American Furies
Crime, Punishment and Vengeance in the Age of Mass Imprisonment
May 9, 2007
Extensively researched and told with illuminating detail, American Furies is a dramatic examination of US penitentiaries and their surrounding communities. Senior Fellow Sasha Abramsky explains how prisons are no longer motivated by goals of rehabilitation, but rather are driven by political concerns and marked by a movement towards vengeance. Yet does the shift towards vengeful politics in effect strengthen our culture or demean it? Considering life sentences for nonviolent crimes, devastating prison conditions, and the treatment of juvenile offenders, Abramsky uncovers the violent subculture in which millions of people exist behind bars and the impact of such mass imprisonment on the social fabric of society. For more information on American Furies visit www.americanfuries.com

CONNED
How Millions Went to Prison and Lost the Vote
April 27, 2006
Award-winning journalist Sasha Abramsky takes us on a journey through disfranchised America, detailing the revival of antidemocratic laws that came of age in the post-Civil War segregationist South, and profiling Americans who are fighting to regain the right to vote. From the Pacific Northwest to Miami, with stops in a dozen states in between, Abramsky shows for how this growing problem has played a decisive role in elections nationwide--from state races all the way up to the closely contested 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. www.connedthebook.com

Stealing Democracy
The New Politics of Voter Suppression
June 7, 2006
While politicians spew shallow sound bites that describe a "free" American people who govern themselves by selecting their representatives, in reality politicians from both parties maintain control by selecting particular voters. Incumbent politicians maintain thousands of election practices and bureaucratic hurdles that determine who votes and how votes are counted--such as the location of election district boundaries, long lines at urban polling places, and English-only ballots. Spencer Overton uses real-life stories to show how these seemingly insignificant practices channel political power and determine policies on war, schools, clean air, and other issues that shape our lives. He also exposes the pressure points in this Orwellian system and provides strategies toward restoring self-government, such as making voting easier for all Americans, removing redistricting power from self-interested partisans, and renewing parts of the Voting Rights Act that expire in 2007. Overton's insights are vital to the future of our democracy. www.stealingdemocracy.com

Democracy Denied
The Racial History and Impact of Disenfranchisement Laws in the United States
February 26, 2004
This brief examines the relationship between criminal justice practices that disproportionately target people of color, and disenfranchisement laws that deprive citizens convicted of felonies of their right to vote.

Punishing at the Polls
The Case Against Disenfranchising Citizens With Felony Convictions
November 24, 2003
Political scientist Alec Ewald sheds new light on the fundamentally undemocratic nature of felony disenfranchisement laws. Tracing the history of these laws from ancient Europe to their racist application in the post Civil War U.S., Ewald concludes that felony disenfranchisement laws are in profound conflict with America's best ideals of fairness and traditions of democracy.