We want to explain the foundations and flaws of the U.S. criminal justice system — and efforts to reform them — in a way that the everyday reader can easily digest. This book is created for young activists looking for a foundational understanding to jumpstart their work and learning in the field. The guide will include interviews with currently and formerly incarcerated individuals, definitions of key terms, and a timeline of important moments in U.S. criminal justice history. For one of our conversations, we spoke to Ahmed Lavalais, a clinical teaching fellow in the Policy Advocacy Clinic at UC Berkeley Law School. Lavalais works on the clinic’s campaign to eliminate debt imposed on youth and families by thejuvenile justice system The timing of the concert weekend was surreal. In an alternate universe, this Friday I'd be flying from New York City to Santa Clara, California to experience the first two nights of the North AmericanMap of the Soultour. Those dates werepostponed back in Marchwhen it became clear that fightingCOVID-19 In fact, we have a pretty good idea about how it could go.At first, Meredith won’t be able to accept it. These are public employees, invested with the power to carry out the full spectrum of policing actions while on the corporate payroll. An internal police memo reviewed byTeen Vogue