Unequal Justice

Unlike in the movies, the pursuit of justice has real consequences for real people. Sometimes the wrong people are arrested while criminals go free. In court trials, the innocent are sometimes wrongfully convicted or held responsible for a crime they didn't commit. Other times, people who actually are guilty of a crime are released or found not guilty. Some convicts may receive far more severe punishments than others who committed the same crime. All of these are examples of inequities in the justice system. Unequal Justice is a comprehensive look at how the legal system can go wrong. And that unfair treatment often has roots in attitudes toward poverty, education, and race. Officials sworn to enforce the law, deliver justice, and carry out rehabilitation-such as police offers, lawyers and judges, and correctional officers-are all too human. They can bring to their roles the same prejudices as any of us.