FREE! Emily Galvin Almanza in Conversation with Andrew Jarecki: The Price of Mercy

What is justice — and who gets to decide?

In The Price of Mercy: Unfair Trials, a Violent System, and a Public Defender’s Search for Justice in America, attorney and former public defender Emily Galvin Almanza pulls back the curtain on the realities of America’s criminal court system. With sharp insight, compelling stories, and rigorous data, Galvin Almanza reveals how institutions that claim to protect us too often inflict harm — especially on the poor, the marginalized, and people of color. How do entrenched practices in policing, prosecution, and sentencing perpetuate cycles of poverty, illness, and incarceration, even as the system tells itself a comforting myth about fairness and neutrality?

In conversation with Emmy-Award winning director, Andrew Jarecki, Galvin Almanza will explore the forces shaping American justice today: from dubious forensic science and prosecutorial incentives to the everyday pressures bearing down on judges, defenders, and those caught in the legal apparatus. Together they’ll examine not only where the system fails, but also the innovative solutions and mobilizing ideas that offer a path toward real reform — rooted in mercy, public engagement, and a reimagined commitment to equity.