Cheap On Crime - Hadar Aviram on incarceration economics with Jonathan Simon
Channel: lilmikesf
Date: 2015-02-23

The book "Cheap on Crime: Recession-Era Politics and the Transformation of American Punishment" has just been released by UC Press and was written by Hastings College Of The Law Professor Hadar Aviram. The book draws on years of archival and journalistic research and builds on social history and economics literature to show the powerful impact of recession-era discourse on the death penalty, the war on drugs, incarceration practices, prison health care, and other aspects of the American correctional landscape. Prior to writing this book, Aviram has served as a defense attorney, and shared perspective on the issues of prisons, death penalty & sentencing reform through articles and media appearances, as well as regular updates to her California Correctional Crisis blog at 
http://californiacorrectionscrisis.blogspot.com 

At her book release event, she was joined  in a conversation and Q&A session by fellow Law Professor Jonathan Simon, Director of the Center for the Study of Law and Society at UC Berkeley Law School. The two scholars were introduced to the assembled guests by UC Hastings' Associate Dean for Research Reuel Schiller.
 
Together in this approximately 70 minute program, Aviram and Simon broach relevant topical information on prison reform, and update subjects touched upon in the book. Towards the end of their lively informal conversation, they take pointed questions from an engaged audience of scholars and colleagues in the UC Hastings Alumni Reception Center.