Amy BachRezensionen

This is how a book about a problem in our legal system should be written. With fascinating vignettes. Amy Bach makes it clear that although many of the problems' causers are very wrong, they are often almost ignorant of the harm they are doing. I'm sure this is small comfort to the wrongly convicted innocent.

The theme running through this book is that, however ideal the system is designed, its actual practice can leave much to be desired. The sources of that shortfall come from a variety of sources: individuals appropriating unto themselves prerogatives meant to reside elsewhere; well-meaning functionaries overwhelmed by underfunded offices; and even a few less savory explanations, such as the view that collegiality or membership within the "tribe" outweighs the fate of the defendant or the integrity of the justice system itself. All her arguments are documented through examples she collected herself over a period of many years. Most of her instances support her worries -- Chapter 3 seems a bit overstated, given the examples she provides. But in sum, a worthwhile study that brings to our attention how the American legal system really works, not how politicians and others paying little attention say it ought to work.

page 241 "...if there is one strain running through all the wrongful convictions, it is that jurors don't take seriously the presumption of innocence when it comes to heinous crimes. Letting someone off who may rape and kill again is intolerable and unrealistic, so jurors give the burden of proof a pass. " We may have undertaken an absurd model...."½

A young law professor investigates 4 common injustices that routinely occur within county-level courts: dropped cases, overzealous prosecution, under-zealous defense, and judges who choose not to follow the letter of the law. Each injustice is accompanied by examples from courts that the author had visited. These visits put human faces on the difficulties encountered by those looking for justice within our court system. (AG, 12/16/09)