to this original reflection on the penal state, power, and violence that identifies a paradox in the way justice is exercised in liberal democracies. In order to pronounce a judgment, a trial must construct an individualizing story of actors and their acts; but in order to punish, each act between individuals must be transformed into an aggression against society as a whole, against the state itself. The law is often presented as the reign of reason over passion. Instead, it leads to trauma, dispossession, and violence. Only by overturning our inherited legal fictions can we envision forms of truer justice. Combining narratives of real trials with theoretical analysis, Judge and Punish shows that juridical institutions are not merely a response to crime. The state claims to guarantee our security, yet from our birth, we also belong to it. The criminal trial, a magnifying mirror, reveals our true condition as political subjects.Trade Review"Using practical insights gained over years of observing court cases in Paris, Geoffroy de Lagasnerie elaborates a critical reflection on power, violence, and the penal state. In clear and accessible language, his book makes an original and thought-provoking contribution to our understanding of the judicial system in Western democracies." -- Philippe Marlière * University College London *"This detailed examination of state penal logic provides a trenchant counteroffensive in both language and practice. Along with a critical retooling of sociological inquiry, this groundbreaking work offers an exploration of justice as an institution. Judge and Punish asks the big, penetrating questions that will shape the future of justice systems throughout the Western world." -- Jason S. Sexton * Editor, Boom California *"Lagasnerie opens up possibilities for us to think differently: to escape from the force of current certainties and conventions and to re-envision the stakes of debates about justice, responsibility, crime, and punishment. The revolution he proposes is mental, with neither redistribution of wealth or regime change as prerequisites, but it remains radical. Destabilizing and anti-institutional, this is an important book; its sharp attacks on academic social science and 'expertise' will surely spark reaction, attack, and debate, and with good reason." -- Todd Shepard * Johns Hopkins University *"Departing from venerable theoretical frameworks for comprehending the penal state and its actions, Geoffroy de Lagasnerie observes the contemporary criminal trial as a very different kind of drama, one centered on the violent relationship between the state and those who cannot escape it. A bracing combination of social theory and empirical observation." -- Jonathan S. Simon * Berkeley Law *

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Book SynopsisFrom a prize-winning Harvard legal scholar, "a damning portrait" (New York Review of Books) of the misdemeanor machine that unjustly brands millions of Americans as criminals Punishment Without Crime offers an urgent new perspective on inequality and injustice in America by examining the paradigmatic American offense: the lowly misdemeanor. Based on extensive original research, legal scholar Alexandra Natapoff reveals the inner workings of a massive petty offense system that produces over thirteen million criminal cases each year, over 80 percent of the national total. People arrested for minor crimes are swept through courts where defendants often lack lawyers, judges process cases in mere minutes, and nearly everyone pleads guilty. This misdemeanor machine starts punishing people long before they are convicted, it punishes the innocent, and it punishes conduct that never should have been a crime. As a result, vast numbers of Americans-most of them poor and disproportionately people of color-are stigmatized as criminals, impoverished through fines and fees, and stripped of driver's licenses, jobs, and housing. And as the nation learned from the police killings of Eric Garner, George Floyd, and too many others, misdemeanor enforcement can be lethal. Now updated with a new afterword, Punishment Without Crime shows how America's sprawling misdemeanor system makes our entire country less safe, less fair, and less equal.

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Book SynopsisThousands of innocent people are behind bars in the United States. But proving their innocence and winning their release is nearly impossible. In Barred, legal scholar Daniel S. Medwed argues that our justice system's stringent procedural rules are largely to blame for the ongoing punishment of the innocent. Those rules guarantee criminal defendants just one opportunity to appeal their convictions directly to a higher court. Afterward, the wrongfully convicted can pursue only a few narrow remedies. Even when there is strong evidence of a miscarriage of justice, rigid guidelines, bias, and deference toward lower courts all too often prevent exoneration. Offering clear explanations of legal procedures alongside heart-wrenching stories of their devastating impact, Barred exposes how the system is stacked against the innocent and makes a powerful call for change.

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Book SynopsisMichigan is the only state in the country that has a death penalty prohibition in its constitution - Eugene G. Wanger’s compelling arguments against capital punishment is a large reason it is there. The forty pieces in this volume are writings created or used by the author, who penned the prohibition clause, during his fifty years as a death penalty abolitionist.His extraordinary background in forensics, law, and political activity as constitutional convention delegate and co-chairman of the Michigan Committee Against Capital Punishment has produced a remarkable collection. It is not only a fifty-year history of the anti–death penalty argument in America, it also is a detailed and challenging example of how the argument against capital punishment may be successfully made.

