Is it really considered radical to impose the least amount of pain and suffering when exacting justice? Parsimony attempts to bridge the gap between punishing behavior and the suffering by the defendant. Example: defendant commits a petit larceny by stealing food from the store when he is starving. Is it justice to punish him? Abolitionists and common sense would argue no, but the current build of our society doesn’t allow us to pick and choose, a petit larceny is a petit larceny, punishable by up to one year in jail. It’s sad that it’s considered radical to question that this is justice. I feel like these essays could have gone much further, ACTUALLY offer radical ideas on how to change the criminal justice system and mass incarceration. But it’s a good start, especially to those who don’t lean as politically left as an abolitionist, but still wants to support changing a broken system.

In all the talk about cancel culture, social justice, and abolition, what’s missing is an impartial and thorough look at what fair consequences look like. “Parsimony and Other Radical Ideas About Justice” offers a new perspective. Instead of assuming that we should throw the book at people or let everyone punished with a slap on the wrist, the idea of parsimony is that you should give consequences but to be sure that those consequences are no more severe than is necessary. This is a must-read for those who are thinking seriously about justice reform.

This is a book of different essays written by multiple riders on how we could have shorter jail time with more healing. Most of these essays would only work in the utopian society where everyone can be fixed and everyone feels remorse. Unfortunately we live in the real world no matter how many different programs we come up with and they have a Lotta good ones in this book they’re still going to be run by humans who are fallible prejudice hateful ET see the program is only as good as the people running it. So kudos to those riders trying to make a difference but unfortunately we have serial killers who get off on killing people we are rapists who want to see hurt and pain in someone’s eyes and we have child molesters who think it’s the God-given right to have sex with children and I don’t know how you fix any of those things with shorter jail time and more healing. They had some very good ideas as I said but they put them in to practice is where the house of cards is going to crumble. But what do I know I am just a simple reader of a book and it’s just my opinion. I did like this book and at least there are people trying to make the world better instead of just playing armchair quarterback and saying what they should’ve done after it’s too late. I have number respect for those who wrote the book and I found it very entertaining in on some level really agree with these people but knowing reality it would ultimately fail. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Parsimony is an edited volume of essays which examine the systemic inequities of the American criminal legal system and consider ways for reform. Its central thesis considers shifting the key function of the criminal legal system from punishment to parsimony, which fits well among arguments for decarceration and abolition. I appreciate that the editors compiled essays from a variety of perspectives, including both advocates and activists and individuals who participate in the criminal legal system in positions of authority, such as judges and former wardens. While I found the essays could be a bit repetitive at times, as different authors' topics overlap with similar areas of focus and key statistics, their arguments are compelling. While I consider myself an abolitionist, I struggled with the essays discussing parsimony for individuals convicted of violent crimes. I appreciate being pushed by their arguments to reexamine my relationship with punishment and retribution. The prose can also be a bit dense at times, which makes sense as an academic text, particularly in the chapters that are more theory-oriented.

I can tell that many of these essays were written in the aftermath of the summer of 2020 protests for Black Lives, and its attendant discussions around prison abolition and police reform. The context clearly imbues the essays with a sense of urgency and purpose. It is a little strange to read these essays nearly three years later; I resonated with one author's concern about brief windows of opportunity as a challenge against movement building. Even so, I am compelled by their conclusions about coalition building and shifting larger cultural attitudes. This volume offers pertinent commentary on the crucial issues of justice, equity, and community.

I'd say this book is absolutely essential for anyone interested in the justice system and creating a better world going forward. I've read a few radical justice + abolition books/essays and one of the most frequent critiques I see from naysayers is that there is a lack of concrete ideas for how to change things. That critique is understandable but I also believe that change needs to be collaborative and one must not hold all the answers to have their view taken seriously. That being said, I love that this book does hold concrete ideas and means of change that we can implement in different sectors of the justice system, activist spaces, etc! The language and information presented is super accessible and I found myself questioning things I had never thought of before- one of the most prominent passages being about how we must not paint others as the villains in our story to seek change ("Children not criminals"). Really challenging ideas that more people should reckon with as we move forward in our current reform/defund/abolish climate. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this truly invaluable book!