About
I’ve spent my entire career challenging the criminal legal system. I’m a former public defender-turned college professor, an award-winning author, and the host of a new podcast, Just Justice, which takes a deep dive into second chances in American justice — who gets one, who deserves one, and who decides. Listen to the podcast episodes here.
I worked in New York City as a public defender doing appeals and trial work for almost 10 years. What I saw was a system that was stacked against my clients. The police and prosecutors had all the resources and all the advantages, while my clients were forced to make important decisions — like whether to plead guilty to a crime they didn’t commit — based on whether they could afford to make bail or miss work for more court dates or arrange for expensive childcare. Poverty, not justice, often dictated the outcome of any given case.
When I joined the faculty in the Department of Justice Studies at Montclair State University, I knew I had the perfect opportunity to keep working for justice. Through my teaching, research, and writing, I seek to challenge the ideas, and misconceptions, that people have about crime and our legal system. I’m working hard to raise awareness and bring more justice into our criminal justice system.
My first book, Smoke but No Fire: Convicting the Innocent of Crimes that Never Happened (U.C. Press 2020), helped shine a light on an outrageous and shocking truth: nearly 40% of all exonerations involve the wrongful conviction of innocent people convicted of crimes that never even happened in the first place.
I’m currently working on a new book project that explores second chances in the criminal legal system for people serving severe sentences. It’s a book about mercy and about sound justice policy. I can’t wait to share it with you.
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