Purchase
Unfair, June 2015
Hardcover / e-Book
The New Science of Criminal Injustice
Crown
June 2015
On Sale: June 16, 2015
402 pages ISBN: 0770437761 EAN: 9780770437763 Kindle: B00NRQW7LY Hardcover / e-Book
Add to Wish List
Non-Fiction
"A law professor sounds an explosive alarm on the hidden
unfairness of our legal system." —Kirkus Reviews,
starred A child is gunned down by a police officer; an investigator
ignores critical clues in a case; an innocent man confesses
to a crime he did not commit; a jury acquits a killer. The
evidence is all around us: Our system of justice is
fundamentally broken. But it’s not for the reasons we tend to think, as law
professor Adam Benforado argues in this eye-opening,
galvanizing book. Even if the system operated exactly as it
was designed to, we would still end up with wrongful
convictions, trampled rights, and unequal treatment. This is
because the roots of injustice lie not inside the dark
hearts of racist police officers or dishonest prosecutors,
but within the minds of each and every one of us. This is difficult to accept. Our nation is founded on the
idea that the law is impartial, that legal cases are won or
lost on the basis of evidence, careful reasoning and nuanced
argument. But they may, in fact, turn on the camera angle of
a defendant’s taped confession, the number of photos in a
mug shot book, or a simple word choice during a
cross-examination. In Unfair, Benforado shines a
light on this troubling new field of research, showing, for
example, that people with certain facial features receive
longer sentences and that judges are far more likely to
grant parole first thing in the morning. Over the last two decades, psychologists and neuroscientists
have uncovered many cognitive forces that operate beyond our
conscious awareness. Until we address these hidden biases
head-on, Benforado argues, the social inequality we see now
will only widen, as powerful players and institutions find
ways to exploit the weaknesses of our legal system. Weaving together historical examples, scientific studies,
and compelling court cases—from the border collie put on
trial in Kentucky to the five teenagers who falsely
confessed in the Central Park Jogger case—Benforado shows
how our judicial processes fail to uphold our values and
protect society’s weakest members. With clarity and passion,
he lays out the scope of the legal system’s dysfunction and
proposes a wealth of practical reforms that could prevent
injustice and help us achieve true fairness and equality
before the law.
Comments
No comments posted.
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
|