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Book SynopsisThere is a growing acknowledgment amongst professionals and academics that we need to develop new responses to crime. This book provides an insight into the first introduction of restorative justice to the criminal justice system in the Republic of Ireland. By analysing six case studies of restorative conferencing events, the authors aim to address the salient question of how restorative conferencing for young offenders can facilitate an exchange process whereby forms of reparation and social regulation may be achieved. The restorative justice process has much to offer, and the authors argue that this concept, particularly as it centres on the greater use of non custodial sentences, will not only bring about changes in the law but also have significant implications for social regulation.Table of ContentsTheories of regulation and social control. Restorative justice: Philosophy, theory and practice. Youth justice in the republic of Ireland. Restorative justice in practice: The Irish case. Restorative justice in practice. Restorative process and case studies in restorative conferencing. Discussion and recommendations. About the Authors. References. Abbreviations. Preface. Advances in Sustainability and Environmental Justice. Acknowledgements. The Sustainability of Restorative Justice. The Sustainability of Restorative Justice. Copyright page. Introduction. Subject Index.

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Book SynopsisThroughout the western world public opinion has played an important role in shaping criminal justice policy. At the same time opinion polls repeatedly demonstrate that the public knows little about crime and justice, and holds negative views of the criminal justice system. This book, consisting of chapters from leading authorities in the field, is concerned to address this problem, and draws upon research in a number of different countries to address the issues arising from this state of affairs. Its main aims are: to explore the changing and evolving nature of public attitudes to sentencing to examine the factors that influence public opinion and to bring together recent international research which has demonstrated ways in which public attitudes can be changed to propose specific strategies to respond to the crisis in public confidence in criminal justice. Trade Review'The book makes a much needed and timely contribution to building a body of knowledge that deconstructs current misconceptions about public attitudes to punishment.' − SCOLAG Journal 'This book provides comprehensive coverage of some of the important issues linked to changing attitudes to punishment, and provides some fascinating and accessible insights .. as a consequence it is a significant contribution to furthering understanding'; 'At the end of the day I can think of very little else that that I would have wished had been included in this excellent text, and little that ought to be excised.' − Commonwealth Judicial Journal 'The volume will undoubtedly serve as a stimulus for more research on public opinion and attitudes about crime, thereby contributing to improvements in penal policy.' − British Journal of Criminology Table of Contents1. Public Attitudes to Punishment: The Context by Julian V. Roberts and Mike Hough 2. Measuring Attitudes to Sentencing by Loretta J. Stalans 3. Public Opinion and the Nature of Community Penalties by Julian V. Roberts 4. Cross-National Attitudes Towards Punishment by Pat Mayhew and John Kesteren 5. The Evolution of Public Attitudes to Punishment in Western and Eastern Europe by Helmut Kury, Obergfell-Fuchs and Ursula Smartt 6. Public and Judicial Attitudes to Punishment in Switzerland by André Kuhn 7. Public Support for Correctional Rehabilitation: Change or Consistency? by Francis T. Cullen, Jennifer A. Pealer, Bonnie S. Fisher, Brandon K. Applegate and Shannon A. Santana 8. Attitudes to Punishment in the US - Punitive and Liberal Opinions by John Doble 9. How Malleable are Attitudes to Crime and Punishment? Findings from a British Deliberative Poll by Mike Hough and Alison Park 10. Improving Public Knowledge about Crime and Criminal Justice by Catriona Mirrlees-Black 11. Strategies for Changing Public Attitudes to Punishment by David Indermaur and Mike Hough 12. Privileging Public Attitudes Towards Sentencing by Rod Morgan

