UCI Law Professors Donate Books to Idaho Library
UCI Law Professors Alexandra Natapoff, Kaaryn Gustafson and Mehrsa Baradaran recently donated copies of their books to a library in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho after news broke of a person deliberately hiding books at the facility. A note from the mystery book-hider to library staff indicated their intention was to prevent other patrons from reading what they deemed to be controversial books. Prof. Natapoff’s “Punishment Without Crime: How Our Massive Misdemeanor System Traps the Innocent and Makes America More Unequal” was among select works being repeatedly misplaced.
Professor Natapoff applauded the library’s efforts to keep a broad range of books available to library patrons. In support, she sent additional copies of “Punishment Without Crime,” as well as copies of her books “Snitching: Criminal Informants and the Erosion of American Justice” and “The New Criminal Justice Thinking.” Prof. Mehrsa Baradaran also donated copies of her books “The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap” and “How the Other Half Banks: Exclusions, Exploitation, and the Threat to Democracy,” and Prof. Kaaryn Gustafson donated a copy of her book “Cheating Welfare: Public Assistance and the Criminalization of Poverty.”