If you have kept up with the news surrounding criminal justice nationally, you may have read about reforms that are becoming popular. These changes -- like eliminating cash bail and not pursuing criminal charges for people caught using drugs -- are positive steps in our system of justice. However, they will never replace having a good lawyer.
I bring this up because, many of you employ team members that, if charged with a crime, would never be able to afford to pay for effective representation. I don’t know about you, but I have lost a few quality staffers over the years because our system is broken and not because these folks deserved to be prosecuted.
This is why I want to tell you about a book that is set to be released on May 5th by my dear friend Jonathan Rapping called, Gideon’s Promise: A Public Defender Movement to Transform Criminal Justice. Gideon’s Promise is an organization founded by Jon that works tirelessly to ensure folks who can’t afford a private attorney still receive high quality representation. This has been the basis of Jon’s work since founding Gideon’s Promise over 15 years ago. Even before then, Jon was fighting to ensure no one’s liberty is taken without due process and that the most vulnerable among us are treated no differently than the most powerful.
The release Gideon’s Promise: A Public Defender Movement to Transform Criminal Justice provides a unique opportunity to raise awareness of these issues that have been overlooked so far in the broader criminal justice conversation. Jon’s message in this book is simple and clear: The most effective strategy to fix our criminal justice system is to ensure every single person accused of a crime has effective representation even if they can’t afford to pay for it.
You may have seen or heard about the movie Just Mercy with Michael B. Jordan which tells the story of Bryan Stevenson. It’s a moving narrative that is indicative of exactly what Jon’s book, and life’s work, is about. Here’s what Bryan had this to say about Jon’s book, “Over the last half century, America’s reactionary investment of billions into police, prosecution and prisons has resulted in over-incarceration and an extreme, unjust, unreliable system. This important exploration of the role of defenders is a vital and compelling corrective on how we balance the scales of justice.”
We hope to generate enthusiasm about this book and build strong momentum. Please join me by pre-ordering your copy anywhere books are sold. Thank you taking the time to read this. I hope you will pre-order the book and support the important work that Jon does for all of us.
Check it out: https://www.gideonspromise.org/jonathan-rapping/gideons-promise-book/