Prisoners of Politics, Rachel Elise Barkow
Prisoners of Politics, Rachel Elise Barkow
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Prisoners of Politics
Breaking the Cycle of Mass Incarceration

Author: Rachel Elise Barkow

Narrator: Katherine Fenton

Unabridged: 10 hr 30 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/04/2019

Synopsis

The United States has the worlds highest rate of incarceration, a form of punishment that ruins lives and makes a return to prison more likely. As awful as that truth is for individuals and their families, its social consequences?recycling offenders through an overwhelmed criminal-justice system, ever-mounting costs, unequal treatment before the law, and a growing class of permanently criminalized citizens?are even more devastating. With the authority of a prominent legal scholar and the practical insights gained through on-the-ground work on criminal-justice reform, Rachel Barkow explains how dangerous it is to base criminal-justice policy on the whims of the electorate, which puts judges, sheriffs, and politicians in office. Instead, she argues for an institutional shift toward data and expertise, following the model used to set food- and workplace-safety rules. Barkows prescriptions are rooted in a thorough and refreshingly ideology-free cost-benefit analysis of how to cut mass incarceration while maintaining public safety. She points to specific policies that are deeply problematic on moral grounds and have failed to end the cycle of recidivism. Her concrete proposals draw on the best empirical information available to prevent crime and improve the reentry of former prisoners into society.

About Rachel Elise Barkow

Rachel Elise Barkow is the Segal Family Professor of Regulatory Law and Policy and the Faculty Director of the Center on the Administration of Criminal Law at New York University. She served as a law clerk to Judge Laurence H. Silberman on the District of Columbia Circuit and Justice Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court and is the recipient of NYU’s Distinguished Teaching Award.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Tonstant on June 08, 2019

Prisoners of Politics: Breaking the Cycle of Mass Incarceration is a welcome addition to the books tackling the carceral state the United States has become. Rachel Elise Barkow has the personal experience that gives her credibility on both sides of the aisle and a clear, concise way of making her ca......more

Goodreads review by Eva on December 30, 2019

Could have given this 3 or 5 stars, but 4 did not seem appropriate. Let me explain. Barkow has a great approach to the issue of mass incarceration. The way she systematically explains every aspect of the criminal justice system and its flaws is impressive. I also wholeheartedly agree that these inst......more

Goodreads review by Merel on January 24, 2024

(3.5) a thorough and well-organized exploration of the american carceral system and how political campaigns and ideological warfare have influenced the length and severity of punishments - with no room for nuance and context. i think this book provides an excellent overview of how incarceration in t......more

Goodreads review by Margie on June 19, 2019

This book is an intriguing discussion of criminal justice reform, including how we ended up where we are and what the possible solutions are. My only complaint is that the author cites social science and advocacy sources without distinguishing them. I think that is problematic for academic work as p......more

Goodreads review by Damon on November 29, 2020

Barkow lays out here the case for criminal justice reform that should be common sense. It is hard to believe that we could've gotten ourselves to such a place where we give all the power to prosecutors and politicians, with a total disregard to public safety. The case is well made and the path for r......more

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