Josh Page
@joshpage.bsky.social
Sociology prof. at Univ. of Minnesota. Law, Criminal Punishment, Politics, and Labor. New book: Legal Plunder: The Predatory Dimensions of Criminal Justice.
Pinned
Josh Page
@joshpage.bsky.social
· Jul 8
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.
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
Legal Plunder: The Predatory Dimensions of Criminal Justice, my book w/ @joesoss.bsky.social, is now available. 30% off through @uchicagopress.bsky.social (see below). Look out for info about book-related events beginning in late-August.
Reposted by Josh Page
'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 Josh Page
WaPo reports that ICE is planning 7 massive human warehouses holding 5,000 to 10,000 people.
Recalls the acting ICE director 2015 statement that he wanted to see a “business”-oriented approach to deportations, “like [Amazon] Prime, but with human beings”.
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Recalls the acting ICE director 2015 statement that he wanted to see a “business”-oriented approach to deportations, “like [Amazon] Prime, but with human beings”.
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
ICE documents reveal plan to hold 80,000 immigrants in warehouses
The Trump administration wants to build seven large-scale deportation hubs to speed up deportations, internal ICE documents show.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 24, 2025 at 3:24 PM
WaPo reports that ICE is planning 7 massive human warehouses holding 5,000 to 10,000 people.
Recalls the acting ICE director 2015 statement that he wanted to see a “business”-oriented approach to deportations, “like [Amazon] Prime, but with human beings”.
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Recalls the acting ICE director 2015 statement that he wanted to see a “business”-oriented approach to deportations, “like [Amazon] Prime, but with human beings”.
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Reposted by Josh Page
A curated selection from our favorite decarceral books of the year, with topics ranging from prison book programs and dangerously bad prison food to disability justice and the fight to stop the world’s tallest jail from being built.
The Year in Books - Inquest
Inquest staff recommendations of not-to-be-missed decarceral books from 2025.
inquest.org
December 18, 2025 at 3:09 PM
A curated selection from our favorite decarceral books of the year, with topics ranging from prison book programs and dangerously bad prison food to disability justice and the fight to stop the world’s tallest jail from being built.
Reposted by Josh Page
Just a reminder that earlier this year FCC Chairman Carr caved in to phone companies and sheriffs, voting to saddle low-income families with higher costs by reversing the phone & video rate caps that were previously set for incarcerated people.
December 17, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Just a reminder that earlier this year FCC Chairman Carr caved in to phone companies and sheriffs, voting to saddle low-income families with higher costs by reversing the phone & video rate caps that were previously set for incarcerated people.
Reposted by Josh Page
This has been *such* a saga, but better late than never: Texas prisoners who died during convict leasing and were often buried where they dropped in unmarked graves have been honored and commemorated.
www.houstonchronicle.com/neighborhood...
www.houstonchronicle.com/neighborhood...
Fort Bend agrees to spend $1.5M on Sugar Land 95 convict-leasing memorial
Fort Bend County Commissioners Court on Thursday approved a long-anticipated partnership with Fort Bend ISD to honor the Sugar Land 95.
www.houstonchronicle.com
December 16, 2025 at 2:05 PM
This has been *such* a saga, but better late than never: Texas prisoners who died during convict leasing and were often buried where they dropped in unmarked graves have been honored and commemorated.
www.houstonchronicle.com/neighborhood...
www.houstonchronicle.com/neighborhood...
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 Josh Page
Incarcerated workers in North Carolina prisons often earn less than a dollar a day, yet prisons and vendors charge them exorbitant prices for many goods. “They’re always looking for ways to make more money, primarily off of us,” says one incarcerated man.
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 10, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Incarcerated workers in North Carolina prisons often earn less than a dollar a day, yet prisons and vendors charge them exorbitant prices for many goods. “They’re always looking for ways to make more money, primarily off of us,” says one incarcerated man.
Reposted by Josh Page
160 years ago, the 13th Amendment was ratified, ending slavery. But that amendment came with a sinister loophole: a Slavery Clause that allowed for slavery “as punishment for crime.”
We need to pass @repnikema.bsky.social’s and my Abolition Amendment to #EndTheException once and for all!
We need to pass @repnikema.bsky.social’s and my Abolition Amendment to #EndTheException once and for all!
December 6, 2025 at 10:07 PM
160 years ago, the 13th Amendment was ratified, ending slavery. But that amendment came with a sinister loophole: a Slavery Clause that allowed for slavery “as punishment for crime.”
We need to pass @repnikema.bsky.social’s and my Abolition Amendment to #EndTheException once and for all!
