Courtroom 302: A Year Behind the Scenes in an American Criminal Courthouse
by Steve Bogira
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ProDefense book on life at the Chicago criminal courthouse. I read it before i started work and went in with sympathy for the plight of the defendants. Once I heard from the victims, my focus changed to realizing the courtroom as a whole is filled with tragedy. From the first defendant I came across with a tattoo on his arm "Loved by Few" to the 80 year old mother of the murder victim who grabbed my arm and in frail spanish yelled lucha which means fight. The author spends a year ...more
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It's a good look behind the scenes of the out of control American "justice system". It's well written and very interesting, and you'll find yourself engaged in it despite the fact that there are dozens of characters, which could only be the case figuring the hundreds of thousands who get caught up in the law every year and the thousands employed to sort it all out. It provides a lot of history as well, which makes the book all the more depressing when you notice how little has changed ...more
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Read in June, 2006
recommends it for:
Everyone
This book is an in-depth look at the Criminal Court and Jail of Cook County at 26th and California; its history; its effect on the human beings that are unlucky enough to venture inside; and how society deals with criminal justice. I learned that I never want to be a public defender/prosecutor/or defendant in an urban criminal setting. The book opened my eyes to the indivdual experiences of crooks, cops, prosecutors, defenders, judges and the people related to them who have to suffer through t...more
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Read in August, 2005
recommends it for:
Interested in the criminal justice system
This book should be required as part of 1L reading in law school. It is an honest portrait of the criminal justice system from the perspective of all parties involved, the accused, the victim, the prosecutor, the defense attorney, the judge, etc. When people ask me why I represent criminal defendants or better yet, "what is wrong with our system" I recommend this book. It is a short read but one that will make you examine your beliefs in the criminal justice system.
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Read in October, 2007
Lessons: the whole justice system is geared towards encouraging plea bargains. There has been unbelievable corruption in Chicago courts. There aren't given any slack when they commit a crime. It's hard to convince judges that prisoners are tortured by police. Drug cases flood the courts. Detectives often don't report evidence that suggests those they are investigating are innocent. The criminal legal system is a whirlwind of nastiness.
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Just an outstanding glimpse into the everyday legal cases that might fill the metro section of any major city newspaper. Bogira follows these cases from the perspective of the judge, the defendant, the DA, the families involved, and the city at large. The book never gets tiresome as there is an excellent mixture of the variety of cases and stories, and the ongoing cases that hook you in from the beginning.
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recommends it for:
people debating a life of crime
Holy sudden realizations, batman, the legal system is messed up!?!?!!
Though i guess if you have never experianced the "system", it could enlighten you as to the reasons it is messed up. It does a good job covering the basics of a criminal trial, though it ignores some very important legal steps. Or maybe they just didn't do due process that year. It is hard to tell, it is Chicago.
Though i guess if you have never experianced the "system", it could enlighten you as to the reasons it is messed up. It does a good job covering the basics of a criminal trial, though it ignores some very important legal steps. Or maybe they just didn't do due process that year. It is hard to tell, it is Chicago.
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This book taught me many of the ins and outs of the courts with gritty, real "reporting," which is really just artful storytelling with the truth. As the author points out in the beginning of the book, he set out and succeeded in documenting our justice system when it is working exactly as we designed it and still fails to administer anything close to justice.
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Read in December, 2007
Well...this is one that you should read if you want to know what life is like at 26th street. Sort of. Not for one that is looking for romance, but it is pretty close to a gritty day at 26th and California. :) Also, dont read if you are a law student on winter break - like I did - this will just make you feel like you are at school!
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Read in April, 2008
If you want to know what practicing criminal law is like and you don't have any criminal experience, this book will give you an accurate inside view. However, if you are a lawyer who knows anything about criminal law everything in the book seems obvious. Which means that I obviously should not have read it.
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recommended to rebecca by:
christie
God help me if I ever end up on trial at 26th and California! Yikes. It should have been confusing to follow the stories of so many characters, but they come together into an engaging narrative about race and class and drugs and injustice and Chicagoness. Great work of journalism.
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Read in April, 2006
recommends it for:
Attorneys, Criminal Justice Professionals
An intimate look at what goes on daily in a single courtroom in the Cook County, Illinois County Courthouse during the course of a year. This is a must read for anyone involved in the criminal justice system.
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Oh man, this book is addictive.
I learned a lot about the criminal court systems in Chicago--namely that the court tries to avoid going to trial when possible.
I learned a lot about the criminal court systems in Chicago--namely that the court tries to avoid going to trial when possible.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
Ch. Roseman
I'm just doing this so I can show Chancellor Roseman how much I enjoy Goodreads and what a great recommendation it was.
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Read in November, 2007
Great book - follows a Cook County courtroom, same judge, alot of the same lawyers, for a year
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Didn't finish this one either. It was somewhat interesting, but definitely not a page turner.
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Anyone even vaguely interested in criminal justice should read this book.
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