Blending social commentary and personal narrative, a formerly incarcerated activist exposes how mass incarceration is driven by white supremacy, critiques flawed reform efforts and offers a vision for dismantling systemic oppression within the criminal justice system.
"An activist, essayist, and organizer draws from his personal experience of imprisonment to interrogate the premises of prison reform efforts"--
A powerful personal investigation of the insidious ways white supremacy compromises criminal justice reform, from the award-winning, formerly incarcerated activist and Soros Justice FellowDespite reform efforts that have grown in scope and intensity over the last two decades, the machine of American mass incarceration continues to flourish. In this powerful polemic, formerly incarcerated activist, essayist, and organizer Emile Suotonye DeWeaver argues that the root of the problem is white supremacy. In the same vein as James Baldwins The Fire Next Time, DeWeavers Ghost in the Criminal Justice Machine brilliantly combines social commentary and personal narrative. This fiery debut is an original and provocative critique of the deeply troubling racial logic behind parole boards, police unions, prison administrations, and more.
During his twenty-one years in prison, DeWeaver covertly organized to pass legislation impacting juveniles in Californias criminal legal system; was a culture writer for Easy Street Magazine; and co-founded Prison Renaissance, an organization centering incarcerated voices and incarcerated leadership. DeWeaver draws on these experiences to interrogate the central premise of reform efforts, including prisoner rehabilitation programs, arguing that they demand self-abnegation, entrench white supremacy, and ignore the role of structural oppression.
With lucid, urgent prose, DeWeaver intervenes in contemporary debates on criminal justice and racial justice efforts with his eye-opening discussion of the tools we need to end white supremacyboth within and outside the carceral setting. For readers of Mariame Kaba, Susan Burton, and Derecka Purnell, Ghost in the Criminal Justice Machine adds a sharp and unique perspective to the growing discourse on racial justice, incarceration, and abolition.
