Adam Benforado's Unfair: The New Science of Criminal Injustice explores cutting-edge research testifying to the faulty and inaccurate procedures
that underpin virtually all aspects of our criminal justice system,
illustrating many with case studies. Some of it is race-related:
Numerous studies show that those convicted of murdering white victims
are more likely to be sentenced to death than when the victim is
African-American. Other research reveals that "subtle reminders" to
judges' and jurors' of their own mortality "have been shown to increase
the severity of punishment across a wide range of scenarios, from
assaults to drunk driving".
All of this supports Benforado's thesis that "we are not the
consistent, rational number crunchers that we suppose".Unfair goes on to recommend a number of reforms, some more realistic than others. For example, it calls for the restoration of voting rights for ex-convicts -- something I think the time for which has come. But Benforado also calls for "virtual trials" that replace live ones -- trials in which avatars are used in order to prevent judges and jurors from making ill-considered judgments based on a defendant’s skin color and demeanor.
But since America is the world's leader in incarceration, Unfair is a timely book that deserves to be taken seriously. In fact, lots of his recommendations would go a long way toward restoring the "justice" in America's "criminal justice" system.
__________________
I received a free copy of this book as part of the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review here.