When Wendy Murphy was a young prosecutor, she learned that
the deck is stacked in favor of criminal defendants. Between their
arrest and (potential) conviction, murderers, rapists, and drug dealers
get more than a fair shake-they get an unfair advantage, often at the
expense of their victims. In many states, for instance, defendants can
subpoena a victim's private medical and counseling files without any
justification. They can threaten victims with brutal cross-examinations
if they dare to testify. They can put on "dog and pony show" defenses
that have nothing to do with the truth-and even lie under oath with
virtually no risk of being prosecuted for perjury. These kinds of
injustices make Murphy fighting mad. She's made it her mission to help
the victims who get the least protection from our twisted legal system.
And in her first book, she guides readers through one horror story after
another about judges and lawyers who bend over backward to let the
worst offenders go free. You'll meet judges who unapologetically declare
that they care more about their liberal ideology than about the pain
and suffering of abuse victims; judges who let child molesters walk free
because they're "too frail" to go to prison; defense attorneys who take
big money from wealthy child molesters, then twist the Bill of Rights
beyond recognition; and even a few prosecutors who go easy on criminals
for their own selfish reasons. Murphy's true stories will shock you, but
they will also inspire you to join the fight for a more rational
system. This is an important book that is sure to infuriate America's
legal establishment.