Politics and Prose
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Alexandra Natapoff, "Punishment Without Crime" (w/ Jonathan Capehart)
Posted
January 19, 2019
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1:00:32Now PlayingAlexandra Natapoff discusses her book, "Punishment Without Crime", at Politics and Prose at the Wharf on 1/3/19.
Every year some thirteen million people are charged with crimes such as jaywalking, trespassing, not buckling seat-belts, and possession of small amounts of pot. Most of those convicted for misdemeanors are poor and/or people of color, and their cases are decided in minutes, with most defendants appearing in court without a lawyer and pleading guilty, then finding themselves in a spiral of fines, revoked drivers’ licenses, lost jobs, and criminal records. In this detailed analysis of the country’s massive petty offense system, Natapoff, professor of law at the University of California, Irvine and the author of Snitching, shows that most of the people caught in the misdemeanor machine have not committed a crime. She urges a closer look at this sector of the criminal justice system and proposes reforms. Natapoff is in conversation with Jonathan Capehart, a writer for The Washington Post's PostPartisan blog and contributor for MSNBC.
Alexandra Natapoff is professor of law at the University of California, Irvine. A 2016 Guggenheim Fellow, she is also the author of Snitching: Criminal Informants and the Erosion of American Justice, which won the 2010 ABA Silver Gavel Award Honorable Mention for Books. She lives in Irvine, California.
Founded by Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade in 1984, Politics and Prose Bookstore is Washington, D.C.'s premier independent bookstore and cultural hub, a gathering place for people interested in reading and discussing books. Politics and Prose offers superior service, unusual book choices, and a haven for book lovers in the store and online. Visit them on the web at
Produced by Tom Warren
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