Book Reviews: Alice Johnson & Rachel Barkow

Recently, I read two books at the same time and after awhile I saw something wonderful: that they fit together in a striking way. Both were written by people I know, and both books are compelling, important, and timely. Alice Marie Johnson's "After Life: My Journey From Incarceration to Freedom" is an engrossing story that will convince you that our criminal justice system has gone terribly awry as it reveals how one woman became enmeshed in--and survived--a grossly disproportionate sentence. Rachel Elise Barkow's "Prisoners of Politics," in turn, offers a comprehensive description of how that system became so dysfunctional and (perhaps more importantly) describes a path to fixing the problem.

After Life: My Journey from Incarceration to Freedom
Alice Marie Johnson 

Like a lot of people, I think Alice Marie Johnson is one of the most important people in my field right now. This book is one of the reasons why. In clear strokes, she paints a picture of her own life and the criminal justice system that took away too much of her freedom with too little justification. It should be read not just by everyone who cares about reform, but by people who don't-- because after they read this book, they will care.

One thing that makes this a great memoir is its shattering honesty. Johnson tells you exactly what her mistakes were, and how she ended up being sentenced to life without parole for a first-time narcotics conviction. That honesty extends, too, to the hardships and issues in prison itself. That honesty makes her ultimate victory that much sweeter; you trust her goodness because you know so much of the entire picture. Without realizing it, you come to trust her authenticity and good heart. Johnson is a woman suffused with perseverance; while incarcerated she was a creator who became an ordained minister, wrote and staged plays, and advocated for her fellow prisoners. Her appeals, motions, and clemency petitions were shot down again and again, and yet she always believed she would be released. When she describes that moment, you will cheer along with the fellow inmates who line the road as she leaves the compound after receiving clemency from Donald Trump.

Johnson is a crucial figure right now; as I have written before, she is more than a symbol-- she is a voice that must be heard.

Prisoners of Politics: Breaking the Cycle of Mass Incarceration

Rachel Elise Barkow 

I know a lot of smart people. Rachel Barkow may be the smartest. That comes out in this book, which is thorough, well-sourced and accessible-- a difficult feat for an academic (or anyone, really). I hope that those who want to be president read it, because it provides a specific and achievable road map to addressing the problems raised both here and in Alice Johnson's book.

One thing that struck me as I read these books together was that both Johnson and Barkow seem animated by a core morality; they have deeply-rooted senses of justice that add fire to their words. This is not amoral analysis. Rather, it is a thoroughly principled critique of what is wrong. 

Her argument is based on a (correct) historical analysis, which starts with the rise in crime in the United States between 1970 and 1980. Here is the turn from that moment in time to her critique of our current realities, found on p. 105:

With public concerns about order at their peak, elected officials rushed to fill breach: "Crime policy, once the domain of criminal justice professionals, became dominated by electoral politics." Thus the shift to mass incarceration is directly linked to the shift from leaving judgments to professionals to allowing the masses to set policies directly.

In other words, once politics took over, Pandora's box was opened and out flooded outlandish bail amounts, mandatory minimum sentencing, irrational sentencing guidelines, and to-the-max prosecutors. Re-election, too often, rode on the backs of the incarcerated.

Barkow is a problem-solver, and her book is concrete in offering solutions. Focusing, in turn, on prosecutors, expert agencies, and courts, she lays out new initiatives that are attainable and worthwhile. For example, she describes reasonable checks on prosecutorial discretion, an electrified pool that is the cause of much of our current bout of over-incarceration. 

Like Johnson's, Barkow's book is perfectly timed. I hope that those who are seeking to be our leaders read both, so they can know the truth and know what to do about it.