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Title details for Unfair by Adam Benforado - Available

Unfair

The New Science of Criminal Injustice

by Adam Benforado
Joe Barrett
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Our nation is founded on the notion that the law is impartial, that legal cases are won or lost on the basis of evidence, careful reasoning, and nuanced argument. But they may, in fact, turn on the camera angle of a defendant's taped confession, the number of photos in a mug shot book, or a simple word choice during a cross-examination. In Unfair, law professor Adam Benforado shines a light on this troubling new research, showing, for example, that people with certain facial features receive longer sentences and that judges are far more likely to grant parole first thing in the morning. In fact, over the last two decades, psychologists and neuroscientists have uncovered many cognitive forces that operate beyond our conscious awareness-and Benforado argues that until we address these hidden biases head-on, the social inequality we see now will only widen, as powerful players and institutions find ways to exploit the weaknesses in our legal system. Weaving together historical examples, scientific studies, and compelling court cases-from the border collie put on trial in Kentucky to the five teenagers who falsely confessed in the Central Park Jogger case-Benforado shows how our judicial processes fail to uphold our values and protect society's weakest members. With clarity and passion, he lays out the scope of the problem and proposes a wealth of reforms that could prevent injustice and help us achieve true fairness and equality before the law.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 16, 2015

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781622319503
      • File size: 289796 KB
      • Duration: 10:03:44

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      A Harvard-trained attorney and law professor offers coherent evidence that the outcomes of criminal prosecutions are highly vulnerable to human error. As narrator Joe Barrett reads disturbing cases of wrongful prosecution and studies that reveal dramatic flaws in the justice system, his serious tone and relentless pacing help listeners grasp how pervasive human biases can be in public arenas where evidence must be interpreted and conclusions drawn. With the help of his perceptive phrasing, Barrett gives gravitas to the audio without sounding like an alarmist. But it's scary nonetheless, and an intelligent overview of how factors like the angle of a surveillance camera or choice of a word in a closing argument can tilt the scales of justice in ways we don't want to believe are possible. T.W. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      August 31, 2015
      Audiobook veteran Barrett brings his raspy voice and knack for accentuating emotional nuance in his delivery to the new title from legal scholar Benforado. The book uncovers a wide range of scientific findings that reveal rampant bias in the United States justice system, particularly emphasizing how processes and systems tied to a punitive punishment approach make the streets less—rather than more—safe from crime. Benforado minces no words in his harsh view of the predominant American perspectives—compared with other Western industrialized democracies—regarding such matters as the police, courts, and prisons; Barrett’s animated narration stays consistent with the tenor of this hard-hitting message. Barrett provides an especially effective whimsical and sardonic tone in rendering Benforado’s historical overview of the retribution model of law and order, highlighting such baffling primitive practices as murder trials for animals, something that is compared to the nation’s recent track record of jailing the mentally ill and addicted populations instead of providing access to medical treatment.
      A Crown hardcover.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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