Joe Soss
@joesoss.bsky.social
Professor, U. of Minnesota. Social Inequalities, Politics, and Policy. Coauthor of Legal Plunder: The Predatory Dimensions of Criminal Justice
https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/L/bo249657890.html
https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/L/bo249657890.html
Pinned
Joe Soss
@joesoss.bsky.social
· Jul 8
Legal Plunder
A searing, historically rich account of how US policing and punishment have been retrofitted over the last four decades to extract public and private revenues from America’s poorest and most vulnerabl...
press.uchicago.edu
It's hard to believe, but today is the day -- the release date for Legal Plunder: The Predatory Dimensions of Criminal Justice, a book that @joshpage.bsky.social and I have been working on for most of the past decade. If you’d like to check it out, you can get 30% off by entering the code UCPNEW.
Reposted by Joe Soss
'Legal Plunder' @joshpage.bsky.social @joesoss.bsky.social @uchicagopress.bsky.social is recommended in our Year in Books by Managing Editor @adammcgee.bsky.social as "innovative and refreshingly frank."
The Year in Books - Inquest
Inquest staff recommendations of not-to-be-missed decarceral books from 2025.
inquest.org
January 2, 2026 at 1:00 PM
'Legal Plunder' @joshpage.bsky.social @joesoss.bsky.social @uchicagopress.bsky.social is recommended in our Year in Books by Managing Editor @adammcgee.bsky.social as "innovative and refreshingly frank."
Reposted by Joe Soss
North Carolina raising the cost of products sold in state prisons by five cents is a significant increase to incarcerated workers who typically earn between forty cents and $1.25 per day.
North Carolina Prison Officials Raise Prices for Those Who Can Least Afford It
An increased markup on canteen goods adds to the financial burden on incarcerated people and their families, highlighting how prison systems squeeze them for revenue.
boltsmag.org
December 31, 2025 at 2:00 PM
North Carolina raising the cost of products sold in state prisons by five cents is a significant increase to incarcerated workers who typically earn between forty cents and $1.25 per day.
Good reporting on police departments' growing use of drones to automate and expand citation-based fines and surveillance.
www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...
www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...
A Police Drone Might Be Behind Your Next Ticket
Law enforcement is expanding the use of remotely controlled drones despite concerns of civil liberties groups.
www.wsj.com
December 29, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Good reporting on police departments' growing use of drones to automate and expand citation-based fines and surveillance.
www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...
www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...
Reposted by Joe Soss
#ICYMI: Our Co-Executive Director Joanna Weiss sat down with the authors of Legal Plunder to explore how fines & fees:
🔹 Turn courts into self-funding revenue schemes
🔹 Act as a hidden tax on over-policed communities
🔹 Push families into impossible choices
🎬 Watch now: tinyurl.com/5fje5tcy
🔹 Turn courts into self-funding revenue schemes
🔹 Act as a hidden tax on over-policed communities
🔹 Push families into impossible choices
🎬 Watch now: tinyurl.com/5fje5tcy
December 17, 2025 at 3:37 PM
#ICYMI: Our Co-Executive Director Joanna Weiss sat down with the authors of Legal Plunder to explore how fines & fees:
🔹 Turn courts into self-funding revenue schemes
🔹 Act as a hidden tax on over-policed communities
🔹 Push families into impossible choices
🎬 Watch now: tinyurl.com/5fje5tcy
🔹 Turn courts into self-funding revenue schemes
🔹 Act as a hidden tax on over-policed communities
🔹 Push families into impossible choices
🎬 Watch now: tinyurl.com/5fje5tcy
Reposted by Joe Soss
The incomparable health & human rights leader Dr Mary Bassett has been terminated - a shocking move by Harvard bowing to pressure 🇺🇸
Read more & sign petition
Read more & sign petition
Harvard Dismisses Director of FXB Center for Health and Human Rights | News | The Harvard Crimson
Harvard forced out the director of the François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights — another shakeup at a center whose programming on the Israel-Palestine conflict has been a flashpoint...
www.thecrimson.com
December 11, 2025 at 7:10 PM
The incomparable health & human rights leader Dr Mary Bassett has been terminated - a shocking move by Harvard bowing to pressure 🇺🇸
Read more & sign petition
Read more & sign petition
Reposted by Joe Soss
Thanks @bailproject.org for the interview! Cash bail does not just fuel injustice and compromise public safety. It also enables widespread financial extraction that harms families and communities and intensifies inequality. #LegalPlunder cc/ @joesoss.bsky.social
Cash Bail Fuels "Legal Plunder"
Sociologist Joshua Page discusses how cash bail traps families in debt while feeding government and corporate profit.
