Courtroom 302: A Year Behind the Scenes in an American Criminal Courthouse

A must read for anyone remotely connected to or interested in the criminal justice system. It is at once informative and depressing. What makes it so valuable is that you get the back story of each participant (judge, DA, PD and defendent). The reality of a system that treats defendents with disdain and offers justice for a price should open a few eyes. I made it required reading this summer for my students doing internships in the court system.

I found this book to be a deeply revealing look at our criminal justice system. Most parts, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry as it became evident that there's very little justice that really goes on in our justice system. All of the hidden agendas uncovered on the part of the judges, attorneys, police officers and even courtroom clerks is very disturbing when we consider that we are at their mercy to administer laws, justice and legal representation fair and impartially. It is depressing to me that I have now become so disillusioned with the quality of our legal system and realize that it is over-wrought with flaws that are so historically embedded, that it seems unrepairable.

The author does a remarkable job of drawing you in to the mechanics of a court in the 'real world'. It is true that the writer has a liberal viewpoint but this does not dampen the impact of the direct quotes he uses. The writing is thoroughly engaging and the 'story' kept me interested. Being from Chicago I understood the racism and corruption inherent in the system so I may have read it with more ease than others. It is an unflinching look at a system that tries to work and would be valuable reading for anyone interested in the field of criminal law.

Thanks to Court T.V. and T.V. dramas, most Americans think of courtrooms as spacious, well-lit venues where prosecutors and defense attorneys vie for the attention of a thoughtful, attentive jury. But most lawyers aren't Johnnie Cochrans, many jurors are eager to get back to their regular lives, and the vast majority of cases never even go to trial. "Courtroom 302" looks beyond the made-for-T.V. ideal at one of the dingy, cramped, hectic rooms where justice is often imperfectly meted out. In writing this book, Steve Bogira spent the bulk of 1998 covering this courtroom and its dramatis personae: a firm-but-fair judge, two somewhat jaded deputies, a large ensemble cast of overworked public defenders and diligent prosecutors, and a rotating cast of defendants and jurors. He does an admirable job of reporting on them, of getting them to let their guard down and discuss their thoughts, feelings and motivations honestly and openly. The result is a well-rounded and compelling book that shows the true face of American justice at the turn of the Millennium. Bogira emphasizes the sheer volume of crime and punishment in the court he covers. Cook County boasts the nation's largest integrated court system, and the number of defendants who pass through the system is staggering: 78,000 defendants per year. (On average, every courtroom handles three per day!) And throughout the book's descriptions of dramatic and memorable trials--a prison shanking, a cabbie shot by someone who might have been a jilted lover, a coke deal gone bad, a vicious race beating--the steady drip-drip-drip of plea bargains and bench trials reminds readers that the courtroom can be as dry and routine as any other workplace. There are flaws with the book. Like many journalists, Bogira buys many of the standard arguments about the costliness of the war on drugs, and he also perhaps overemphasizes the importance of race and poverty (and underemphasizes the role of alcoholism and drug abuse) in contributing to crime. Also, he spends an inordinate amount of time on a high-profile but atypical race beating, while giving more run-of-the-mill cases relatively short shrift. But his excellent reporting more than makes up for his willingness to buy in to the mantras of his profession. The sheer scale of corruption that has gone on in Cook County cortrooms and police interrogation rooms will boggle the mind of many a reader, as will the less-than-ideal processes by which Cook County selects criminal judges; Bogira lays it all out dispassionately and makes a convincing case for much-needed reforms. By reporting meticulously and honestly, by interviewing as many people as possible for as long as possible, and by paying attention to the details, he's put together a great and definitive book. And that ends up being a colossal irony--in the end, "Courtroom 302"'s version of the truth feels fuller and more complete than that arrived at in many of the trials in Courtroom 302.

This is a must read for anyone interested in how the American system of criminal justice really works (or, more precisely, doesn't work much at all). The author focuses on a particular courtroom in the Cook County Criminal Court building in Chicago, but the insights gained and lessons learned from this close look are applicable to any courtroom in America. Bogira is insightful into the real workings of the system, and he tries to be fair to all participants. And though he refrains from preaching, the truth cannot be hidden: Our criminal justice system is a bureaucratic machine that grinds the poor (and the colored) into its wheels and churns out prisoners and wasted lives, with little or no sense or reason. And all this despite the best efforts of honest and decent men and women. Even better -- Bogira's a wonderful writer and a great story teller. The writing is fluid and always insightful. The numerous characters -- the Judge, the assorted prosecutors and defense lawyers, and, of course, the defendants -- are brought to life by his writing. Despite its bulk, the book reads like any well-written story should: Quickly, and hard to put down. I recommend it highly.