From the heart of a bold and brilliant thought-leader comes this compelling memoir and call-to-action, which fills a gaping hole in criminal justice reform literature in a way that only Bianca M. Forde can. Uniquely qualified, following a racially motivated arrest that paradoxically labeled her as both prosecuted and prosecutor, Forde provides an authentic analysis of how prosecutors can truly fulfill their mandate as servants of the law. She tackles the taboo topics that prosecutors are best positioned, but often lack courage, to discuss-from inequities in charging decisions and blind spots affecting Brady disclosures; to dispassionate requests for detention, and detached sentencing recommendations. She candidly shares her evolution as a prosecutor in hopes of accelerating the maturity of rookie prosecutors, inspiring a new way of thinking among veteran prosecutors, and educating community members on why their local vote matters. If mass incarceration is the disease, Forde is firmly convinced that justice-minded, transformational prosecution is, in large part, the cure. This book elevates the conversation on prosecutorial power to a new height, and provides practical guidance that promises to disrupt the status quo.