bailproject.org
December 10, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Thanks @bailproject.org for the interview! Cash bail does not just fuel injustice and compromise public safety. It also enables widespread financial extraction that harms families and communities and intensifies inequality. #LegalPlunder cc/ @joesoss.bsky.social
Reposted by Joe Soss
Join us for a talk with Legal Plunder authors, @joesoss.bsky.social & @joshpage.bsky.social, exploring how our fines & fees system came to be & what it will take to dismantle it.
In-person registration is closed — but there’s still time to join virtually!
🗓️ 12/3, 12 PM ET
🎟️ tinyurl.com/3bnpprvb
In-person registration is closed — but there’s still time to join virtually!
🗓️ 12/3, 12 PM ET
🎟️ tinyurl.com/3bnpprvb
December 1, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Join us for a talk with Legal Plunder authors, @joesoss.bsky.social & @joshpage.bsky.social, exploring how our fines & fees system came to be & what it will take to dismantle it.
In-person registration is closed — but there’s still time to join virtually!
🗓️ 12/3, 12 PM ET
🎟️ tinyurl.com/3bnpprvb
In-person registration is closed — but there’s still time to join virtually!
🗓️ 12/3, 12 PM ET
🎟️ tinyurl.com/3bnpprvb
Reposted by Joe Soss
If you're interested in hearing about my new book with @joesoss.bsky.social, Legal Plunder: The Predatory Dimensions of Criminal Justice, join us virtually this Wednesday for a spirited discussion with @finesandfeesjc.bsky.social.
Join us for a talk with Legal Plunder authors, @joesoss.bsky.social & @joshpage.bsky.social, exploring how our fines & fees system came to be & what it will take to dismantle it.
In-person registration is closed — but there’s still time to join virtually!
🗓️ 12/3, 12 PM ET
🎟️ tinyurl.com/3bnpprvb
In-person registration is closed — but there’s still time to join virtually!
🗓️ 12/3, 12 PM ET
🎟️ tinyurl.com/3bnpprvb
December 1, 2025 at 3:05 PM
If you're interested in hearing about my new book with @joesoss.bsky.social, Legal Plunder: The Predatory Dimensions of Criminal Justice, join us virtually this Wednesday for a spirited discussion with @finesandfeesjc.bsky.social.
Reposted by Joe Soss
Join FFJC Co-ED Joanna Weiss for a conversation with the authors of Legal Plunder, @joesoss.bsky.social & @joshpage.bsky.social, exploring how our fines & fees system took shape and what it will take to dismantle it.
🗓️ 12/3, 12 PM ET
📍 Online or at New York Law School
🎟️ tinyurl.com/3bnpprvb
🗓️ 12/3, 12 PM ET
📍 Online or at New York Law School
🎟️ tinyurl.com/3bnpprvb
November 24, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Join FFJC Co-ED Joanna Weiss for a conversation with the authors of Legal Plunder, @joesoss.bsky.social & @joshpage.bsky.social, exploring how our fines & fees system took shape and what it will take to dismantle it.
🗓️ 12/3, 12 PM ET
📍 Online or at New York Law School
🎟️ tinyurl.com/3bnpprvb
🗓️ 12/3, 12 PM ET
📍 Online or at New York Law School
🎟️ tinyurl.com/3bnpprvb
Reposted by Joe Soss
"Penal operations that isolate, deprive, and control do more than just warehouse; they make incarcerated populations productive by ushering them into projects that generate substantial public and private revenues." @joshpage.bsky.social & @joesoss.bsky.social on prisons & $$$
Indentured Citizens - Joshua Page & Joe Soss - Inquest
Making incarceration profitable—for both the state and corporations—generates untold hardship not only for incarcerated people but also for their families and communities.
inquest.org
November 19, 2025 at 1:00 PM
"Penal operations that isolate, deprive, and control do more than just warehouse; they make incarcerated populations productive by ushering them into projects that generate substantial public and private revenues." @joshpage.bsky.social & @joesoss.bsky.social on prisons & $$$
Reposted by Joe Soss
Very much looking forward to this event in NYC with @finesandfeesjc.bsky.social. Please join us in person or online for a spirited discussion about Legal Plunder. cc/ @joesoss.bsky.social
People nationwide are being pushed into debt over fines & fees they can’t afford. Join us for a talk with Legal Plunder authors, @joshpage.bsky.social & @joesoss.bsky.social, on how this system emerged — and why reform can’t wait.
