And Justice for Some: An Expose of the Lawyers and Judges Who Let Dangerous Criminals Go Free

In this clarion call for the victims' rights movement, lawyer and media commentator Murphy argues that our society's efforts to ensure that no innocent man is convicted are allowing legions of criminals to go free. The victim's rights movement seeks to enact laws that give victims greater access to justice; though victims may file suits against criminals in subsequent civil trials (as did Ron Goldman's family in their wrongful death suit against O.J. Simpson), criminal trials reduce victims' role to State witness. As such, victims frequently find themselves on trial in the court of public opinion (as was Kobe Bryant's accuser), paradoxically forced to defend themselves against the accusations of the accused. Though an excellently and righteously argued point, some of Murphy's solutions seem counteractive at best, such as a plan for victims' attorneys to go up against defense lawyers, a likely way to ramp up the circus-like atmosphere of high-profile trials, which Murphy is also against. Still, she offers some excellent premises by which the balance of justice can be restored to victims, often proving a logical and lucid advocate for her cause, despite a tone that never rises above the level of your average daytime talk show.