In Their Names - by Lenore Anderson

Book Synopsis

Hailed as "a passionate and provocative indictment of how the victims' rights movement has warped the American justice system" (Publishers Weekly), In Their Names dispels the myth that mass incarceration benefits victims, and proposes a new public safety paradigm that recognizes victims' true safety needs.

Lenore Anderson, whom the distinguished criminologist David Kennedy calls "one of the most effective criminal justice reformers America has ever had," demonstrates how, in the 1980s, victims' rights political activism morphed into a demand for more incarceration "in their names," while bringing about policies that fuel more trauma than they heal. Called "well-researched, results-driven, and readable" by Booklist, In Their Names "deserves a wide audience, from policymakers to ordinary citizens alike," according to James Forman Jr., Yale Law School professor and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Locking Up Our Own.

At a time when U.S. crime policy is increasingly debated in politics and media, the lessons and message of this book are current--and urgent. As renowned criminal justice author Nell Bernstein writes, Anderson "offers a vision of justice and healing that is generous enough to encompass all of us."

Now available in an accessible paperback format, this "startling wake-up call" (Susan Burton) argues persuasively for closing the gap between our public safety systems and victims, to heal cycles of violence and enhance public safety for all.

Review Quotes

Praise for In Their Names:
"A new vision for victims' rights, one that focuses not on punishment, but on providing aid and trauma recovery, with the goal of meeting people's material needs and interrupting cycles of violence."
--The Guardian

"A passionate and provocative indictment of how the victims' rights movement has warped the American justice system. . . . Throughout, Anderson documents harrowing miscarriages of justice and expresses heartfelt compassion for victims, inmates, and their families. The result is a lucid road map for a more humane criminal justice system."

--Publishers Weekly

"Persuasive and well-written."
--Library Journal

"This well-researched, results-driven, and readable work challenges ideas of victimhood and offers a way forward from mass incarceration to true public safety."
--Booklist

"A timely and appreciated contribution to our national dialogue on crime."
--Midwest Book Review

"This timely book reveals an explosive truth: mass incarceration--built in the names of crime victims--doesn't serve their true interests. Instead of longer prison sentences, Lenore Anderson shows how most victims want and need a new approach to safety, rooted in healing, care, and redress. In Their Names deserves a wide audience, from policy-makers to ordinary citizens alike."
--James Forman Jr., Yale Law School professor and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Locking Up Our Own

"This book is a game-changer, taking what we think we know about crime victims and public safety and turning it on its head. Chock-full of breakthrough insights, compelling stories, compassion, and clarity, this urgent call for a new justice system is a must-read for everyone who cares about safety."
--Van Jones, CNN contributor and host of Uncommon Ground

"A startling wake-up call to the grave mistakes the nation has made in revictimizing victims. Masterfully written, the book's moving stories will inspire anyone to reevaluate our culture's definition of safety and its concrete steps will provide a way forward to a more humane future. It should be required reading. Brava, Lenore Anderson!"
--Susan Burton, founder of A New Way of Life and author of Becoming Ms. Burton

"One of the most effective criminal justice reformers America has ever had takes a break from her frontline work to show the damage that has come from misrepresenting victims; why respecting victims would change everything; and what a system built on real justice for victims would look like. This seminal book provides a road map to a saner and more effective system."
--David Kennedy, director of National Network for Safe Communities and John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor

"A work of tremendous wisdom and compassion. Lenore Anderson shatters a foundational myth--that one person's suffering can make another whole--and offers a vision of justice and healing that is generous enough to encompass all of us."
--Nell Bernstein, author of Burning Down the House

"This book represents a vital missing piece in the scholarly arsenal of our fight against mass incarceration, not only tracing the role of so-called victim's rights movements in creating the carceral state but showcasing how the very concept of 'victim' has been racialized and weaponized throughout American history. A must-read."
--Baz Dreisinger, John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor and author of Incarceration Nations

About the Author

A former punk drummer turned prosecutor, Lenore Anderson is the founder and president of the Alliance for Safety and Justice. She is a former chief of policy at the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, former director of public safety for the Oakland mayor, and the recipient of a James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award and a Frank Carrington Crime Victim Attorney Award. She lives in Oakland, California.