The idea that the rights of and justice for victims is central to criminal justice seems simple. But attorney Anderson, founder of Alliance for Safety and Justice, who has spent her career advocating for criminal justice reform, questions this notion. Historically, victim's rights movements have been allied with tough-on-crime stances shaped by the belief that victims and public safety are best served by the longest, harshest sentences possible. Anderson challenges this model of victim advocacy and its effectiveness. Who victims are, which victims are deemed worthy, and how support is or more often is not provided to them are central to understanding the need for reform. Race and socioeconomic status often leave victims entangled in the criminal justice system but outside the circle of protected victimhood. Drawing on relevant stories and pointing to successful changes at the state or city level, Anderson advocates for moving towards a community-based model to truly serve victims and those around them. This well-researched, results-driven, and readable work challenges ideas of victimhood and offers a way forward from mass incarceration to true public safety.

Anderson, the founder of the Alliance for Safety and Justice, debuts with a passionate and provocative indictment of how the victims' rights movement has warped the American justice system. Contending that victims' rights laws are a product of political expediency and opportunism, not sound policy, Anderson claims that they've contributed to mass incarceration by encouraging courts and prosecutors to value punishment over rehabilitation and police departments to "pay more attention to drug possessors than to rape survivors in communities of color." She credibly debunks public safety "myths" foundational to the victims' rights moment, including the notions that putting more people in prison translates into less crime and that "tough drug sentencing" is an effective deterrent. Her suggestions for reform include legislation to provide funds for victims as well as inmate rehabilitation programs, the implementation of community-based public safety initiatives, and more mental health resources. Throughout, Anderson documents harrowing miscarriages of justice and expresses heartfelt compassion for victims, inmates, and their families. The result is a lucid road map for a more humane criminal justice system. (Nov.)