We need to pass @repnikema.bsky.social’s and my Abolition Amendment to #EndTheException once and for all!
Reposted by Josh Page
"Incarcerated trans Americans experience sexual violence at more than 12x the rate of other incarcerated people"
That stat comes from the DOJ itself – and still, the administration wants to tear down the few protections that exist, making prisons & jails even more dangerous for everyone.
That stat comes from the DOJ itself – and still, the administration wants to tear down the few protections that exist, making prisons & jails even more dangerous for everyone.
BREAKING: Trump administration plans to end prison rape protections for trans & intersex people, memo says. A DOJ memo says certain standards under the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) do not align with Trump’s Jan. 20 anti-trans executive order, @byadamrhodes.bsky.social reports.
Trump administration plans to end prison rape protections for trans and intersex people
A Department of Justice memo says certain standards under the Prison Rape Elimination Act do not align with Trump’s executive order
prismreports.org
December 5, 2025 at 3:17 PM
"Incarcerated trans Americans experience sexual violence at more than 12x the rate of other incarcerated people"
That stat comes from the DOJ itself – and still, the administration wants to tear down the few protections that exist, making prisons & jails even more dangerous for everyone.
That stat comes from the DOJ itself – and still, the administration wants to tear down the few protections that exist, making prisons & jails even more dangerous for everyone.
Reposted by Josh Page
Somali people are my neighbors, students, and friends. These attacks are despicable.
December 3, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Somali people are my neighbors, students, and friends. These attacks are despicable.
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 Josh Page
Trump just commuted the 7-year sentence of David Gentile, a private equity leader who helped defraud thousands of people out of some $1.6 billion, almost as soon as his prison stint began.
"I lost my whole life savings," one person wrote, adding, "I am living from check to check."
"I lost my whole life savings," one person wrote, adding, "I am living from check to check."
Trump Frees Fraudster Just Days Into Seven-Year Prison Sentence
www.nytimes.com
November 30, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Trump just commuted the 7-year sentence of David Gentile, a private equity leader who helped defraud thousands of people out of some $1.6 billion, almost as soon as his prison stint began.
"I lost my whole life savings," one person wrote, adding, "I am living from check to check."
"I lost my whole life savings," one person wrote, adding, "I am living from check to check."
Reposted by Josh Page
$1.6bln: The amount of his fraud scheme
7: Years of his sentence
10,000: Victims of his fraud
1,000: Letters from victims to the court
13: Days he served
1: Pardon from Trump
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/u...
7: Years of his sentence
10,000: Victims of his fraud
1,000: Letters from victims to the court
13: Days he served
1: Pardon from Trump
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/u...
Trump Frees Fraudster Just Days Into Seven-Year Prison Sentence
www.nytimes.com
November 30, 2025 at 1:54 PM
$1.6bln: The amount of his fraud scheme
7: Years of his sentence
10,000: Victims of his fraud
1,000: Letters from victims to the court
13: Days he served
1: Pardon from Trump
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/u...
7: Years of his sentence
10,000: Victims of his fraud
1,000: Letters from victims to the court
13: Days he served
1: Pardon from Trump
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/u...
The spoils of mass deportation! #LegalPlunder
NEW: ICE has torn up its $180M cap on a proposed immigrant-tracking program and is now guaranteeing private surveillance firms at least $7.5M each, with potential payouts reaching $281M per vendor. The change signals a shift from “pilot” to full-scale outsourcing of street-level investigative work.
ICE Offers Up to $280 Million to Immigrant-Tracking ‘Bounty Hunter’ Firms
Immigration and Customs Enforcement lifted a $180 million cap on a proposed immigrant-tracking program while guaranteeing multimillion-dollar payouts for private surveillance firms.
www.wired.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:18 PM
The spoils of mass deportation! #LegalPlunder
Reposted by Josh Page
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 Josh Page
The Times identified 120+ instances in which guards were described as having punched, kicked or stomped on inmates, smashed their fingers in cell doors, held their legs apart and struck their genitals with batons, and even waterboarded them — all while they were handcuffed or otherwise restrained.
Restrained, Beaten, Asphyxiated: New York Prison Guards’ Brutality Grows
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:56 PM
The Times identified 120+ instances in which guards were described as having punched, kicked or stomped on inmates, smashed their fingers in cell doors, held their legs apart and struck their genitals with batons, and even waterboarded them — all while they were handcuffed or otherwise restrained.
Reposted by Josh Page
This week Inquest covered the growing real estate trend of prison flipping, and the inner workings of extractive capitalism's merger with mass incarceration. Get the full recap: mailchi.mp/inquest.o...
