"The American Public has decisively concluded that our approach to criminal justice isn't working. Mass incarceration is the civil rights of our time. The racial disparities pervasive in our justice system compound at every juncture: African Americans are more likely to be stopped by the police, arrested, detained before trial, and given harsher sentences than whites. Worse, the disparities in our justice system perpetuate racial inequality in our society more broadly.
In this remarkable collaboration, the country's most prominent lawmakers and activists join together to propose ideas for transformative change. In these essays, they lay out their proposals to reduce the prison population and challenge the very conception of justice reform, paving the way for far-reaching political and cultural change. Marking a clear shift from the draconian rhetoric of the past, these essays take on the web of harmful policies that fuel mass incarceration and diminish opportunities for communities of color.
How do we achieve change? From eliminating prison for lower-level crimes to incentivizing states to decarcerate, from ending money bail to abolishing private prisons, from reforming housing and employment laws to changing the public perception of the justice system and cultivating respect for all lives, the ideas in this book offer a path forward: one rooted in fairness, equality, and humanity. The second volume in the series, Ending Mass Incarceration: Ideas from Today's Leaders airs to further the momentum needed to achieve that vision. It builds on the 2015 Brennan Center publication profiling the voices of national leaders. Solutions: American Leaders Speak Out on Criminal Justice."
