Today’s reformers join a long history of groups that have tried, and failed, to eliminate the institution.Â
books
The Unfulfilled Promise of the Public Defender
Despite a century of progress, the poor still don’t get a fair day in court.
The Benefits of Boredom
COVID-19 is going to last a long while. Here’s the psychology behind making the best of it.
Washington Monthly Announces the 2020 Kukula Award Winners
The first-of-its-kind prize honors exemplary nonfiction book reviewing in America.
Who Are America’s Best Nonfiction Book Reviewers?
Meet the 2020 Kukula Award finalists—a first-of-its-kind prize honoring public affairs book criticism.
What’s Killing the White Working Class?
The GOP continues to supply more of the policies that are destroying its base.
When Environmentalists Won Over the Supreme Court
How one improbable legal case drove the federal government to regulate greenhouse gases.
Punishing Fathers for Being Poor
A new book shows why the U.S. needs a different approach toward men who don’t pay child support.
Does the Never Trump Movement Matter?
Most conservatives eventually embraced Trump. Here’s why a few didn’t.
Introducing the Kukula Award
The first of its kind, the prize will honor excellence in nonfiction book reviewing.

