Whether one calls it modern day slavery or the new Jim Crow, mass incarceration represents the most recent dynamic mechanism by which the state exercises controls over black and brown bodies in the name of justice. The term encompasses more than the wild racial disparities in police brutality, the school to prison pipeline, arrest rates, pretrial detention, conditions of incarceration, sentencing, and capital punishment; it describes a system in which criminal justice has evolved to control people of color. The Harvard Journal on Racial & Ethnic Justice welcomes the submission of articles on the history, politics, economics, or theory behind race in law enforcement and the criminal justice system and the diverse ways in which it defines the lived experience of people of color.
Originally founded in 1983 as an internal publication of the Black Law Students Association, the Harvard Journal on Racial & Ethnic Justice (JREJ) (until 2009, the Harvard BlackLetter Law Journal) is an annual publication edited by students at Harvard Law School. JREJ is committed to publishing manuscripts that address social and economic issues affecting racial and ethnic minorities, as well as publishing innovative works by minority scholars and students. Through an interdisciplinary approach, we confront the law on issues of race, gender, class, and sexuality; we are pleased to have published leading articles by professors, judges, practitioners, and students.
JREJ accepts submissions on a rolling basis, and we are always accepting submissions to hjrejsubmissions@gmail.com. Typically, article submissions are submitted in a Word document, using Times New Roman font at 12pt size, with reduced font for footnotes. Footnotes should conform to the Bluebook (20th ed. 2015). While this is not a strict rule, article submissions are generally pieces ranging from 20,000 to 35,000 words. We are currently piloting a process for submitting shorter-length “vignettes,” which might include broader forms of writing e.g., essays, prose, poetry, etc. In addition to the full text, authors should submit a current CV and an optional cover letter. We look forward to hearing from you!