Staff Pick
Emily Bazelon deftly combines an examination of the role prosecutors have played in the mass incarceration crisis with thoroughly reported stories of defendants caught in the system and the newly elected, reform-minded DAs who are working to change it. The result is one of the most informative — and most readable — books on criminal justice to come out in the last few years. Recommended By Keith M., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
A renowned journalist and legal commentator exposes the unchecked power of the prosecutor as a driving force in America’s mass incarceration crisis — and charts a way out.
The American criminal justice system is supposed to be a contest between two equal adversaries, the prosecution and the defense, with judges ensuring a fair fight. That image does not match the reality in the courtroom, however. Much of the time, it is prosecutors more than judges who control the outcome of a case. They answer to almost no one and make most of the key decisions, from choosing the charge to setting bail to determining the plea bargain. They often decide who goes free and who goes to prison, even who lives and who dies. The system wasn’t designed for this kind of unchecked power, and in Charged, Emily Bazelon reveals how it is the underreported cause of enormous injustice — and the missing piece in the mass incarceration puzzle.
Charged follows the story of two young people caught up in the criminal justice system: Kevin, a twenty-year-old in Brooklyn who picked up his friend’s gun as the cops burst in and was charged with a serious violent felony, and Noura, a teenage girl in Memphis indicted for the murder of her mother. Bazelon tracks both cases, exploring every phase of the criminal justice process — from arrest and charging to trial and sentencing — and, with her trademark blend of deeply reported narrative, legal analysis, and investigative journalism, illustrates just how criminal prosecutions can go wrong and, more important, why they don’t have to.
Bazelon shows how prosecution in America is at a crossroads and details the damage overzealous prosecutors can do — and also the second chances they can extend, if they choose, to the likes of Kevin and Noura and so many others, allowing them to make things right in their own lives. She follows a wave of reform-minded D.A.s who have been elected in some of our biggest cities, as well as in rural areas in every region of the country, put in office to do nothing less than reinvent how their job is done. If they succeed, they can point the country toward a different and profoundly better future.
In Charged, Emily Bazelon mounts a major critique of the American criminal justice system — and tells the story of the movement for change.
Review
“An important, thoughtful, and thorough examination of criminal justice in America that speaks directly to how we reduce mass incarceration and increase fairness. Comprehensive and beautifully written, a book every policy maker should read.” Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy
Review
“This book made me feel better. Hopeful, even! Because Emily Bazelon, cogent and clear-eyed as ever, lays out a welcome, double-barreled argument: A prosecutorial shift toward mercy and fairness is crucial to healing our busted criminal-justice system, and it’s already happening. What’s that, you say? You want step-by-step instructions for how to reform your local prosecutor’s office? No sweat: Charged has that, too. Just skip to the end.” Sarah Koenig, host of Serial
Review
“In this deeply researched, elegantly told book, Bazelon reveals how unchecked prosecutorial power has damaged the American justice system. Charged shows that our courts are not level playing fields. Rather, accused citizens, defense attorneys, and even judges are at the mercy of prosecutors who have used their influence to drive the prison boom. This harrowing, often enraging, book is a hopeful one, as well, profiling innovative new approaches and the frontline advocates who champion them. This is a necessary read for those who care about inequality, the law, and the future of American justice.” Matthew Desmond, author of Evicted
About the Author
Emily Bazelon is a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine, the Truman Capote Fellow for Creative Writing and Law, and a lecturer at Yale Law School. Her previous book is the national bestseller Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy. She’s also a cohost of the Slate Political Gabfest, a popular weekly podcast. Before joining the Times Magazine, Bazelon was a writer and editor at Slate, where she cofounded the women’s section “DoubleX.” She lives in New Haven, Connecticut.