"Dominique gives a thorough, honest look at the history of mass incarceration, blending advocacy and theology and driving us to respond as a community of faith. This is a must-read from a leader whose passion inspires hope."

—Leroy Barber, Voices Project, board chair of Missio Alliance, author of Embrace

"In this stunning book that moves your heart, mind, and soul, Dominique Gilliard dissects mass incarceration and the narrative that helped create it. He shows with precision that slavery did not end, it just evolved. If you've ever doubted that sin is not just personal but also systemic, read this book.Dominique helps light the way forward away from the punitive justice that is crushing two million people today and toward the restorative justice at the heart of the Christian faith, the stuff the gospel is made of—where there is healing for both the victims and the victimizers, the captives are set free, the yokes of oppression are crushed, and grace gets the last word."

—Shane Claiborne, author and activist

"In a time of great anxiety, knowledge and wisdom are desperately needed. InRethinking Incarceration,Dominique Gilliard provides well-researched content as well as insightful stories that provide the essential foundation for a long overdue dialogue on mass incarceration. The church needs this primer on the history of incarceration in the United States and needs to hear the cogent theological analysis and response that is offered. This text should now be required reading for any thinking and feeling American Christian who wants to engage the topic of mass incarceration in a meaningful way."

—Soong-Chan Rah, author of The Next Evangelicalism and Prophetic Lament

"From slavery and Jim Crow to mass incarceration, the confinement and control of black bodies in the United States has always been the heartbeat of the Republic's strategy to maintain white dominion. Twisted theologies grew like hedges of support and wicked webs of justification for crimes against the humanity of African peoples. White supremacy's most long-standing strategy has largely stayed intact because we have not cut down its supports at the root. Dominique Gilliard's Rethinking Incarceration chops at the roots of mass incarceration by challenging the theological premises upon which it rests. Gilliard's exacting historical lens, combined with masterful biblical work, unravels and uproots the hedges of support for mass incarceration while painting a new theological vision of reform and redemption in the United States. This is a must-read."

—Lisa Sharon Harper, founder and president, FreedomRoad.us

"This book is quick, informative, and deeply transformational. Our understanding of the human condition, notions of punishment and reform, and the nature of God are all at stake in Dominique Gilliard’s theological and passionately argued work. Gilliard expertly traces our complicated relationship with prisons and mass incarceration through poignant historical analysis and compelling biblical argumentation.Rethinking Incarceration has the rare power to change the church in America."

—Ken Wytsma, author of The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege