The book was informative about aspects of the legal system that systemically affect historically marginalized communities. I think this book would be more helpful if it were less academic and more conversational for those of us who read it hoping to learn how to become involved in challenging the system.

A look into what people are doing to try to help prevent mass incarceration. This is a lot description and not as much analysis as I expected going in. It is still very interesting reading and a very important topic!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

There is a lot of things in this book that I agree with from letting judges see defendants as people and I think these community hub groups are a positive thing anytime the people who are directly affected by these laws have a say in the process cannoli be a positive thing the only thing I do not like ended happens a lot especially in in nonfiction books were they are trying to sue your opinion I definitely want you to know there is a tell you the most extreme situation in the chapter on community Hobbes that get funding to get people out of jail and/or like the people in Chicago who won to abolish the financial part jew away with pre-trial incarceration altogether and she told about black women who were arrested one woman was arrested for assaulting her cousin and in the book it says she was arrested in her nightgown and spent 500 and more days in another woman in Massachusetts who physically assaulted her newborn but it seemed the only thing that was important to the author of this book was not the victims of those crimes but the fact these women had high bails and that they were black and female. I do think the laws in this country have gone overboard we have laws about laws we have over a dozen amendments to the murder law in over a dozen different kinds of murder and although in some cases no truly innocent people in prison but with any law or even something as minor as an opinion the innocent are going to suffer they say there’s always an exception to the rule and in books like this they always drag out the exception or the most extreme case but the one thing I found absent in the telling of the sad tales were the outcome of these women’s trials. I do think the reason why for eons white judges have led affluent white defendants get away with murder is because they can either see their self in them or they know them and see the mess people that is also why sadly so many black, brown and unconnected white people get high sentences this is also why the guy who was an expert on gangs in those affiliated with gangs is a good and necessary thing no one should be punished for the crazy decisions we make when were young scared and Theo we have no other choice I do think if people break the law they should go to jail or get probation or some kind of intervention like they do with some drug attic‘s but not everyone is innocent and not everyone can be saved or some truly bad people that deserve to be in jail and should probably remainder of the rest of their life I do think it is hub community groups that are actually in the community that will be best to decide who those people are and who’s should benefit from their resources. I just don’t think doing away with pre-trial incarceration or financial bail is going to stop it. This was a really good book and greatly needed at this time and it is because of people like the ones in Jocelyn Simmons book radical acts of justice may even change the face of our judicial system but just like the system no one has a perfect solution but the fact that they are trying is better than those that aren’t. I want to thank net galley and the author for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This is everything I wanted it to be and more than I knew I needed. I think everyone, regardless of political affiliation, should read this book and really let the message sink in. Writing like this is needed so very much these days

In this book, Jocelyn Simonson covers multiple ways in which ordinary people are helping to fight mass incarceration, from community organizations to pay for bail to court watching.

I read this book as a criminal defense attorney who has seen mass incarceration from an academic and professional viewpoint. Simonson takes a difficult topic and breaks it down for people who are newer to this field. She talks about these different forms of organizing in depth in a way that is both understandable and critical. She is able to discuss the negatives to some of these methods without critiquing the practices as a whole. This book felt very well researched and very respectful to those organizers working hard across the country to help work within and outside of an incredibly broken system.

Simonson writes very clearly, and each chapter felt like a well written law review article. I would recommend this book to those who are interested in dismantling mass incarceration from a beginner's point of view.

Thank you to The New Press and Netgalley for this eARC!