Videos from the What Is a Criminal? lecture series whatisacriminal.org (the inspiration for the book) will remain freely available, and will be described in the book. These can be used by professors as supplemental multimedia content both for in-class and out-of-class assignments.
The Editor has provided an instructors' introduction that suggests classroom uses for the individual essays and chapters.
Some of the stories are told scholars, some by people working in the justice system, and some by people who were formally incarcerated. It is very rare to find these three groups participating in a common discussion about the core concept that brings them together.
The book's narrative-based, multi-voiced form will not only help students think broadly and deeply about this important topic, but also interest them enough to share the stories with their families and friends, generating ideas and discussions that ripple well beyond the classroom.
Katherine S. Gaudet is Associate Director of the University Honors Program and Faculty in Humanities at the University of New Hampshire. She holds a PhD in literature from the University of Chicago. Her scholarly interests revolve around the history of reading and how narratives shape social understandings of complex and difficult topics. She is currently working on a project about narratives of addiction.
Title: What Is a Criminal?: Answers From Inside the US Justice System
Author:
ISBN: 9780367770273
Binding:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
Publication Date: 2022-12-30
Number of Pages: 180
Weight: 0.2801 kg
The best way to improve the criminal justice system and reduce incarceration is to keep people out of the justice system in the first place. Having worked as a career police officer and as a voice for reform, I believe What Is a Criminal? provides critical perspectives from those with lived experience on both sides of the law, academics, and reformers in understanding how to do so.
Lieutenant Diane M. Goldstein (Ret.), Executive Director, Law Enforcement Action Partnership
Such a powerful combination of stories, narratives, and perspectives from scholars studying these issues. It was incredible to read the definition of what a criminal is before they walked us through their compelling story. Sharing the journeys of those in Law Enforcement is a great way to help change the narrative and humanize the work that is done in these fields. To end the book with the scholars is so wonderful. In legislative work, I tell people the only way we will ever get anything done is by combining the personal stories with the data. This book does that masterfully, and I can't wait for others to read this and then have a desire to get involved in criminal justice reform work.
David Garlock, Criminal Justice Reform Leader