Corrections_Today_Fall_2024_Vol.86_No.3

BOOKSHELF

framework in dismissing progressive prosecutors; he believes their main job is to prosecute even if they have an apparent progressive social agenda and, therefore, changes must come from outside the system. And the 1963 Supreme Court Gideon v. Wainwright decision that provides free legal service to poor defendants simply gives the criminal justice system a “veneer of impartiality and respectability it does not deserve,” according to Butler (p. 175). While the position of abolition may be considered ideal or utopian, Contributor Nathan Robinson said it has merit in the sense that “… it gets us thinking about the big questions, picturing what different

worlds might be like and then beginning to plot how we might get from here to there …” (p. 321) Conclusion If the purpose of Dismantling Mass Incarceration is primarily to provide broad ideas for “ordinary people” to get involved in impacting the criminal justice system towards a more humane and less punitive one, it largely succeeds. Throughout the readings, the aspiring change agent is introduced to broad movements, such as the “Clean Slate” movement to assist the formerly incarcerated in expunging their stigmatizing criminal history;

or the “Second Look” movement, legislation permitting judges to reexamine lengthy sentences that was imposed on individuals when they were juveniles, influenced by the now defunct “Super Predatory” theory, etc. A fascinating federal court decision ( United States v. Nesbeth ) is included in the readings where the judge took a bold step by factoring “collateral consequences” in issuing a sentence. Perhaps the most vital part of the book for those seeking practical ideas to get involved in the system is the final part 6 that provides success stories in helping the formerly incarcerated more fully integrate into society. A very compelling article in this

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Fall 2024 | Corrections Today

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