A fascinating insiders look at the motivations, costs and consequences of deliberately violating the law as a strategy of social change

From animal rights to anti-abortion, from tax resistance to anti-poverty, activists from across the political spectrum often deliberately break the law to further their causes. While not behaviors common to hardened or self-seeking criminals, the staging of civil disobedience, non-violent resistance, and direct action can nevertheless trigger a harsh response from law enforcement, with those arrested risking jail time and criminal records. Crimes of Dissent features the voices of these activists, presenting a fascinating insider’s look at the motivations, costs and consequences of deliberately violating the law as a strategy of social change.
Crimes of Dissent provides readers with an in-depth understanding of why activists break the law, and what happens to them when they do. Using dynamic examples, both historic and recent, Jarret Lovell explores how seasoned protesters are handled and treated by the criminal justice system, shedding light on the intersection between the political and the criminal. By adopting the unique vantage of the street-level activist, Crimes of Dissent provides a fascinating view of protest from the ground, giving voice to those who refuse to remain silent by risking punishment for their political actions.

"This book gives an account of people who 'deliberately and publicly violate the law as expressions of protest against perceived racial, economic, or social injustice' (p. viii). The accounts are generated primarily through interviews with 21 activists who have transgressed the law. They are used to illuminate both the personal and social consequences of dissent and provide a particular insight into the workings of the United States police and justice systems." - Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology

"is a highly engaging examination of contemporary forms and meanings of political activism in the United States. Written from the perspective of the scholar activist, the book is one part promotion of law violating forms of political action - & crimes of dissent - and one part handbook on civil disobedience." - Socialist Studies: the Journal of the Society for Socialist Studies

"As a window into the contemporary American subculture of dissent, Crimes of Dissent is a fascinating read. The current American microcosm of dissentwhich is at turns strange and familiar, idealistic and pragmatic, ludicrous and lucidis revealed in full glory." - Law and Politics Book Review