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

So let me first disclose that although I don't know Bogira himself, I did go to high school with his eldest child, Natalie. That has no bearing on my review. This book, after re-read, still gets 5 stars from me. I first read Courtroom 302 when it was first published since I was just in my 1st year of......more

A re-read. This book presents a picture of the plight of those accused of crimes in Chicago, the political nature of law, lawyers and judges. What is worse is that the observations were probably dressed up and toned down. When this book was released in 2005, it sparked outrage and promises of reform......more

This is a fascinating book about the workings of the criminal justice system in Chicago. The author spent a year in a felony courtroom, not only observing its public business but interviewing the judge, the prosecutors, the public defenders and private attorneys, the defendants, the families of the......more

It's a good look behind the scenes of the out of control American "justice system". It's well written and very interesting, and you'll find yourself engaged in it despite the fact that there are dozens of characters, which could only be the case figuring the hundreds of thousands who get caught up i......more

Courtroom 302 describes a world most of us will never see, nor would we wish to. "No man can examine the great penal system of this country without being astounded at its magnitude, its cost and its unsatisfactory results," said John Altgeld, Cook County judge and later governor of Illinois in 1890.......more