Decarceration Nation (with Josh And Joel)

Josh and Joel talk about pre-sentencing investigations and indigent defense in depth. The book "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee is available at bookstores and the movie starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch is considered a modern classic. When I discuss Pre-Sentencing Investigations with other formerly incarcerated folks, they had similar experiences to the ones we discuss. PSI's are incredibly under-covered in the criminal justice literature. This CJCJ overview does a good job of covering the basics. This St. John's Law Review article talks about many of the prejudicial elements in a pre-sentencing investigation. Here is the Ogeltree article that Joel references throughout the episode. And this Burkhart article does a good job of explaining how overworked and understaffed public defenders are. The sociological study "American Apartheid" and the book "When Affirmative Action Was White" are available at bookstores.