Civil Rights Lawyering and Propaganda in a Time of Rising Authoritarianism

Critical Carceral Studies will be joined by Alec Karakatsanis discuss his work and observations as a civil rights lawyer and public defender. In a time of rising authoritarianism, the news media has more power than ever to shape the public consciousness. Drawing upon his time as a public defender and civil rights lawyer, Alec Karakatsanis will discuss the interplay between media coverage and public safety, breaking down how Copaganda has come to shape our understanding of crime rates, what types of crimes matter, and what the solutions are for achieving a collective safety. 

About the Speaker

After beginning his career representing people accused of crimes who could not afford an attorney, Alec Karakatsanis founded the Civil Rights Corps, an organization that challenges systemic injustices in the U.S. legal system. In the last decade, the organization’s work has freed hundreds of thousands of people from illegal confinement in jail cells, reunited hundreds of thousands of families, returned tens of millions of dollars to marginalized communities, and advanced inspiring alternatives to punishment as a means of preventing and addressing social harm. He is the author of Usual Cruelty: The Complicity of Lawyers in the Criminal Injustice System and Copaganda (both from The New Press).