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Book SynopsisSex offenders, and in particular paedophiles, have been the subject of much political and media attention, producing intensive debates about the best way of dealing with them. This book explores these issues, evaluating the measures in use or being considered, including drug treatment, MAPPA, the use of the Sex Offender Register, restorative justice techniques, and treatment programmes. It is concerned with high-risk sex offenders both when they are sentenced to a community order, and also when they are released back into the community after a custodial sentence. The introductory section opens with a discussion on how terms such as paedophilia are constructed and viewed, and then looks at how government policy regarding sex offending has developed over recent years. Section two looks at issues concerned with risk management, questioning whether enough is being done to monitor the risk that high-risk offenders pose when released into society; whilst section three, on risk reduction covers the main methods of treatment, including sex offender treatment programmes, pharmacotherapy (chemical castration) and restorative and reintegration techniques. Section Four focuses on specific offender groups; including female sexual offenders, sexual harm by youth, mentally disordered sexual offenders and intellectual disabled offenders. These assess in what ways these offenders are different to the 'norm' and look at how we should be dealing and treating these differences. The final section looks at social and moral responsibilities, including the patterns, prevention and protection of cyber-sex offences and media constructions of and reactions to paedophilia. In the final chapter the concept of dignity is addressed and the balance between community protection and the rights of sex offenders involved is evaluated.Trade Review'Karen Harrison, the editor, closes the preface with this comment: "whether he overall aim (to identify methods to prevent further sexual victimization) has been achieved is for the reader to assess". According to this humble reader, this aim is fully achieved if, and only if, professionals consider the conclusions reached by the authors. This is an extraordinary book that truly opens the eyes. All professionals wanting to really understand paedophilia should consider this book compulsory reading. It not only includes difficult theoretical questions but also raises practical challenges which must be taken into consideration when researching and in practice.' – Olga Sanchez De Ribera, PhD Student, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge in the Howard Journal Vol 49 No 5. December 2010Table of ContentsPrefacePart 1: Introduction 1. Paedophilia: Definitions and Aetiology 2. High-risk Sex offenders: Issues of PolicyPart 2: Risk Management 3. Effective Multi-agency Public Protection: Learning from the Research 4. The Sex Offender Register, Community Notification and Some Reflections on PrivacyPart 3: Treatment and Risk Reduction 5. An Introduction to Sex Offender Treatment Programmes and their Risk Reduction Efficacy 6. The Use of Pharmacotherapy with High-risk Sex Offenders 7. Restorative Justice and the Reintegration of High-risk Sex OffendersPart 4: Special Offender Groups 8. Female Sexual Offenders: A Special Sub-group9. Enhancing Community Collaboration to Stop Sexual Harm by Youth 10. Mentally Disordered Sex Offenders 11. Intellectualy Disabled Sexual Offenders: Subgroup Profiling and Recidivism after Outpatient TreatmentPart 4: Social and Moral Responsibilities 12. Cyber-sex Offenders: Patterns, Prevention and Protection 13. Media Constructions of and Reactions to Paedophilia in Society 14. Dignity and Dangerousness: Sex Offenders and the Community – Human Rights in the Balance?

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Book SynopsisMental health laws exist in many countries to regulate the involuntary detention and treatment of individuals with serious mental illnesses. 'Rights-based legalism' is a term used to describe mental health laws that refer to the rights of individuals with mental illnesses somewhere in their provisions. The advent of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities makes it timely to rethink the way in which the rights of individuals to autonomy and liberty are balanced against state interests in protecting individuals from harm to self or others. This collection addresses some of the current issues and problems arising from rights-based mental health laws. The chapters have been grouped in five parts as follows: - Historical Foundations - The International Human Rights Framework and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - Gaps Between Law and Practice - Review Processes and the Role of Tribunals - Access to Mental Health Services Many of the chapters in this collection emphasise the importance of moving away from the limitations of a negative rights approach to mental health laws towards more positive rights of social participation. While the law may not always be the best way through which to alleviate social and personal predicaments, legislation is paramount for the functioning of the mental health system. The aim of this collection is to encourage the enactment of legal provisions governing treatment, detention and care that are workable and conform to international human rights documents.Trade Review...a thought provoking book for those with an interest in this field and I would recommend it. Sean McParland Frontline No. 84, Summer 2012Table of ContentsPART 1 INTRODUCTION 1 Rethinking Rights-Based Mental Health Laws Bernadette McSherry and Penelope Weller PART 2 HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS 2 Institutionalising the Community: The Codification of Clinical Authority and the Limits of Rights-Based Approaches Philip Fennell 3 Lost in Translation: Human Rights and Mental Health Law Penelope Weller 4 The Fusion Proposal: A Next Step? Neil Rees PART 3 THE INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS FRAMEWORK AND THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES 5 The Expressive, Educational and Proactive Roles of Human Rights: An Analysis of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Oliver Lewis 6 Involuntary Treatment Decisions: Using Negotiated Silence to Facilitate Change? Annegret Kampf 7 Abolishing Mental Health Laws to Comply with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Tina Minkowitz PART 4 GAPS BETWEEN LAWAND PRACTICE 8 Rights-Based Legalism: Some Thoughts from the Research Genevra Richardson 9 Extra-Legislative Factors in Involuntary Status Decision-Making Ian Freckelton 10 Civil Admission Following a Finding of Unfitness to Plead Jill Peay PART 5 REVIEW PROCESSES AND THE ROLE OF TRIBUNALS 11 Involuntary Mental Health Treatment Laws: The 'Rights' and the Wrongs of Competing Models? Terry Carney 12 Reviews of Treatment Decisions: Legalism, Process and the Protection of Rights Mary Donnelly 13 Mental Health Law and Its Discontents: A Reappraisal of the Canadian Experience Joaquin Zuckerberg 14 Compulsory Outpatient Treatment and the Calculus of Human Rights John Dawson PART 6 ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES 15 Rights-Based Legalism and the Limits of Mental Health Law: The United States of America's Experience John Petrila 16 The Right of Access to Mental Health Care: Voluntary Treatment and the Role of the Law Bernadette McSherry 17 Thinking About the Rest of the World: Mental Health and Rights Outside the 'First World'Peter Bartlett

