 | Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com | What happens when public prosecutors, the most powerful officials in the criminal justice system, seek convictions instead of justice? Why are cases involving well-to-do victims often prosecuted more vigorously than those involving poor victims? Why do wealthy defendants frequently enjoy more lenient plea bargains than the disadvantaged? In this eye-opening work, Angela J. Davis shines a much-needed light on the power of American prosecutors, revealing how the day-to-day practice of even the most well-intentioned prosecutors can result in unequal treatment of defendants and victims. Ranging from mandatory minimum sentencing laws that enhance prosecutorial control over the outcome of cases, to the increasing politicization of the office, Davis uses powerful stories of individuals caught in the system to demonstrate how the perfectly legal exercise of prosecutorial discretion can result in gross inequities in criminal justice. For the paperback edition, Davis provides a new Afterword which covers such recent incidents of prosecutorial abuse as the Jena Six case, the Duke lacrosse case, the Department of Justice firings, and more. |
Average Customer Rating:   Whining prosecutors Haha. Wow, look at those other reviews that attatcked the book. They were both by prosecutors. Geez. Just because The book is about prosecutor misconduct(something that obviously does happen from time to time)that doesn't mean that you have to be a child and take the whole book as a personal attatck against you because you happen to be in the same profession. I don't care if you've never seen such cases in the criminal justice system, abuse of power by prosecutors does happen, I'm not saying all the frikin time, but yes just like every other field in life, there are a few bad apples. Don't be a baby. prosecution and defense I have never seen a case in the criminal justice system where I thought the prosecutor was abusing his discretion.
There are a number of safety switches. In the federal system the Attorney General is appointed with the advice and the consent of the Senate. IN the Virginia system each Commonwealth's Attorney is elected by the people.
Considering the large volume of cases handled, the criminal justice system in Virginia, including the federal system, seems to work remarkably well.
The author of the book only defended. She did not prosecute.
The book's author appeared to be biased in favor of the defendant. As such, the book's argument did not appear to be valid.
Respectfully submitted,
Edward R. Baird, Jr.
edwardbaird@me.com Excellent book Dr. Davis has done more than most in demonstrating the problematic nature of our political system. Here she does it again and reminds us why prison/criminal justice reform is an issues whose time has come. An Op-Ed Piece Masquerading as Scholarship Professor Davis should be lauded for her ability to advocate. And were this book offered as a piece of advocacy, I would have offered it high praise.
In the interest of disclosure, I am a member of the prosecution that this book so delights in attacking. Despite this, however, I have no problem reading well reasoned attacks. What makes this book dead wrong is that it masquerades as scholarship, when it's little more than the disgruntled musings of someone who clearly grew used to frequent losses (Professor Davis is a former defense attorney).
It's a shame, as the topic is ready for study - but this book does nothing to offer it. The "evidence" for her position is little more than anecdotes. She uses data, but fails to provide the context for it. For instance, she cites a specific number to illustrate the problem of prosecutorial misconduct, but then neglects to put that number in context.
Her citation format is sloppy and often incorrect. Her suggestions for reform are laughably simplistic. Shame on Oxford University Press for publishing this biased drivel. It's worth 2 stars only as a piece that so incensed me it warranted this review.
If you're looking for unsupported arguments for how corrupt America's prosecutors are, you'll love this book. This no doubt explains academia's enthusiastic embrace of the book. C-Span did a program recently based on the book, with such unbiased academic luminaries as Barry Scheck and his ilk falling all over themselves to praise her brilliance. But if you are hoping for thoughtful, open, useful scholarship, don't bother with this pablum.
As a prosecutor, I'm used to defense attorneys falling all over themselves to attack us. But it's intellectually dishonest to drape this trash in the mantle of scholarship, when it ultimately amounts to little more than 200 pages of sour grapes. |  |
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