The mission of Perspectives is to provide a platform for diverse criminal legal scholarship, motivated by the stark reality that such scholarship has typically been overlooked by traditional law reviews. This platform will seek to publish at least one article per semester that fills this gap. In seeking to publish diverse perspectives on American criminal law, we interpret the word “diversity” broadly. Thus, we will seek to publish perspectives by diverse authors whose identities and lived experiences provide meaningful insight into the real implications of American criminal law. Further, we will seek to publish diverse perspectives exploring professional points of view that have traditionally been underrepresented in criminal law scholarship such as those from public defenders, criminal defense attorneys, people who are incarcerated, and professionals involved in the carceral system. Additionally, we welcome pieces that utilize nontraditional publishing formats, including narratives or interviews with people  involved in or impacted by the criminal legal system. These lists are not exhaustive; they are meant solely to provide examples since no definition of “diversity” could comprehensively include all that we wish to cover in this publication. In short, Perspectives is a platform meant to amplify nontraditional viewpoints in American criminal law.

Volume 60

A Public Defense Perspective: An Interview with Heather Pinckney, Director of Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia

Aasha Rajani

Indifferent To Our Wellbeing: How Legal Standards Controlling Mental Illness Discrimination Lawsuits Prevent Accountability And Progress

Anna Gyori