21: Carissa Byrne Hessick

21: Carissa Byrne Hessick

Author: Jennifer Taub & Politicon LLC April 16, 2023 Duration: 1:12:37
Jen speaks with Professor Carissa Byrne Hessick about her remarkable book, Punishment without Trial: Why Plea Bargaining is a Bad Deal. Her book goes beyond just showing why plea bargaining is a bad deal. She also shines a light on several other types of punishments without trial. These are pre-trial detention, civil forfeiture, and assorted fees from pre-trial, booking and diversion programs. 

Punishment without Trial shares the stories of heroes trying to address the inequities in the system and what they are up against, namely others trying to keep things the same or make them less just. We learn about how the search for truth and meaningful consequences is no longer the focus of the criminal justice system. Pressuring accused people into plea bargains is about valuing efficiency over due process.

Carissa teaches at the UNC School of Law and has a VERY fancy title –– the Anne Shea Ransdell and William Garland “Buck” Ransdell, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law. She is also director of the Prosecutors and Politics Project. 



Contact Booked Up:

You can email Jen & the Booked Up team at: BOOKEDUP@POLITICON.COM or by writing to: 

BOOKED UP 
P.O. BOX 147
NORTHAMPTON, MA 01061


Get More from Carissa Byrne-Hessick
Twitter | Website | Author of PUNISHMENT WITHOUT TRIAL


Get More from Jen Taub:
Twitter | Website | Author of BIG DIRTY MONEY 



For anyone who’s ever finished a great book and immediately wanted to dissect it with a smart friend, Booked Up with Jen Taub is that conversation. Hosted by author and legal commentator Jennifer Taub, this podcast digs into the ideas, arguments, and narratives shaping our world, all through the lens of what we’re reading. It’s less a formal book review and more a lively, critical exploration. Episodes weave together themes from politics, culture, and current events, treating books as vital source material for understanding the bigger picture. You’ll hear Taub’s insightful commentary and analysis, often drawing connections between an author’s work and the real-world issues it illuminates. The discussion feels urgent and relevant, whether tackling a new release or a classic with renewed significance. Listening to this podcast is like joining a book club where the conversation is always sharp, informed, and unafraid to challenge conventional wisdom. It’s for readers, thinkers, and anyone curious about the power of stories to explain our complicated present.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 59

Booked Up with Jen Taub
Podcast Episodes
49: ENOUGH by Cassidy Hutchinson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:51
Today for the October book club, Jen Taub’s friends, authors Jennifer Rubin and Brian Karem discuss Cassidy Hutchinson’s new best-selling memoir, ENOUGH. Is Cassidy Hutchinson a heroic champion of the truth or just anoth…
48: TRAE CROWDER & COREY RYAN FORRESTER on Round Here And Over Yonder [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:48
The hilarious self-named “progressive hillbilly” comedians Trae Crowder and Corey Ryan Forrester are Jen’s guests today. They co-authored the super-funny book Round Here and Over Yonder. I’m just going to steal their bio…
47:  ZEKE FAUX on NUMBER GO UP [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:14
Zeke Faux, author of the new bestseller, Number Go Up: Inside Crypto's Wild Rise and Staggering Fall is Jen’s guest today. Of all the books, and scholarly articles, and news stories, and blog posts, and legal complaints…
46: MICHAEL LEWIS on Going Infinite [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:19
Author Michael Lewis joins Jen Taub today to talk about Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon, his new book that focuses on Sam Bankman-Fried, the crypto-wunderkind who is now on trial on federal criminal cha…
45: WOMEN IN INTELLIGENCE with Helen Fry [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:42
We are extraordinarily grateful that historian and biographer Dr. Helen Fry made time for us right as her latest book Women in Intelligence: The Hidden History of Two World Wars was released in the UK and is poised to la…
44: TUCKER with Rick Wilson and Martin Pengelly [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:10
Believe or not, this month’s Booked Up Book Club is TUCKER, the book, the man, the walking grievance machine. It’s true, Jen read Chadwick Moore’s authorized biography of Tucker Carlson. And joining her are Rick Wilson a…
43: ALI VELSHI: Banned Book Club [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:25
Ali Velshi is Jen’s guest today. You know him as an anchor and business correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC. His show Velshi appears every Saturday and Sunday from 10 - noon. Ali is also the host of the podcast Velshi B…
42: Hadley Vlahos, THE IN-BETWEEN [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:31
Hadley Vlahos is the author of the bestelling new book The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life’s Final Moments. She is a hospice registered nurse, mother, and wife. Hadley’s husband Chris also works in the m…
41:  LAWYER, JAILER, ALLY, FOE with Eric Muller [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:41
In this haunting new book, LAWYER, JAILER, ALLY, FOE, Eric L. Muller brings into vivid color a world that is largely forgotten paper records. It’s no wonder that his book caught the attention of novelist John Grisham who…
40: Trump Booked Up Club with Jill Wine-Banks and Morgan Cloud [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:21
Donald Trump is the subject of our book club today. Trump is not known to be a big reader or even an author – his most popular book Art of the Deal, was ghost written by Tony Schwarz, as you probably know. Nevertheless,…