James Forman Jr.

James Forman Jr is a notable author and professor, who specializes in criminal justice reform. His written works focus on the intersection of race and the criminal justice system and strive to bring a more humane approach to justice. His work often seeks to challenge the current criminal justice system and make it more responsive to the needs of society.

Forman was born in 1971 in North Carolina. As a child of the South, Forman was exposed to the racism and corruption of the criminal justice system. He also witnessed law enforcement disproportionately targeting people of color and individuals from lower income communities. This experience would shape his future work and spur him to investigate alternative ways of approaching the criminal justice system.

Forman is a graduate of Yale Law School and worked in public defense for over a decade. During his time in public defense, he recognized the disparities between people of different ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds. This realization propelled him to write his first book, Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America, in which he explored how the criminal justice system is unfair and how even predominantly black communities can be complicit in putting people in jail. He argues that these communities often become complicit in the cycle of injustice, making it worse rather than better.

Forman’s work has been widely praised, and he has been a key figure in pushing for criminal justice reform. He has testified in front of Congress on criminal justice issues and has become a leading voice within the Reform Movement. His works have been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times and The Atlantic.

Forman’s most recent book, Unlocking America: Why and How to Reduce America’s Prison Population, takes a look at America’s current criminal justice system and makes the case for de-incarceration. In the book, Forman argues that the current system is far too punitive and that reforms are necessary to ensure a fairer, more equitable system. He outlines various strategies for reform, including ending mandatory sentencing rules, providing early release options and decriminalizing certain nonviolent offenses.

Forman is also a professor of Law at Georgetown Law Center and is a founding director of The Dream Corps, an organization that works to create economic opportunity for people of color. In addition to his work in criminal justice reform and academia, he serves on the police reform commission for the City of Atlanta and has been a fellow at the Atlantic Institute and the Aspen Institute.

Forman’s work is underscored by his unwavering commitment to social justice. His writings have shone a light on America’s broken criminal justice system and offered a path for reform. His work has been influential in fostering a more equitable criminal justice system and has provided a blueprint for criminal justice reform in the United States.