Radical Acts of Justice: Shifting Power in the Criminal Justice System

Jocelyn Simonson's book "Radical Acts of Justice" argues that the answer to mass incarceration lies with ordinary people taking extraordinary actions together to challenge the ideas that prosecutions and prisons make us safer, that public officials are carrying out the will of the people, and that justice requires putting people in cages.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 28 September 2023
Publisher: The New Press

Radical Acts of Justice is a groundbreaking new book by Jocelyn Simonson, a leading authority on bail reform and social movements. The book challenges the conventional wisdom that the solution to mass incarceration lies in the hands of experts and pundits, arguing instead that the problems posed by the American carceral state are not just technical puzzles but profound moral questions for our time.

The book tells the stories of ordinary people taking extraordinary actions together in collective acts of resistance. These actions include paying bail for a stranger, using social media to inform the public about courtroom proceedings, making a video about someone's life for a criminal court judge, and presenting a budget proposal to the city council. By challenging the ideas that prosecutions and prisons make us safer, that public officials are carrying out the will of the people, and that justice requires putting people in cages, these groups live out new and more radical ideas of what justice can look like.

One of the key themes of the book is the power of collective action. Simonson argues that the elite actors at the front of the courtroom, such as prosecutors and judges, have too much power and influence over the criminal justice system. By shifting power away from these actors and toward the swelling collective in the back, ordinary people can create change and challenge the status quo.

The book also provides practical advice for those who want to get involved in social movements and work towards reforming the criminal justice system. Simonson offers examples of successful campaigns and initiatives that have led to significant changes in the law and practice of policing and criminal justice, and she provides tips for organizing and mobilizing communities to effect change.

Overall, Radical Acts of Justice is a powerful and thought-provoking book that challenges our assumptions about justice and power. It provides a roadmap for those who want to work towards a more just and equitable criminal justice system and offers a vision of what is possible when ordinary people come together to create change.

Dimension: 215 x 139 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781620977446