November 22, 2025 at 4:00 PM
This week Inquest covered the growing real estate trend of prison flipping, and the inner workings of extractive capitalism's merger with mass incarceration. Get the full recap: mailchi.mp/inquest.o...
Reposted by Josh Page
The House has passed H.R. 5214, a bill to return DC to cash bail.
Cash bail creates two tiers of justice, one for people with money and one without. DC abolished it more than 30 years ago and crime has dropped precipitously since.
H.R. 5214 is wrong and we will continue to fight its passage.
Cash bail creates two tiers of justice, one for people with money and one without. DC abolished it more than 30 years ago and crime has dropped precipitously since.
H.R. 5214 is wrong and we will continue to fight its passage.
November 20, 2025 at 1:52 AM
The House has passed H.R. 5214, a bill to return DC to cash bail.
Cash bail creates two tiers of justice, one for people with money and one without. DC abolished it more than 30 years ago and crime has dropped precipitously since.
H.R. 5214 is wrong and we will continue to fight its passage.
Cash bail creates two tiers of justice, one for people with money and one without. DC abolished it more than 30 years ago and crime has dropped precipitously since.
H.R. 5214 is wrong and we will continue to fight its passage.
Reposted by Josh Page
The United States is experiencing historic drops in crime across almost all categories. But crime statistics don’t necessarily change how safe Americans feel — those beliefs are driven by political preferences.
Want to Know if Someone Is Worried About Crime? First Ask How They Voted.
The sitting president can be a better predictor of how safe someone feels than what the crime data shows.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 19, 2025 at 4:15 PM
The United States is experiencing historic drops in crime across almost all categories. But crime statistics don’t necessarily change how safe Americans feel — those beliefs are driven by political preferences.
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
Thanks @inquest.bsky.social for featuring an excerpt from Legal Plunder: The Predatory Dimensions of Criminal Justice.
"Since the mid-1980s, government and business interests have retrofitted criminal legal institutions so that they function as generators of revenue." @joshpage.bsky.social & @joesoss.bsky.social on what happens when you merge extractive capitalism + the carceral state
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 18, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Thanks @inquest.bsky.social for featuring an excerpt from Legal Plunder: The Predatory Dimensions of Criminal Justice.
Reposted by Josh Page
For much of this nation's history, health care for incarcerated people was provided directly by state prison or health authorities. But today, roughly two dozen states use for-profit health care contractors.
In Illinois, a Private Prison Company’s Long Trail of Deaths and High-Dollar Contracts
This year, Illinois again picked Wexford Health Services for prison health care despite longstanding claims of neglect. A judge has since extended court monitoring of prisons.
boltsmag.org
November 18, 2025 at 2:00 PM
For much of this nation's history, health care for incarcerated people was provided directly by state prison or health authorities. But today, roughly two dozen states use for-profit health care contractors.
Reposted by Josh Page
Book talk! @FinesandFeesJC on Legal Plunder – A moderated discussion with Josh Page, Joe Soss, and Joanna Weiss
Dec 3, 2025 11:00 AM CT
Register for the webinar or in-person talk at NYU Law here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Dec 3, 2025 11:00 AM CT
Register for the webinar or in-person talk at NYU Law here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: FFJC Presents: Legal Plunder – A Moderated Discussion with the Authors. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
We are excited to invite you to an informative panel discussion with Joe Soss and Joshua Page, the authors of Legal Plunder: The Predatory Dimensions of Criminal Justice, a book exploring how fines an...
us02web.zoom.us
November 17, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Book talk! @FinesandFeesJC on Legal Plunder – A moderated discussion with Josh Page, Joe Soss, and Joanna Weiss
Dec 3, 2025 11:00 AM CT
Register for the webinar or in-person talk at NYU Law here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Dec 3, 2025 11:00 AM CT
Register for the webinar or in-person talk at NYU Law here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Reposted by Josh Page
They did an excellent job with this one. I’m always impressed with how LWT communicates the wonkiest things in an engaging way (like how local station funding allocations work, and how this has hurt local rural stations far more than NPR the national org and better funded, usu larger city stations)
Here’s last night’s story about public media, who it serves, what we can do to counteract the Trump administration’s budget cuts to it, and why the answer is “sell Russell Crowe’s jock strap.” You’ll see. youtu.be/yknMJOgy2pA
Public Media: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
YouTube video by LastWeekTonight
youtu.be
November 17, 2025 at 4:04 PM
They did an excellent job with this one. I’m always impressed with how LWT communicates the wonkiest things in an engaging way (like how local station funding allocations work, and how this has hurt local rural stations far more than NPR the national org and better funded, usu larger city stations)