America's legal system harbors serious widespread injustices. Many defendants are sent to
prison for nonviolent offenses including many victimless crimes. Convicts often serve
draconian sentences in crowded prisons rife with abuse. Almost all defendants are convicted
without trial because prosecutors threaten defendants with drastically higher sentences if they
request a trial. Most Americans are terrified of encountering any kind of legal trouble
knowing that both civil and criminal courts are extremely slow unreliable and expensive to
use. This book explores the largest injustices in the legal system and what can be done about
them. Besides proposing institutional reforms the author argues that prosecutors judges
lawyers and jury members ought to place justice before the law - for example by refusing to
enforce unjust laws or impose unjust sentences. Issues addressed include: · The philosophical
basis for judgments about rights and justice · The problems of overcriminalization and mass
incarceration · Abuse of power by police and prosecutors · The injustice of plea bargaining ·
The appropriateness of jury nullification · The authority of the law or the lack thereof
Justice Before the Law is essential reading for everyone interested in legal ethics the rule
of law and criminal justice. It is also ideal for students of legal philosophy.
