Activist, attorney, and author Shanti Brien offered the League of Women Voters of Piedmont a look into the workings of the U.S. criminal justice system and suggested ways to improve it. She illustrated her points with cases she wrote about in her book, Almost Innocent: From Searching to Saved in America’s Criminal Justice System. The issues she addressed included mandatory lengthy sentences, even for first offenses; how plea bargains can go awry; and the underlying problem of pervasive, routine bias against racial minorities. Ms. Brien suggested several ways to work toward making the system smaller and more fair, such as voicing support for AB 256 (the Racial Justice for All Act), and supporting efforts to treat addiction as a public health issue rather than as a crime.

If you were not able to join this topical and informative discussion on Zoom, you can watch the video on LWVP’s You Tube channel.