Cambridge University Press Ending Overcriminalization and Mass Incarceration: Hope from Civil Society

Mass incarceration is an overwhelming problem and reforms are often difficult, leading to confusion about what to do and where to start. Ending Overcriminalization and Mass Incarceration: Hope from Civil Society introduces the key issues that need immediate attention and provides concrete direction about effective solutions systemically and relationally. In this work Anthony B. Bradley recognizes that offenders are persons with inherent dignity. Mass incarceration results from the systemic breakdown of criminal law procedure and broken communities. Using the principle of personalism, attention is drawn to those areas that directly contact the lives of offenders and determine their fate. Bradley explains how reform must be built from the person up, and once these areas are reformed our law enforcement culture will change for the better. Taking an innovative approach, Anthony B. Bradley explores what civic institutions need to do to prevent people from falling into the criminal justice system and recidivism for those released from prison. Review 'Anthony B. Bradley's emphasis on personalism offers an intriguing contribution to the question of criminal justice reform - he presents a path forward we ought to seriously consider.' Vincent Bacote, Director of the Center for Applied Christian Ethics, Wheaton College, Illinois'Most everyone complains about overcriminalization and mass incarceration, but concrete solutions to these problems are hard to find. Anthony B. Bradley proposes several reforms in criminal justice and civil society that would help to bring about some much-needed improvements.' Douglas Husak, author of Overcriminalization'… Ending Overcriminalization and Mass Incarceration is a good introduction to the issue of mass incarceration … the book challenges readers to focus on the person affected by not just the policies but the civil society that surrounds them.' M. Beth Valentine, Rutgers Book Description Personalism points to reforming criminal justice from the person up by changing criminal law and enlisting civil society institutions. About the Author Anthony B. Bradley is Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Program Chair for Religious and Theological Studies, and Director of the Center for the Study of Human Flourishing at The King's College, New York. He is also a Research Fellow at the Acton Institute. He has previously studied ethics at Fordham University, New York, and Criminal Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York. He has authored and edited eight books and has written several dozen articles. His writings on religious and cultural issues have been published in a variety of journals, including Al Jazeera, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, the Detroit News, Christianity Today, and World Magazine. Professor Bradley has appeared on C-SPAN, NPR, CNN/Headline News, and Fox News, among others. He is a member of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and the American Academy of Religion.