In John Rawls' 1971 book, A Theory of Justice, he offers a thought experiment known as the Veil of Ignorance. Behind this veil, no knows who they are. They don't know their race, class, age, sex, privileges, disadvantages, or even their personality. Only once they step through the veil will they know their place in society. But before they take that step, they are tasked with designing it - its laws and its structures, its benefits and punishments. Imagine yourself behind the veil. How would you construct the world, if you weren't sure of your own place within it? Samuel Weiss, Executive Director of Rights Behind Bars, has a deep understanding of what certain corners of our society look like when that veil goes unconsidered.

Rights Behind Bars

Prison Policy Initiative - Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2020

American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment, by Shane Bauer

The Jailhouse Lawyer's Handbook

ACLU National Prison Project

Prison Law Office

Civil Rights Corps

Right Behind Bars' Twitter: @RightsBehind

----------

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @wwgnpodcast