We strongly believe that all prosecutions are political, and indeed that the criminal legal system and prison-industrial complex themselves are inherently repressive systems rather than being societal mechanisms for ensuring justice. In tangible terms, this is seen in the disproportionate rates of arrests, prosecutions, convictions, and incarceration of oppressed communities, particularly poor, Black, Brown, Indigenous, queer, transgender, and undocumented ones. Laws are written by those in power and are meant to protect their interests and values. For example, over half of the 2.3 million people incarcerated pretrial or postconviction in the United States are held for nonviolent offenses, whereas systemic violence such as evictions and gentrification, racially biased housing and education, stop-and-frisk policing, etc. are supported by myriad governmental institutions and economic policies. When people seek to challenge these oppressive systems, we can understand the criminal charges against them as “political” or “politically motivated.” However, we do not mean that these charges are “less criminal” than other charges, that charges against activists are “more political” than charges against other people, or that activists deserve better representation than other defendants. If you have been criminally charged and are wondering if our collective can be a resource for you, feel free to contact us at Titledscales(A)riseup(dot)net.