“. . . I have long been interested in the chasm between how the law is written and how the law is lived. An enduring theme of my short career representing directly impacted people is the difference between how we advertise the law with beautiful inscriptions on our public monuments or lofty words in judicial opinions taught in law schools, and how. We use the law to crush the bodies and minds of poor people and people of color in our streets, our prisons, and our courtrooms.”
We were incredibly honored to host Attorney Alec Karakatsanis, the Founder and Director of Civil Rights Corps, as the featured speaker for our Fall Symposium, where Attorney Karakatsanis discussed the arguments set forth in his recent book, Usual Cruelty: The Complicity of Lawyers in the Criminal Injustice System. Through a series of three powerful essays, Attorney Karakatsanis explores the criminal justice system through the lens of a former public defender and current radical movement lawyer, urging law students and practicing attorneys alike to examine their complicity in perpetuating what he refers to as "the punishment bureaucracy." In his book, Karakatsanis asks us to critically examine our growing spheres of power and influence in an effort to become more human lawyers.
“…much of the ‘criminal justice reform movement’ is superficial and deceptive, and it is therefore dangerous. It is designed to quell calls for genuine change while preserving the architecture of mass human caging.”
