Customer Reviews

Defending the Damned: Inside Chicago's Cook County Public Defender's Office

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Few people leave any lasting mark on the world, their lives soon forgotten. Kevin Davis, with this singular book, will be remembered long after his life is over. It may seem overwrought to compare "Defending The Damned" with, say, "All Quiet On The Western Front", but after you've read Davis's book, you'll see the comparison is very apt.

Davis takes us deep into a world that the vast majority of us will thankfully never have the opportunity to experience directly. It is the world of those who labor on the Murder Task Force of the Cook County [Illinois] Public Defender's Office. Here a small group of men and women, lawyers investigators and others, daily protect the legal rights of some of the foulest creatures to walk the face of the earrh. A mother who cuts up the corpse of her freshly murdered infant and deep-fries the parts. A man who gets his natural daughter pregnant and than beats her to death.

As one of the lawyers asks "How do you come home and explain that you just saved the life of a serial killer who smoked crack and murdered three women?"

Kevin Davis does an incredible job of explaining just that. He profiles several of the lawyers and their helpers who fighr every day to protect the legal rights of the accused - - - an incredibly important job that few people appreciate - - - and then try to keep the state from executing those of their clients who are found guilty of murder.

I am a proponent of capital punishment: those who murder deserve to die in return. It is only just. But I have a caveat: capital punishment should only be imposed when the accused has received a truly full and impartial trial, represented by highly competent counsel and provided with all the resources so readily available to the state, such as expert witnesses. Effectively this means capital punishment, in my opinion, is rarely acceptable.

There either been a spate of books lately on the criminal justice system or I've simply been reading more of what's available. Davis's work ties for a mythical first place with David Feige's "Indefensible: One Lawyer's Journey into the Inferno of American Justice". Davis's book provides an overview of life in the public defender's office, while Feige provides first-hand perspective from a former public defender. Both are to be read by anyone interested in the criminal justice system.

John Grisham provides a terrifying narrative of whar happens when the criminal justice system fails in "The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town".

Finally, the old-time liberal view of blame the victim and society is on display in Steve Bogira's "Courtroom 302: A Year Behind the Scenes in an American Criminal Courthouse".

Davis doesn't bring an axe to grind. He reports on the everyday work of public defenders like Marijane Placek, who comes across as an eccentric who is absolutely dedicated to the ideals of Americsn justice. Davis also give fair hearings to the prosecutors, judges, victims and their families and the murderers themselves. It is truly a tour de force rarely seen these days. The objective reporter telling the story.

There isn't a page in the book that isn't in some way compelling. Kevin Davis need never write another book: his reputation is made with "Defending The Damned".

There will be many people who find the work of Marijane Placek and her colleagues in the public defender's office to be reprehensible: their business is to defend some of the most vile people imaginable. The truth is that their work must not only be respected, but must be appreciated for these men and women are protecting the Constitutional rights of all of us when they vigorously defend the rights of these reprehensible people. Why they do it, what motivates them, what keeps them in the fray is what Kevin Davis describes so well. Never overtly stated, but always present is also the message that when these public defenders fight to protect the rights of the worst among us, they are also protecting our rights.

"Defending The Damned" is simply a must-read.

Jerry

Kevin Davis's intellectual curiosity and witness make for an absorbing, elucidating tale about the lawyers at the Chicago Cook County Public Defender's Office. The field of criminology and the varied individuals from accused criminals to their public defenders, prosecutors, judges, and ordinary citizens who become involved in the criminal justice system one way or another are this award-winning journalist's chosen subject matter. Davis is a recipient of a Robert F. Kennedy Award for outstanding journalism who has written for USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Crain's Chicago Business and other prominent periodicals as well as legal journals.

While at a particularly gruesome murder trial, Davis became gripped by the question of "how [the public defender] and her...colleagues were able to represent clients accused of such horrible crimes day after day, year after year, while keeping a safe emotional distance and preserving their sanity." He got into the position of being able to witness how they did this by being given unprecedented access to the attorneys, related personnel, and activity of the Cook County Public Defender's Office. And he availed himself as much as possible to relevant public documents and conducted interviews with both relatives of victims and the accused, among others.

A central figure is the public defender Marijane Placek, "fifty-four years old [with] bobbed hair...dyed golden blond with streaked highlights" given to wearing "snakeskin cowboy boots...when she wanted to look like a gunslinger." Placek is the lead public defender in the case of the murder of an undercover police officer--a case which allows Davis to give much attention also to the prosecutors and the police which are other necessary parts of the criminal justice system. In such a case of a murder of a police officer, prosecutors predictably try to "steal the flag," in the words of the public defenders' Murder Task Force chief Shelton Green; which means, they'll try to play up the normal public sympathy toward police officers to weigh the trial, including a sentence, heavily against the accused.

With a novelist's eye and human interest and a professional journalist's interest in and grasp of the law, Davis writes a consummate example of today's popular genre of creative nonfiction which casts a beam of light into one of democratic society's most disturbing areas and uncomfortable responsibilities.

Kevin Davis has turned straight reporting into a novel. I couldn't wait to return to "the story". Not only was I educated as to how the courts work, I learned about real people who defend the lowest form of criminality, their thought processes, their behaviors, warts and all, and the relevance of their existence. I've never given a second thought to the impact of court decisions as it relates to human beings and human behavior. It wouldn't do any harm for the criminal element in our society to read this book in order to understand how important a role the public defender plays in their life when they are at the end of their rope and even possibly think twice before turning the corner into a life of crime. Kevin Davis did a service to the community of law and order by producing an intelligent, profound, easy to read book.

