Life Kit: Parenting

American Prosecution & Mass Incarceration

04.10.2019 - By NPRPlay

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The U.S. prison population is booming; an estimated 2.1 million people were incarcerated in America in 2016, and as many people in the U.S. have criminal records as have graduated from four-year colleges. Journalist and Yale Law lecturer Emily Bazelon attributes America's high incarceration rates to prosecutors more than judges. Bazelon spent 2.5 years reporting on the Brooklyn district attorney's office. Her new book, 'Charged,' examines the power of prosecutors and looks at alternatives to bail, plea bargains and incarceration.

Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews 'Her Smell,' starring Elisabeth Moss as a out-of-control punk rock musician struggling with substance abuse.

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