Writing about the Criminal Justice System: TTIE's #WriteInclusion Factsheet

TTIE

TTIE has partnered with a number of social justice researchers and organizations to produce #WriteInclusion Factsheets: Tips for Authentic Representation.

The #WriteInclusion Factsheet: Tips for Accurate Representation of the Criminal Justice System explores topics related to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people (in jails, prisons, and detention centers), law enforcement officers and officials, court system members (DAs, judges, lawyers, etc.), and correctional officers and authorities.

Overrepresented stories:

• The Stereotypical Criminal: All criminals as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color), immigrants, and poor.
• Cops as Judge and Jury: Violence against and/or murder of suspected criminals by police officers, as though this is justified because the suspect is/might be guilty.
• Jail is Fun: Glamorizing jails, prisons, and incarcerated people.

Things TTIE would like to see more of:

• Reframed POV: Nuanced, intersectional portrayals of incarcerated people and formerly incarcerated people told through their own POVs.
• The Inside Truth: Highlight the injustices incarcerated people face (e.g., they often lack access to education and proper healthcare and are paid subhuman wages for work).
• Reformative Stories: Explore the end of and alternatives to the prison-industrial complex. Even the mention of reformative justice solutions (e.g., mental healthcare, community service, and prison abolition) and calls for better education and re-entry programs can sway the public.

For more facts, overrepresented stories, harmful stereotypes, view the full #WriteInclusion Factsheet: Tips for Accurate Representation of the Criminal Justice System.

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