Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

International Justice: Bringing The World Home Through Social Justice, Gabriel Rubin

Gabriel Rubin

As the head of my university’s new International Justice program, I am well placed to speak about the trials and tribulations of teaching students about global politics. Our program draws in Sociology, Justice Studies, and Political Science students. The overarching goal is to make students aware of international issues ranging from genocide and terrorism to international migration and global institutions through the lens of social justice. The social justice lens is particularly effective because it provides a reason for exploring global issues. These issues are not bloodlessly described in my courses with the hopes of extracting causal variables. Instead international …

Charging The Poor: Criminal Justice Debt & Modern-Day Debtors' Prisons, Neil L. Sobol

Neil L Sobol

Debtors’ prisons should no longer exist. While imprisonment for debt was common in colonial times in the United States, subsequent constitutional provisions, legislation, and court rulings all called for the abolition of incarcerating individuals to collect debt. Despite these prohibitions, individuals who are unable to pay debts are now regularly incarcerated, and the vast majority of them are indigent. In 2015, at least ten lawsuits were filed against municipalities for incarcerating individuals in modern-day debtors’ prisons. Criminal justice debt is the primary source for this imprisonment.

Criminal justice debt includes fines, restitution charges, court costs, and fees. Monetary charges exist …