Criminal Justice

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	Cops: Their Lives In Their Own Words - Mark Baker This book is an excellent look at what police officers have to deal with on the job. Those on the outside of law enforcement rarely have a clue to what cops actually DO have to deal with inside their own organization, their lives on the street, their interaction with society and the influence of police work on their personal lives. This book should be a help to families and others unconnected with law enforcement to help understand the police officers and investigators they come in contact with and recognize the effects of their environment on their work, personalities and emotions.
	The Corpse Had a Familiar Face: Covering Miami, America's Hottest Beat - Edna Buchanan Edna Buchanon writes a fascinating and often humorous book that gives the reader the inside scoop on the beat of a police reporter in Miami. If you have no involvement in law enforcement, this is another good book to get an idea of the behind the scenes issues that one rarely sees from the outside. This book and the book COPS are excellent books for ‘good’ folks to realize how overwhelming numbers of creeps that law enforcement police have to deal with and why cases get shrugged off and ignored or simply overlooked.
	Criminal Violence, Criminal Justice - Charles E. Silberman This excellent book is a must for the student and wouldn’t hurt the average Joe to read it either. A very astute look at the criminal justice system, Silberman presents his arguments after unquestionably thorough research and examination. His references alone span one hundred page. It is rare read a book of this quality and it is clear Silberman is a man of exceptional intelligence. This book is out of print, but look for it anyway!
	May God Have Mercy On His Soul - Ed Baumann, Chapters by Mario Cuomo and George Murry Over 100 stories of executions. For or against the death penalty, the reality of the death chamber and the moments that lead up to it are presented for consideration. The actual executions are described, the killer’s behavior and words prior to that moment and a bit about the killer’s background and particular psychopathology that brought them to be on death row. A nice little history of execution is quite enlightening. Another hard to locate, but an interesting read if you can find it!
	Officers At Risk: How to Identify and Cope With Stress - Dennis L. Conroy A good book for ALL those involved in law enforcement, with family in law enforcement or victims’ advocacy. This book outlines the effects of dealing with stress, depression and burnout connected with this line of work. Accurate description of the feelings that crop up on the job and some good advice on how to deal with it. Victims and families of victims may find this book useful as well.
	The San Quentin Story - Warden Clinton T. Duffy as told to Dean Jennings If I were in prison, Clinton Duffy would be my kind of warden. A man with one heck of a heart. Even though he believes in strict laws and recognizes the many of the inmates are psychopaths and have great capacity to do evil, he also manages to see what is human and decent in even the worst of people. I don’t know if this extraordinary compassion is born of never having been a victim of any serious crime, from trying to make a heaven out of hell while spending his whole life "behind bars", or from a true heartfelt desire to believe there is hope of redemption for all of the men on this earth. Victims of crime may find Duffy’s relative kindness infuriating. Others may find it inspiring. Either way, the book is not available for order. If you run across it in a used bookstore, pick it up. It is an easy read for a Sunday afternoon on the beach. Out of Print, but look for it anyway!
	Sex Crimes - Alice Vachss This is one of my ‘required’ texts. Don’t leave here without ordering it. Alice Vachss gets my vote as top prosecutor of the decade. This book is about how sex crimes are dealt with in the courts and Vachss lays it on the line. She is a tireless advocate for victims and she fought not only against the perpetrators of sex crimes but also against their collaborators in the judicial system until they fired her. This book is a major eye opener and if you want to know what you are up against in the fight for justice, read it. EVERYONE! Read it! I can’t say enough about this book without rewriting everything she says here in the review. Besides, I want it on YOUR shelf.
	Tears of Rage: From Grieving Father to Crusader for Justice: The Untold Story of the Adam Walsh Case - John Walsh with Susan Schindehette This is John Walsh’s story. Although the book doesn’t contain a great deal of useful information for study purposes, his words and emotions concerning the brutal death of his son is accurately represents the kind of hell families of murder victims go through and everyone connected with profiling and law enforcement should read this kind of account. Of course, the book includes his story of the development of America’s Most Wanted and his fight for justice for his murdered son and the victims of crime everywhere.
	Virgin or Vamp: How the Press Covers Sex Crimes - Helen Benedict This is one of the only books I have run across on the news media and the victims of rape and homicide. If you are involved with rape or homicide investigation or work in the media, you should read this and learn more about the impact of the media’s portrayal of the victim on the trial of the perpetrator, the attitudes of society and the lives of the victims and their families. This book is due to be re-published in September/October 2000
	Wild Justice: The Evolution of Revenge - Susan Jacoby This brilliant analysis of the relationship between justice and revenge and how these struggling cousin of our need to impose retribution and maintain control in society have played out in human history. Jacoby makes strong case for the need for well-enacted public retribution as a necessity to suppress the expression of unbounded private revenge. This book makes the top of my reading list. Yet another good book out of print right now, keep your eyes open for it ANYWHERE.

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