Adult Nonfiction Book Discussion: The fear of too much justice: race, poverty, and the persistence of inequality in the criminal courts

Open to all adults who love to read and discuss non-fictional literature. In December, the Cupertino Library Adult Nonfiction Book Group will talk about The fear of too much justice: race, poverty, and the persistence of inequality in the criminal courts.by Stephen B. Bright and James Kwak (2023)

Authors Stephen B. Bright and James Kwak’s book delves into the problem of how our actual criminal justice system generally fails to live up to the values of “liberty and justice for all.” In fact America’s criminal justice system is weighted against defendants of color and anyone too poor to hire competent lawyers. Between receiving incompetent legal defense through assigned public defenders, overly powerful prosecutors and threats of excessive jail time to force defendants into a plea bargain, and judges seeking re-election through their willingness to imposed the death penalty and crippling court fees that keep people who cannot pay them in jail, finding justice is a huge problem. Bright and Kwak propose that the courts could improve the odds of equal justice being served  by   the elimination of unjust fees and for profit incarceration, and significantly curbing the power of prosecutors.

The Adult Nonfiction Book Discussion Group meets on the second Sunday of each month at 11am in Room 201B. All meetings are sponsored by The Friends of the Cupertino Library

For accessibility accommodations (ex. ASL), please fill out the online form at sccld.org/accessibility 7+days prior to the event. If you need assistance with the form, speak with a staff member at your local library, call (408) 540-3945, or email us at ask@sccl.org.