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Book SynopsisThis latest volume in the Penal Theory and Penal Ethics series addresses one of the oldestquestions in the field of criminal sentencing: should an offender's previous convictions affect the sentence? Although there is an extensive literature on the definition and use of criminal history information, the emphasis here is on the theoretical and normative aspects of considering previous convictions at sentencing. Several authors explore the theory underlying the practice of mitigating the punishments for first offenders, while others put forth arguments for enhancing sentences for recidivists.Trade ReviewThis collection is welcome as it offers insights into the problems facing sentencers and penologists in taking past convictions into account -- Susan Easton * Criminal Law Review *The editors and contributors tackle a particularly thorny issue in this elegant 256-page text: Should an offender's previous convictions affect sentence?.. Professors Roberts and von Hirsch address with signal skill the question of just deserts and proportionality, the progressive loss of mitigation, the issues of first offender discounts.. and the question of deserved punishment when recidivism is demonstrated -- Judge G. Renaud * Criminal Law Quarterly (Volume 59) *the experiences, developments and points of view in other countries, as described in this book, are very valuable to us -- J.A.W. Lensing * Trema Straftoemetings bulletin *In Previous Convictions at Sentencing Roberts and Von Hirsch have brought together a selection of leading thinkers to illuminate an aspect of punishment theory and practice that has largely remained in the shadows despite its obvious importance. An attractive feature of the book, in addition to the thoughtful and penetrating analyses that it contains, is the vigorous exchange of views that takes place between its covers. The editors have not shied away from including perspectives that are at odds with their own, or from revising and reformulating their views, or indeed from finding fault with each other's conclusions. This internal dialogue helps to expose where further critical inquiry would yield the greatest return. -- Ian O'Donnell * Punishment & Society *Table of Contents1 Proportionality and the Progressive Loss of Mitigation: Some Further Reflections Andrew von Hirsch 2 First-Offender Sentencing Discounts: Exploring the Justifi cations Julian V Roberts 3 Recidivism, Retributivism, and the Lapse Theory of Previous Convictions Jesper Ryberg 4 Repeat Offenders and the Question of Desert Youngjae Lee 5 ‘More to Apologise For’: Can We Find a Basis for the Recidivist Premium in a Communicative Theory of Punishment? Chris Bennett 6 The Questionable Relevance of Previous Convictions to Punishments for Later Crimes Michael Tonry 7 Prior-conviction Sentencing Enhancements: Rationales and Limits Based on Retributive and Utilitarian Proportionality Principles and Social Equality Goals Richard S Frase 8 The Illusion of Proportionality: Desert and Repeat Offenders Kevin R Reitz 9 Dimensions of Criminal History: Refl ections on Theory and Practice Martin Wasik 10 The Role of Previous Convictions in England and Wales Estella Baker and Andrew Ashworth 11 Previous Convictions and Proportionate Punishment under Swedish Law Petter Asp 12 Assessing the Impact of a Recidivist Sentencing Premium on Crime and Recidivism Rates Lila Kazemian