🗓️ 12/3 | 12 PM ET
📍Online or at NY Law School
🔗 tinyurl.com/3bnpprvb
🗓️ 12/3 | 12 PM ET
📍Online or at NY Law School
🔗 tinyurl.com/3bnpprvb
November 18, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Very much looking forward to this event in NYC with @finesandfeesjc.bsky.social. Please join us in person or online for a spirited discussion about Legal Plunder. cc/ @joesoss.bsky.social
If you're in or near NYC on December 3, I hope you'll join us for this important conversation. Free and open to the public.
People nationwide are being pushed into debt over fines & fees they can’t afford. Join us for a talk with Legal Plunder authors, @joshpage.bsky.social & @joesoss.bsky.social, on how this system emerged — and why reform can’t wait.
🗓️ 12/3 | 12 PM ET
📍Online or at NY Law School
🔗 tinyurl.com/3bnpprvb
🗓️ 12/3 | 12 PM ET
📍Online or at NY Law School
🔗 tinyurl.com/3bnpprvb
November 18, 2025 at 9:11 PM
If you're in or near NYC on December 3, I hope you'll join us for this important conversation. Free and open to the public.
The moral arc of The New York Groove is long, but it bends toward "a wicked lady sittin' by my side, sayin', where are we?" RIP Ace Frehley.
October 16, 2025 at 11:58 PM
The moral arc of The New York Groove is long, but it bends toward "a wicked lady sittin' by my side, sayin', where are we?" RIP Ace Frehley.
Reposted by Joe Soss
AOC has just officially become the top House fundraiser, beating out Hakeem Jeffries. Now lemme take a big sip of coffee as I look at the age distribution of donors to AOC vs Jeffries
October 16, 2025 at 8:51 PM
AOC has just officially become the top House fundraiser, beating out Hakeem Jeffries. Now lemme take a big sip of coffee as I look at the age distribution of donors to AOC vs Jeffries
Important: @fwd.us just posted a nice short piece on how ICE agents are using bench warrants -- often for unpaid criminal legal debts -- as pretexts for raiding private properties and indiscriminately detaining residents. #LegalPlunder
myemail.constantcontact.com/Unwarranted-...
myemail.constantcontact.com/Unwarranted-...
Unwarranted: How the Criminal Justice System Expands ICE’s Reach
Email from FWD.us October 16, 2025 Just a Minute on Warrants Bad premises beget worse policies. Spend just a minute with us so that we can do better. Mathieu Lewis-Rolland via Getty Images In the
myemail.constantcontact.com
October 16, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Important: @fwd.us just posted a nice short piece on how ICE agents are using bench warrants -- often for unpaid criminal legal debts -- as pretexts for raiding private properties and indiscriminately detaining residents. #LegalPlunder
myemail.constantcontact.com/Unwarranted-...
myemail.constantcontact.com/Unwarranted-...
Reposted by Joe Soss
The Supreme Court’s majority right wing indicated in oral arguments that they think racism is over on the same day that the vice president defended the “I love Hitler” guy, and that the NYT reported that the current administration plans to accept only white, English-speaking refugees.
October 15, 2025 at 9:56 PM
The Supreme Court’s majority right wing indicated in oral arguments that they think racism is over on the same day that the vice president defended the “I love Hitler” guy, and that the NYT reported that the current administration plans to accept only white, English-speaking refugees.
Reposted by Joe Soss
“The Defense Department has confiscated the badges of the Pentagon reporters from virtually every major media organization in America,” the Pentagon Press Association said
October 15, 2025 at 9:52 PM
“The Defense Department has confiscated the badges of the Pentagon reporters from virtually every major media organization in America,” the Pentagon Press Association said
Reposted by Joe Soss
Trump is upfront in saying he will use the shutdown to punish Democrats, and here are the receipts. About $27.2 billion cut from Dem districts compared to about $0.7 billion in GOP districts.
