Criminal Justice in Divided America: Police, Punishment, and the Future of Our Democracy

Sklansky (Stanford Law Sch.; A Pattern of Violence) argues that repairing the criminal justice system is essential to fixing the larger issues within U.S. democracy. In four chapters, reform, juries, prosecution, and imprisonment are examined as ways to help safeguard American democracy. Among many suggestions, the book urges police forces to do a better job of resembling the communities they serve. It also recommends that prosecutors be required to justify decisions to judges, in writing, and to limit the discounts offered during plea bargaining. Sklansky also calls for eliminating peremptory challenges to jurors, which often constrain the racial makeup of juries. His book presents feasible ideals to cap disenfranchisement of released prisoners, align U.S. sentencing guidelines with worldwide standards, and reduce the parole violations that send people back to prison.