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Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE, STARRING MICHAEL B. JORDAN, JAMIE FOXX, AND BRIE LARSON. A NEW YORK TIMES, WASHINGTON POST, BOSTON GLOBE, ESQUIRE, AND TIME BOOK OF THE YEAR. A #1 New York Times bestseller, this is a powerful, true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix America’s broken justice system, as seen in the HBO documentary True Justice. The US has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. One in every 15 people born there today is expected to go to prison. For black men this figure rises to one in 3. And Death Row is disproportionately black, too. Bryan Stevenson grew up poor in the racially segregated South. His innate sense of justice made him a brilliant young lawyer, and one of his first defendants was Walter McMillian, a black man sentenced to die for the murder of a white woman — a crime he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, startling racial inequality, and legal brinkmanship — and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever. At once an unforgettable account of an idealistic lawyer’s coming of age and a moving portrait of the lives of those he has defended, Just Mercy is an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of justice.Trade Review‘Bryan Stevenson is America's young Nelson Mandela — a brilliant lawyer fighting with courage and conviction to guarantee justice for all.’ -- Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate‘From the frontlines of social justice comes one of the most urgent voices of our era. Bryan Stevenson is a real-life, modern-day Atticus Finch who, through his work in redeeming innocent people condemned to death, has sought to redeem the country itself. This is a book of great power and courage. It is inspiring and suspenseful. A revelation.’ -- Isabel Wilkerson, author of The Warmth of Other Suns‘Bryan Stevenson is one of my personal heroes, perhaps the most inspiring and influential crusader for justice alive today, and Just Mercy is extraordinary. The stories told within these pages hold the potential to transform what we think we mean when we talk about justice.’ -- Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow‘This is so important. Stevenson explains how deep-rooted racism is, while giving hope that it doesn’t have to exist.' -- Gloria Steinem‘Our American criminal justice system has become an instrument of evil. Bryan Stevenson has labored long and hard, and with great skill and temperate passion, to set things right. Words such as important and compelling may have lost their force through overuse, but reading this book will restore their meaning, along with one's hopes for humanity.’ -- Tracy Kidder, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Mountains Beyond Mountains‘Just Mercy is as deeply moving, poignant and powerful a book as has been, and maybe ever can be, written about the death penalty, and the failures of the administration of criminal justice … [It] will make you gasp at the inhumanity of humankind.’ -- Raymond Bonner * Financial Times *‘Powerful … This book will shock, anger and inspire you.’ * Sunday Independent (Ireland) *‘Unfairness in the justice system is a major theme of our age … This book brings new life to the story by placing it in two affecting contexts: Stevenson's life work and the deep strain of racial injustice in American life … You don't have to read too long to start cheering for this man. Against tremendous odds, Stevenson has worked to free scores of people from wrongful or excessive punishment, arguing five times before the Supreme Court … The book extols not his nobility, but that of the cause, and reads like a call to action for all that remains to be done … The message of the book, hammered home by dramatic examples of one man's refusal to sit quietly and countenance horror, is that evil can be overcome, a difference can be made. Just Mercy will make you upset and it will make you hopeful … Bryan Stevenson has been angry about [the criminal justice system] for years, and we are all the better for it.’ * New York Times *‘Inspiring … A work of style, substance and clarity … Stevenson is not only a great lawyer, he's also a gifted writer and storyteller. His memoir should find an avid audience among players in the legal system — jurists, prosecutors, defense lawyers, legislators, academics, journalists — and especially anyone contemplating a career in criminal justice.’ -- Rob Warden * Washington Post *‘After the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., I wrote a couple of columns entitled When Whites Just Don’t Get It. The reaction to those columns — sometimes bewildered, resentful or unprintable — suggests to me that many whites in America don’t understand the depths of racial inequity lingering in this country. This inequity is embedded in our law enforcement and criminal justice system, and that is why Bryan Stevenson may, indeed, be America's Mandela … Stevenson, 54, grew up in a poor black neighborhood in Delaware and ended up at Harvard Law School. He started the Equal Justice Initiative, based in Montgomery, Ala., to challenge bias and represent the voiceless. It's a tale he recounts in a searing, moving and infuriating memoir that is scheduled to be published later this month, Just Mercy.’ -- Nick Kristof * New York Times *‘Not since Atticus Finch has a fearless and committed lawyer made such a difference in the American South. Though larger than life, Atticus exists only in fiction. Bryan Stevenson, however, is very much alive and doing God’s work fighting for the poor, the oppressed, the voiceless, the vulnerable, the outcast, and those with no hope. Just Mercy is his inspiring and powerful story.’ -- John Grisham‘A distinguished NYU law professor and MacArthur grant recipient offers the compelling story of the legal practice he founded to protect the rights of people on the margins of American society ... Emotionally profound, necessary reading.’ STARRED REVIEW * Kirkus Reviews (Kirkus Prize Finalist) *‘Just Mercy is every bit as moving as To Kill a Mockingbird, and in some ways more so … [It] demonstrates, as powerfully as any book on criminal justice that I’ve ever read, the extent to which brutality, unfairness, and racial bias continue to infect criminal law in the United States. But at the same time that [Bryan] Stevenson tells an utterly damning story of deep-seated and widespread injustice, he also recounts instances of human compassion, understanding, mercy, and justice that offer hope ... Just Mercy is a remarkable amalgam, at once a searing indictment of American criminal justice and a stirring testament to the salvation that fighting for the vulnerable sometimes yields.’ -- David Cole * The New York Review of Books *‘Stevenson's contributions to social justice have been remarkable. But his efforts, on top of his continuing legal practice, to provide this inside glimpse of the criminal justice system are priceless.’ * The Seattle Times *New York Times ‘100 Notable Books of 2014’‘Lawyer Bryan Stevenson has saved more than 135 people from death row, the majority of them Black men, who are disproportionately found at every stage of the US criminal justice system. In Just Mercy, he paints a picture of a system riddled with racial inequality that sentences children to die in prison and, he says, provides a better outcome if you are rich and guilty than if you are poor and innocent. The message of this astonishing memoir is that mercy is most powerful when it is freely given. -- Dua Lipa * The Guardian *‘A passionate account of the ways our nation thwarts justice and inhumanely punishes the poor and disadvantaged.’ STARRED REVIEW -- Vanessa Bush * Booklist *‘This powerful book is a damning indictment of the US “justice” system, which has the world’s highest rate of incarceration … A gifted narrator as well as a great lawyer, from his long dedication to helping the poor to achieve justice and mercy, he has learned that “each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.’ -- Brian Maye * The Irish Times *‘[T]he author’s experience with the flaws in the American justice system add extra gravity to a deeply disturbing and oft-overlooked topic.’ * Publishers Weekly *‘Stevenson reveals how much of a difference believing in someone and fighting their cause can make. An incredible story … may help fuel the fire on your own journey.’ * Wellbeing *‘Just Mercy presents a scathing exposé of the inequalities, racial bias and discrimination that has characterised the US justice system ... A profoundly important work.’ -- Natalie Platten * Readings *‘Stevenson’s revelatory and thought-provoking memoir, Just Mercy, is a read that alters one’s empathy meter and forever sits deep within the psyche.’ -- Jessica Bailey * Grazia *‘A confronting look at the corrupt and prejudiced trappings of the current criminal justice system in the United States and a moving window into the lives of those persecuted by it.’ * Citizens of the World *