We all complain about the media, but need this type of in-depth journalism.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
We all complain about the media, but need this type of in-depth journalism.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Trump Halts Billions in Grants for Democratic Districts During Shutdown (Gift Article)
The Trump administration has frozen or canceled nearly $28 billion primarily located in Democratic-led districts, according to an analysis by The New York Times.
www.nytimes.com
October 15, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Trump is upfront in saying he will use the shutdown to punish Democrats, and here are the receipts. About $27.2 billion cut from Dem districts compared to about $0.7 billion in GOP districts.
We all complain about the media, but need this type of in-depth journalism.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
We all complain about the media, but need this type of in-depth journalism.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Great post from @worthrises.bsky.social on how the "big beautiful bill" is showering public funds on the prison industry, supercharging profits and transforming detention and incarceration in America. #LegalPlunder
worthrises.org/blogpost/202...
@biancatylek.bsky.social
@joshpage.bsky.social
worthrises.org/blogpost/202...
@biancatylek.bsky.social
@joshpage.bsky.social
Worth Rises — How the “Big Beautiful Bill” Has Transformed the Prison Industry
One hundred days ago, on July 4, 2025, President Trump signed into law the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA), which launched a dangerous and sweeping escalation of indiscriminate U.S. immigration en...
worthrises.org
October 15, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Great post from @worthrises.bsky.social on how the "big beautiful bill" is showering public funds on the prison industry, supercharging profits and transforming detention and incarceration in America. #LegalPlunder
worthrises.org/blogpost/202...
@biancatylek.bsky.social
@joshpage.bsky.social
worthrises.org/blogpost/202...
@biancatylek.bsky.social
@joshpage.bsky.social
Reposted by Joe Soss
This week, our colleague Dr. Mark Bray came under attack by Turning Point USA’s Rutgers chapter for his public scholarship. Rutgers AAUP-AFT and the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union condemn this campaign and stand in solidarity with our colleagues. Read our full statement here: https://loom.ly/BDXasRY
October 8, 2025 at 9:02 PM
This week, our colleague Dr. Mark Bray came under attack by Turning Point USA’s Rutgers chapter for his public scholarship. Rutgers AAUP-AFT and the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union condemn this campaign and stand in solidarity with our colleagues. Read our full statement here: https://loom.ly/BDXasRY
Excellent report on asset seizures in Minnesota and Minneapolis
#LegalPlunder
minnesotareformer.com/2025/10/09/m...
#LegalPlunder
minnesotareformer.com/2025/10/09/m...
Minnesota law enforcement asset seizures up last year • Minnesota Reformer
Minnesota law enforcement agencies seized and kept over $6 million in cash, vehicles and other property in 2024, according to the state auditor’s most recent asset forfeiture report. That’s 14% more t...
minnesotareformer.com
October 10, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Excellent report on asset seizures in Minnesota and Minneapolis
#LegalPlunder
minnesotareformer.com/2025/10/09/m...
#LegalPlunder
minnesotareformer.com/2025/10/09/m...
Reposted by Joe Soss
Once again, it is *faculty*—not administrators—who brought this case and won. Including UC Faculty Association chapters of the AAUP.
Court Rules in AAUP v Rubio: Trump Admin Violated First Amendment
The AAUP and partners sued to block the Trump administration from carrying out large-scale arrests, detentions, and deportations of noncitizen students and faculty members for ideological reasons.
www.aaup.org
October 1, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Once again, it is *faculty*—not administrators—who brought this case and won. Including UC Faculty Association chapters of the AAUP.
Reposted by Joe Soss
Excited to read this! Thanks @joesoss.bsky.social & @joshuapage.bsky.social
September 29, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Excited to read this! Thanks @joesoss.bsky.social & @joshuapage.bsky.social
Reposted by Joe Soss
"Common decency stigmatizes people that do not participate in it—removes them from voluntary association. We indeed have to live with one another, but terms and conditions apply."
me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
How Can We Live Together? - Boston Review
Ezra Klein is wrong: shame is essential.
www.bostonreview.net
September 23, 2025 at 5:09 PM
"Common decency stigmatizes people that do not participate in it—removes them from voluntary association. We indeed have to live with one another, but terms and conditions apply."
me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
Reposted by Joe Soss
The brain tricks us constantly. It mistakes scrolling and "seeking information" for DOING THINGS. That is not doing. You have to act.
September 19, 2025 at 1:38 PM
The brain tricks us constantly. It mistakes scrolling and "seeking information" for DOING THINGS. That is not doing. You have to act.