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We’ve spent a lot of time this year following the entertainment and pop culture that was of particular interest to people with lived experience—the tens of millions of formerly incarcerated and justice-impacted Americans. As the year wraps up, here are the top recommendations that captivated us in each of these categories in 2025!
“Hard Fought Hallelujah” by Brandon Lake with Jelly Roll (February 7, 2025) — Read more about Jelly Roll
“Keys to the Cell” by Consumables (March 6, 2025) — Learn more
“Growth” by Zayytee (April 5, 2025) — Learn more
“Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)” by Fiona Apple (May 7, 2025) — Learn more
Bending the Bars (September 24, 2025) — Learn more
“Trap Talk” by E.i. The King (October 31, 2025) — Learn more
The Strike (February 3, 2025; PBS app & PBS YouTube) — Read more about The Strike documentary
The Quilters (May 16, 2025; Netflix) — Read more about The Quilters short documentary
A Life Lost to Prison: Sentenced to Life Since Childhood (June 3, 2025; YouTube) — Watch the full documentary:
Time II: Unfinished Business (June 19, 2025; TimeTwoMovie.com) — Read more about the Time II: Unfinished Business documentary
Songs from the Hole (August 13, 2025; Netflix) — Read more about the Songs from the Hole documentary
The Alabama Solution (October 10, 2025; HBO Max) — Read more about The Alabama Solution documentary
Sadly, we did not see anything on television that was worth recommending this year.
What do you think? Did you see something related to criminal justice on TV in 2025 worth recommending? Let us know what you think we missed that we should go back and look at—and we might just update this list with your suggestions!
There were so many great new books this year that we had to break the list up into two different categories:
JLUSA LEADERS
From Tragedy to Triumph: A Personal Journey of Healing, Love, Purpose & Legacy by Yasmine Arrington Brooks (Leading with Conviction™ 2019) (May 1, 2025; Arrington & Brooks, LLC) — Learn more
Ghost in the Criminal Justice Machine: Reform, White Supremacy, and an Abolitionist Future by Emile DeWeaver (LwC 2022) (May 13, 2025; The New Press) — Learn more
Sordid Injustice: A Memoir of Courage, Conviction, and The Misuse of RICO by Tamara Cotman Springs (LwC 2024) (June 19, 2025; Tamara Springs Publishing) — Learn more
Unseen Unbroken: The Story of a Resilient Woman by Lana Mendis (LwC 2022) (July 26, 2025; independently published)
The Path of Rocks and Thorns: Leadership Lessons from a Prison Cell by Doug Smith (LwC 2018) (July 29, 2025; Manuscripts LLC) — Learn more
OTHER AUTHORS
Justice Abandoned: How the Supreme Court Ignored the Constitution and Enabled Mass Incarceration by Rachel Elise Barkow (March 4, 2025; Harvard University Press) — Learn more
The Prison Industry: How It Works and Who Profits by Bianca Tylek and Worth Rises (April 8, 2025; The New Press)
Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News by Alec Karakatsanis (April 15, 2025; The New Press)
Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence by Jens Ludwig (April 21, 2025; University of Chicago Press)
The Jailhouse Lawyer by Calvin Duncan and Sophie Cull (July 8, 2025; Penguin Press) – Learn more
How to Be Free: A Proven Guide to Escaping Life’s Hidden Prisons by Shaka Senghor (September 9, 2025; Authors Equity) – Learn more
The Tragedy of True Crime: Four Guilty Men and the Stories That Define Us by John J. Lennon (September 23, 2025; Celadon Books)
The Cambridge Companion to American Prison Writing and Mass Incarceration edited by David Coogan (October 2025; Cambridge University Press) — Learn more
Second Chance Hiring: An Economic and Ethical Necessity by Mitch Pearlstein (November 13, 2025; Bloomsbury Academic)
Breaking Chains, Building Futures: Pathways to Redemption, Education, and Excellence by Stanley Andrisse (September 2025; Wiley) — featuring a chapter by Oswald Newbold (LwC 2024)
What are some of your top picks and recommendations for 2025? Send us your thoughts and suggestions for what you would add to this year’s list!
Thank you so much for supporting our mission here at JLUSA! Your donation helps to support our network of leaders working to dismantle oppressive systems and uplift people and families impacted by mass incarceration across the country.
All charitable donations made to JLUSA are fully tax deductible, as allowable by the IRS.
