The Fear of Too Much Justice: Race, Poverty, and the Persistence of Inequality in the Criminal Courts

The book John Grisham calls “a clear and poignant indictment of criminal injustice in America” Called “passionate and eye-opening” by Booklist, The Fear of Too Much Justice, by the legendary death penalty attorney Stephen B. Bright and legal scholar James Kwak, offers a heart-wrenching overview of how the criminal legal system fails to live up to the values of equality and justice. The book ranges from people convicted of crimes and condemned to death because of their race and poverty to poor people squeezed for cash by private probation companies because of trivial violations. Bright and Kwak also offer examples from places around the country that are making progress toward justice. With a foreword by Bryan Stevenson, and now in an accessible paperback format, this “urgent call to action . . . is an invaluable resource” (Publishers Weekly). The book John Grisham calls “a clear and poignant indictment of criminal injustice in America”

Called “passionate and eye-opening” by Booklist, The Fear of Too Much Justice, by the legendary death penalty attorney Stephen B. Bright and legal scholar James Kwak, offers a heart-wrenching overview of how the criminal legal system fails to live up to the values of equality and justice. The book ranges from people convicted of crimes and condemned to death because of their race and poverty to poor people squeezed for cash by private probation companies because of trivial violations. Bright and Kwak also offer examples from places around the country that are making progress toward justice.

With a foreword by Bryan Stevenson, and now in an accessible paperback format, this “urgent call to action . . . is an invaluable resource” (Publishers Weekly).

• | Author: James Kwak, Stephen B. Bright
• | Publisher: The New Press
• | Publication Date: May 29, 2025
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Paperback / softback
• | ISBN-13: 9781620979518
• | ISBN-10: 1620979519