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Book SynopsisLOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE FINALIST • NAACP IMAGE AWARD NOMINEE • A “powerful and devastating” (The Washington Post) call to free those buried alive by America’s legal system, and an inspiring true story about unwavering belief in humanity—from a gifted young lawyer and important new voice in the movement to transform the system.“An essential book for our time . . . Brittany K. Barnett is a star.”—Van Jones, CEO of REFORM Alliance, CNN Host, and New York Times bestselling author Brittany K. Barnett was only a law student when she came across the case that would change her life forever—that of Sharanda Jones, single mother, business owner, and, like Brittany, Black daughter of the rural South. A victim of America’s devastating war on drugs, Sharanda had been torn away from her young daughter and was serving a life sentence without parole—for a first-time drug offense. In Sharanda, Brittany saw haunting echoes of her own life, as the daughter of a formerly incarcerated mother. As she studied this case, a system came into focus in which widespread racial injustice forms the core of America’s addiction to incarceration. Moved by Sharanda’s plight, Brittany set to work to gain her freedom. This had never been the plan. Bright and ambitious, Brittany was a successful accountant on her way to a high-powered future in corporate law. But Sharanda’s case opened the door to a harrowing journey through the criminal justice system. By day she moved billion-dollar deals, and by night she worked pro bono to free clients in near hopeless legal battles. Ultimately, her path transformed her understanding of injustice in the courts, of genius languishing behind bars, and the very definition of freedom itself.Brittany’s riveting memoir is at once a coming-of-age story and a powerful evocation of what it takes to bring hope and justice to a system built to resist them both.NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY KIRKUS REVIEWS

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