New book discusses the "McJustice" approach to misdemeanors

Justice isn’t always just, says a former federal public defender.

Alexandra Natapoff has written a book called Punishment Without Crime, which discusses the inequities in the U.S. misdemeanor system.

Natapoff, who’s now a professor of law at the University of California, Irvine, studied data on misdemeanors from every state in the country and interviewed those affected to compile her book.

The stories she tells Terry Gross on Fresh Air will likely come as a surprise to those who have never been affected by the system.

You can listen to the segment below or read a full transcript of their conversation on NPR’s website.