New Books in Critical Theory Ghost in the Criminal Justice Machine
Jan 29, 2026
Emile Suotonye DeWeaver, formerly incarcerated organizer and author, reflects on 21 years inside, prison organizing, and commuted sentence work. He discusses how white supremacy shapes reforms, parole and rehabilitation scripts, hidden forces that extend sentences, near-enemy reforms that repurpose inequality, and models centering incarcerated leadership and collective power.
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White Supremacy As Structural Power
- Emile Suotonye DeWeaver defines white supremacy as an ideology normalized into culture that produces enforcing structures.
- He stresses white supremacy is about power practices, not only skin color, and anyone can functionally be a white supremacist.
Confronting Transphobia Inside Prison
- Emile recounts a prison moment where a trans visitor was disparaged by another incarcerated man.
- He felt devastated because the disparager had sacrificed for Black freedom yet failed to recognize how transphobia reproduced white supremacy.
Measure Power Movement, Not Good Intentions
- DeWeaver developed a numeric zero-sum power analysis to track who gains power during reforms.
- He argues reformers must show how power is redistributed structurally, not just narratively.
