There is arguably no greater civil rights crisis facing America today than criminal justice. There are 2.2 million people incarcerated in America, mostly for non-violent crimes. Once released, many are ineligible to return to their homes and jobs, to obtain educational loans, and to vote. They are almost exclusively poor and disproportionately of color. As a society, we simply monitor, prosecute, and punish marginalized populations far more aggressively than their more privileged counterparts. The greatest threat to equal justice—and the greatest opportunity for helping even the playing field—is the justice system’s failure to ensure poor people have lawyers who can protect their rights.