By Patrick Sochacki
Emily Bazelon, award-winning author of the New York Times Best-Selling book “Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration,” is coming to the Temple Theatre Tuesday, September 17 at 7 p.m. The presentation is free and open to the public.
In “Charged,” Bazelon covers things like bond setting, plea deals and diversionary tactics employed by prosecutors.
“As a journalist, I have never felt a greater sense of urgency about exposing the roots of a problem and shining a light on the people working to solve it,” Bazelon writes toward the end of her book. “[…] We have to fix the broken parts of America’s criminal justice system. And we the people have the power to do it with our votes.”
Bazelon’s book seeks to reveal problems in the United States’ justice system and showcase stories of people personally affected by this system. She also links those personal stories with actions and judicial reforms that aim to reduce recidivism and lower total incarcerations.
Kimberly Klein, political science professor at Delta and one of the event organizers, says Emily provides a powerful message on the topic of criminal justice reform.
“Emily digs deeper and sheds light on the role of prosecutors and the impact this is having on the criminal justice system,” says Klein. “Part of the discussion will focus on solutions, thus empowering the role of citizens in addressing this concern.”
Kimberly also mentioned that “since reading her book, we [the committee members] all agree that this will be a powerful message and a unique opportunity for us, as a community to dialogue about these issues.”
“We the people, as citizens in this democracy, have a direct role to play,” says Klein. “Our hope is this event will open up dialogue informing citizens on how they can make a difference.”
Following Bazelon’s presentation, there will be a tour of the new Delta College Saginaw Center nearby. For more information on the presentation, contact event coordinators David Baskind (debaskin@delta.edu) or Kim Klein (kimberlyklein@delta.edu).