Scholars Strategy Network's No Jargon

For many Americans, contact with the criminal legal system comes with a hidden price tag. Without their knowledge, incarcerated people can often rack up large bills owed to the government to pay for the cost of their own incarceration. Sociologist Brittany Friedman explains how these "pay-to-stay" laws work, how civil lawsuits are used to collect that money after release, and why the push to reform these criminal legal fines and fees has drawn bipartisan support.
 
For more on this topic:
Read the article mentioned in the episode, Civil Lawfare, co-authored by Friedman and published in the journal Social Problems 

Listen to her podcast, Exploitation Nation

Check out her book, Carceral Apartheid: How Lies and White Supremacists Run Our Prisons

Read her SSN key findings brief, Ending Modern-Day Slavery in California

No Jargon celebrates its 300th episode with a conversation about where American democracy and politics stand today, featuring the Scholar Strategy Network's new board chair, Mark Schmitt. Americans are increasingly frustrated with both the Democratic and Republican parties thanks to endless fundraising messages, political gridlock, and the sense that politicians don't represent the people. Schmitt makes the case that political parties are still a vital part of a healthy democracy and talks through the kinds of structural changes that could help rebuild trust and bring more people into the political process.
For more on this topic:
Read the New America report co-authored by Schmitt, A Blueprint for Healthier Political Parties

Check out New America's companion report, A Model for Associational Party Building

Pregnancy is often treated as a personal responsibility, but the effects don't stay personal. When expectant parents can't afford basics like stable housing or healthy food, it can have ripple effects for society. That's why some communities are trying a different approach: giving expecting parents direct cash support during pregnancy. Professor Ali Groves explains how these programs work, focusing on the Philly Joy Bank, and why receiving money with no strings attached can ease stress and help families during a critical period.
 
For more on this topic:
Read Groves' analysis in The Gender Policy Report, Parenting is Expensive, Guaranteed Income May Help, co-authored with Libby Valdez and Yuan He 

Check out her op-ed in Penn Live, When Washington fails expecting mothers, Philadelphia shows a better way

The EPA's 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding has been the legal foundation for U.S. climate regulation under the Clean Air Act for over a decade. In February, the Trump administration repealed it. That move puts the future of federal climate policy in question. Professor Alejandro Camacho explains what the endangerment finding did and why it mattered for policies ranging from vehicle emissions to power plant rules. Drawing on his new book, he also puts this moment in context: showing how earlier waves of environmental policymaking took shape in the 1960s and '70s, and why today's approach is marked by polarization, legal battles, and uncertainty.
For more on this topic:
Check out the book Camacho coauthored, Lessons for a Warming Planet: A Vital History of US Environmental Law

Read his commentary in Legal Planet, The Trump Administration is Squandering Our Natural Heritage

Read his op-ed in The Hill, Donald Trump's record-breaking race to wreck the planet

By now, most students who applied to college for the fall semester have received their decisions, bringing a mix of emotions, from excitement and relief to disappointment and uncertainty. For many, especially those turned away from top-choice schools, the admissions process can feel arbitrary and even unfair. Professor Julie Park breaks down what's changed for college applicants since the Supreme Court's 2023 decision restricting race-conscious admissions. She also explores the uneven return of standardized testing and how policy shifts are reshaping who gets into selective colleges and what schools can still do to make the process more fair.
For more on this topic:
Check out Park's new book, Race, Class, and Affirmative Action: College Admissions in a New Era

Read her op-ed in The Hechinger Report, There's a 'cascade effect' from the Supreme Court's affirmative action ban, and it's hurting Black and Latino students

Read her essay in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Economic Diversity Is Ticking Up at Elite Colleges. Why?