"This book is not simply timely. It is timeless. It chronicles the expansion of prosecutorial powers and, better yet, offers a compelling set of reforms that all can agree will help to curb unnecessary abuses of power. Public officials, law enforcement, and everyday citizens will all find this book informative and accessible. It is a must read, and a phenomenal read."--Charles J. Ogletree Jr., Jesse Climenko Professor, Harvard Law School

"Finally, a book by a scholar that not only describes what's really going on in the trenches--a dangerous shift in power from judges to prosecutors in sentencing and charging decisions--but provides a sensible agenda of reforms that will protect victims and defendants alike. This is a very important work."--Barry Scheck, Professor, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and Co-Director, Innocence Project

"In Arbitrary Justice, Professor Davis reveals how the primary mechanism of accountability in our democracy--elections--has failed to hold prosecutors accountable to the people they serve. She offers practical progressive ideas for reform that will improve our democracy and help to eliminate the unacceptable class and race disparities in our criminal justice system."--Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)

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"Angela Davis sheds searing light on the long-veiled power wielded by American prosecutors and shows that a fair criminal justice system is an illusion unless we demand transparency and equality from this oft-overlooked arena."--David Cole, author of No Equal Justice

"With this book, Professor Davis throws down a gauntlet to prosecutors; some district attorneys will roar in opposition to her proposals while others, deeply concerned with equal justice, will take to heart her trenchant observations on racial issues in the prosecutor's office and will carefully consider her proposals for needed reforms."--E. Michael McCann, former Milwaukee County District Attorney

Inscribed on the walls of the United States Department of Justice are the lofty words: "The United States wins its point whenever justice is done its citizens in the courts." Yet what happens when prosecutors, the most powerful officials in the criminal justice system, seek convictions instead of justice? Why are cases involving educated, well-to-do victims often prosecuted more vigorously than those involving poor, uneducated victims? Why do wealthy defendants frequently enjoy more lenient plea bargains than the disadvantaged? In this timely work, Angela J. Davis examines the expanding power of prosecutors, from mandatory minimum sentencing laws that enhance prosecutorial control over the outcome of cases to the increasing politicization of the office. Drawing on her dozen years of experience as a public defender, Davis demonstrates how the everyday, legal exercise of prosecutorial discretion is responsible for tremendous inequities in criminal justice. Davis uses powerful stories of individuals caught in the system to illustrate how the day-to-day practices and decisions of well-meaning prosecutors produce unfair and unequal treatment of both defendants and victims, often along race and class lines. These disparities are particularly evident in prosecutors' charging and plea-bargaining decisions and in their muddy relationships with victims. Prosecutors not only hold vast power, Davis argues, but they are also under-regulated and lack accountability. The current standards of practice for prosecutors are unenforceable, while the mechanisms that purport to hold prosecutors accountable are weak and ineffectual. Not only does lack of oversight result in injustices, it may even foster a climate tolerant of unfair practices and in some cases, misconduct. Offering a sensible agenda for comprehensive review and reform, Arbitrary Justice challenges the legal community and concerned citizens to pursue and enact meaningful standards of conduct and effective methods of accountability to help prosecutors serve their communities and the interests of justice.
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1. Prosecutorial Discretion: Power and Privilege 2. The Power to Charge 3. Let's Make a Deal: The Power of the Plea Bargain 4. Prosecutor and the Victims of Crime 5. Prosecutor and the Dealth Penalty 6. Federal Prosecutors and the power of the Attorney General 7. Prosecutorial Misconduct: the Abuse of Power and Discretion 8. Prosecutorial Ethnics 9. Prosecutorial Responsibility 10. Prospects for Reform Afterword Notes
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"This book is not simply timely. It is timeless. It chronicles the expansion of prosecutorial powers and, better yet, offers a compelling set of reforms that all can agree will help to curb unnecessary abuses of power. Public officials, law enforcement, and everyday citizens will all find this book informative and accessible. It is a must read, and a phenomenal read."--Charles J. Ogletree Jr., Jesse Climenko Professor, Harvard Law School "Finally, a book by a scholar that not only describes what's really going on in the trenches--a dangerous shift in power from judges to prosecutors in sentencing and charging decisions--but provides a sensible agenda of reforms that will protect victims and defendants alike. This is a very important work."--Barry Scheck, Professor, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and Co-Director, Innocence Project "In Arbitrary Justice, Professor Davis reveals how the primary mechanism of accountability in our democracy--elections--has failed to hold prosecutors accountable to the people they serve. She offers practical progressive ideas for reform that will improve our democracy and help to eliminate the unacceptable class and race disparities in our criminal justice system."--Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) "Angela Davis sheds searing light on the long-veiled power wielded by American prosecutors and shows that a fair criminal justice system is an illusion unless we demand transparency and equality from this oft-overlooked arena."--David Cole, author of No Equal Justice "With this book, Professor Davis throws down a gauntlet to prosecutors; some district attorneys will roar in opposition to her proposals while others, deeply concerned with equal justice, will take to heart her trenchant observations on racial issues in the prosecutor's office and will carefully consider her proposals for needed reforms."--E. Michael McCann, former Milwaukee County District Attorney "Using powerful examples, Angela Davis discusses the often misunderstood scope of prosecutorial discretion, and her book should make an excellent supplemental text in a judicial and court related course."--The Law and Politics Book Review
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Selling point: New afterword covers the Duke Lacrosse case, the Jena Six cases, the Genarlow Wilson case, and Alberto Gonzales U. S. attorney scandal Selling point: Hardcover Performance: Winner of the 2007 PSP Award for Excellence, Law & Legal Studies from the Association of American Publishers Selling point: Author Platform: Davis served for twelve years as a public defender in Washington, D.C. before becoming a law professor. She has appeared on various TV and radio programs, penned op-eds for the Washington Post, and is often invited to speak to national legal organizations on prosecutors and minorities in the criminal justice system " Author Platform: Davis served for twelve years as a public defender in Washington, D.C. before becoming a law professor. She has appeared on various TV and radio programs, penned op-eds for the Washington Post, and is often invited to speak to national legal organizations on prosecutors and minorities in the criminal justice system
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Angela J. Davis is Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law. Prior to becoming a law professor, she was a public defender at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia for twelve years. She has appeared on various TV and radio programs, written op-eds for the Washington Post, and is often invited to speak to national legal organizations.
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Selling point: New afterword covers the Duke Lacrosse case, the Jena Six cases, the Genarlow Wilson case, and Alberto Gonzales U. S. attorney scandal Selling point: Hardcover Performance: Winner of the 2007 PSP Award for Excellence, Law & Legal Studies from the Association of American Publishers Selling point: Author Platform: Davis served for twelve years as a public defender in Washington, D.C. before becoming a law professor. She has appeared on various TV and radio programs, penned op-eds for the Washington Post, and is often invited to speak to national legal organizations on prosecutors and minorities in the criminal justice system " Author Platform: Davis served for twelve years as a public defender in Washington, D.C. before becoming a law professor. She has appeared on various TV and radio programs, penned op-eds for the Washington Post, and is often invited to speak to national legal organizations on prosecutors and minorities in the criminal justice system
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780195177367
Publisert
2007
Utgiver
Oxford University Press Inc
Vekt
508 gr
Høyde
237 mm
Bredde
165 mm
Dybde
24 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
264

Forfatter

Biografisk notat

Angela J. Davis is a Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law where she teaches criminal law and criminal procedure. Prior to her career as a law professor, Davis was a public defender at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia before becoming the agency's Director.