Today, the problems in the criminal justice system have gained national attention through the recent protests over black killings by police officers, racial profiling, and long prison sentences for non-violent crimes and even longer sentences for minority group members.  Now AMERICAN JUSTICE? features a discussion of about how to fix major problem in the criminal justice system along with a memoir of a woman's inquisition by the criminal justice system when she was unfairly prosecuted following a neighborhood dispute. 

            It begins by describing the nightmare that author Paul Brakke and his wife Carol experienced when some local kids falsely accused Carol of trying to run one of them over, because they didn't like her interfering with their play at a dangerous intersection. Based on this false accusation and additional lies by neighbors who wanted to get her out of the neighborhood, Carol was subjected to a series of devastating events.  These included involuntary commitments to a psych ward, two psychological evaluations, exile from her home, delays in setting a trial date, and the threat of a 16-year jail term. These circumstances drove Carol to the verge of a nervous breakdown and forced the Brakkes to agree to move out of their home, at a great cost, to another community as part of a plea bargain in which all charges relating to aggravated assault were dropped. 

        After describing these harrowing experience, the book discusses problems in the criminal justice system and recommends what to do to resolve those problems.  The book should be especially timely today, given the growing concern about cops, racial profiling, and whether judges can be truly fair, when subjected to all kinds of pressure from local citizens and the media.  The book is also designed to start a national dialogue on what to do to fix the system -- from the local police, prosecutors, and judges to state and national officials.  Additionally, the book comes at a time when there is a reconsideration of long-term sentencing laws, changing penalties for non-violence drug offenses, and creating alternatives to prison sentences through restorative justice. It includes suggestions on how to deal with these many challenges.

        Additional information on the book's website: www.americanjusticethebook.com.  Its Facebook group is at www.facebook.com/bookamericanjustice.

        The author Paul Brakke is available for interviews about this book or the criminal justice issues discussed in the book.  He currently works as a scientist at a university research center. He has chosen to use a pseudonym to protect himself and his family, as well as those participating in the injustices described in the book.  His co-writer, Gini Graham Scott, is also available for interviews about the criminal justice system.  She has a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley, as well as a J.D. in law from the University of San Francisco law school, and four M.A. degrees from California State University, East Bay, including in Anthropology, Popular Culture and Lifestyles, and Mass Communication.  She has an A.A. in the Administration of Justice from Merritt College in Oakland, California.

        For further information, PDFs of AMERICAN JUSTICE? are available to journalists with print and broadcast media outlets. 

Contact:

Nancy Parker

Changemakers Publishing and Writing

3527 Moraga Blvd.

Lafayette, CA 94549

changemakerspublishing@gmail.com

http://www.americanjusticethebook.com

http://www.changemakerspublishingandwriting.com

(925) 385-0608