Last night, PBS NewsHour ran a segment on a topic I’ve dedicated much of this blog to:  the growing use of rap lyrics in criminal trials.  I was fortunate enough to be interviewed for the piece, and I’m especially happy to have been involved because of how well it turned out.  I knew this story needed to be told visually to come alive, but also by a network that takes journalism seriously.  I think the producers at PBS (shout out to William Brangham and Saskia DeMelker) nailed it.

It’s about 10 minutes long, and although there’s always more to say, I think this provides an excellent overview of the issue and a balanced look at differing perspectives.  A big thanks to PBS for helping to keep this topic in the spotlight.

In May, I collaborated with Clay Calvert and Charis Kubrin on an op-ed for Forbes, urging the Supreme Court to hear the case of Anthony Elonis, a man who was sent to prison for posting to Facebook menacing rap lyrics directed at his wife and an FBI agent.  The Court agrees to hear arguments in only a tiny fraction of the cases submitted for consideration, so we were both surprised and excited when it agreed to hear Elonis v. U.S.

The case will focus on true threats jurisprudence–what criteria are required for speech to be considered a genuine threat–but Charis Kubrin and I just wrote an op-ed for CNN in which we argue that the Court should also use this case as an opportunity to address the growing, and disturbing, prosecution of rap lyrics.  As we ask in the op-ed, if throwing people in jail for their art isn’t a true threat, what is?

When author and professor Andrew Cotto approached me about doing this interview for Salon related to my work on rap lyrics in criminal trials, I was both flattered and grateful for the continued attention to this issue.   I am pleased with how it came out and hope it continues to put the spotlight on this disturbing use of art to put people in prison.

I’d also like to acknowledge the central role of Charis Kubrin in this research–we’ve been working together for almost a year now to make this part of a national conversation.