Kevin Davis skillfully grips the reader in this compelling and well-crafted book. An excellent reporter and story-teller, this author delivered far more than I expected in a page-truner that rivals or exceeds ANY legal drama I've seen on television.

Whatever you think of lawyers -- especially those who represent who are no strangers the the courtroom -- you'll finish this book thinking highly of author Davis. A true gem!

While the subtitle suggests this is an examination of the public defender's office in Cook County, IL, it is really a study of a very special unit within that office, the Murder Task Force. Attorneys in this unit are responsible for defending the worst of the worst. In many cases the evidence is so overwhelming that victory is defined not by acquittal but by keeping their client from execution. While the author apparently had access to most members of this unit, the book focuses particular attention on a few, including a flamboyant defender and a particularly challenging case. A theme throughout is that the work of these defenders is an essential component of a just system. The defenders themselves often see their clients as reprehensible human beings, but they vigorously defend them because in so doing they are vigorously defending a system based on the presumption of innocence and the requirement that the state prove its case. Particularly telling is the last chapter in which the author talks to those who burn out and leave the office. I can't imagine anyone wanting to do this work, but I also can't imagine a just system without them.

This is a fantastic book that brings the reader to counsel table in the trial of a cop killer.
The human side of the lawyers defending horrific homicides is brought out....the book reads like a suspense novel.....
If people want to know the truth about what transpires during a death penalty trial, this is one great place to start.

As a big fan of crime dramas and real-life crime TV shows, I thought this book is an interesting look at the American criminal justice system from a viewpoint that is rarely publicized: the public defender's office. Unlike the state or district attorneys, the public defender's job is thankless (unless you're their client) and unglamorous. Like many, despite the undeniable important role that the public defenders' office holds, I often wonder how could these lawyers defend clients who are basically indefensible? This book reveals the nature of public defenders as what most people don't usually think: compassionate, conflicted and very very human.

It's fascinating to have a peek at the lives and motivations of the different attorneys at the Cook County Public Defenders Office; ranging from the vivacious and ultra-competitive Marijane Placek to the more subdued and empathetic Ruth McBeth. The book bases its narrative on a cop-killing case and affords the reader many different perspectives, including that of the public defenders', the state attorneys', the victim's family and the perpetrator's, etc.

I am not a fan of murderers, child rapists, drug dealers and other criminals, and would personally find it impossible to defend such people. On the other hand, I also understand why the public defenders' office is almost like a necessary evil for the American justice system. This book has enabled me to understand a little more how and why public defenders do what they do.

The book is very well-written and I think Kevin Davis did a great job of being as objective as possible in the narrative. I like how he weaved together his investigations seamlessly. The whole book is coherent while including many different stories and perspectives. I literally couldn't put it down! I recommend this book for anyone interested in a more holistic view of the American justice system.

I worked at two public defender's offices (not the Cook County PD's Office) while and after attending law school. People often asked this question---how can you defend "those" people? "Those" people=thugs, losers, hard-core criminals, meth heads, etc. This book is the answer to the "how can you defend those people" question because it humanizes "those" people---"Those" people are someone's father, brother, husband, friend, neighbor, and son.

This book focuses on the Murder Task Force, a team of veteran public defenders whose main job is to save their clients from the execution. The Force employs weapon experts, social workers, and mental health professions to represent their clients to the best of its ability. One of the public defenders in this book even sacrifices his own health to work on the endless stream of murder cases. While reading, I was able to relate to the Task Force attorneys' frustration with the system. The defense is "expected" to lose because no sane DA would file a charge if he was not sure to win the case in trial. The prosecution simply has more resources--more money, more lawyers, and more public support. An average juror is generally on the prosecution's side and often makes her mind up even before the defense's opening statement.

The public tends to view public defenders as the sleaziest and most degrading lawyers in the profession--thanks to the popular TV shows like Law & Oder. This book can change that negative public perception. While public defenders have potty mouths, they are hard working, intelligent, caring, and dedicated lawyers who are not afraid to fight endless uphill battles day after day.

Overall, this is a great book to understand public defenders and their clients.

This was a great book. I recommend it to all my friends. Once you started you couldn't put it down. You wanted to see what happened next. It is a great insight into what a criminal attorney does. It really shows why people take on the hard role and defend those who are guilty of crimes.

This book is written by a journalist who followed around a public defender as she defended a client charged with murder. It followed the PD's life inside and outside of the courtroom. It explained why and how she could do what she did. I am a public defender. And I'm proud of it. Most people usually ask me, "how can you defend those people?" Instead of giving my answer, I would like to hand them this book. Because this book does exactly that... it explains how a public defender can defend those people. It does so respectfully, too. The best part of this book explains what it takes to be a PD. My copy has a lot of passages highlighted. I want others to read the book, but I don't want my copy getting lost. When I'm having a bad day at work, I usually thumb through my copy to gain some inspiration and motivation... yes, it's that moving! I've bought a second copy so I can pass it around to my friends/family who've asked me how I can defend those people.

One of my top 10 favorite books of ALL TIME... read it! You won't be sorry. And no, you don't have to be a criminal defense attorney to enjoy it. If you've ever watched the news and seen a criminal defense attorney defending a defendant accused of a heinous crime and asked yourself, how can anyone defend those people? This book can answer that question for you.

And even if you, yourself, can never defend those people and can never respect a PD for doing their job, this book doesn't try to change your mind. You are entitled to your opinion. This book will, however, allow you to see the PD's point of view. Maybe your opinion will be stronger after this book. It's okay, that's not the point.