Ben Austen

media release: University of Wisconsin Law School welcomes journalist Ben Austen for a discussion of his new book, "Correction: Parole, Prison, and the Possibility of Change." The book examines the parole process through the stories of two Illinois men convicted of homicide as teenagers in the 1970s. Austen will be in conversation with John Tate ll, former chairperson of the Wisconsin Parole Commission; Dant’e Cottingham, interim associate director of Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing; Emma Shakeshaft, staff attorney at ACLU of Wisconsin; and Kate Finley, clinical associate professor at UW Law School, about parole and the possibility of second chances.

Austen is a journalist from Chicago. His book, "Correction: Parole, Prison, and the Possibility of Change," was named one of the best books of 2023 by The Washington Post. His previous book, "High-Risers: Cabrini-Green and the Fate of American Public Housing," was longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Excellence in Nonfiction and named one of the best books of 2018 by Booklist, Mother Jones and the public libraries of Chicago and St. Louis.

A former editor at Harper's Magazine, Austen is the co-host of the podcast "Some of My Best Friends Are." His feature writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, GQ, Wired and many other publications.