Reasonable Doubts: The Criminal Justice System and the O.J. Simpson Case [Paperback]

Alan M. Dershowitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 19, 1997 | ISBN-10: 068483264X | ISBN-13: 978-0684832647

Using the O. J. Simpson case as a backdrop, the famed defense attorney examines the American criminal justice system, critically analyzing its strengths and weaknesses. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

Review

. . . Its main argument is quite interesting. . . . -- The New York Times Book Review, Nicholas Lemann

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (February 19, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068483264X
• ISBN-13: 978-0684832647
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #95,153 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > Law > Philosophy
  • #82 in Books > Law > Criminal Law > Criminal Procedure

More About the Author

ALAN M. DERSHOWITZ is a Brooklyn native who has been called 'the nation's most peripatetic civil liberties lawyer' and one of its 'most distinguished defenders of individual rights,' 'the best-known criminal lawyer in the world,' 'the top lawyer of last resort,' and 'America's most public Jewish defender.' He is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. Dershowitz, a graduate of Brooklyn College and Yale Law School, joined the Harvard Law School faculty at age 25 after clerking for Judge David Bazelon and Justice Arthur Goldberg. While he is known for defending clients such as Anatoly Sharansky, Claus von B'low, O.J. Simpson, Michael Milken and Mike Tyson, he continues to represent numerous indigent defendants and takes half of his cases pro bono. Dershowitz is the author of 20 works of fiction and non-fiction, including 6 bestsellers. His writing has been praised by Truman Capote, Saul Bellow, David Mamet, William Styron, Aharon Appelfeld, A.B. Yehoshua and Elie Wiesel. More than a million of his books have been sold worldwide, in numerous languages, and more than a million people have heard him lecture around the world. His most recent nonfiction titles are The Case For Peace: How the Arab-Israeli Conflict Can be Resolved (August 2005, Wiley); Rights From Wrongs: A Secular Theory of the Origins of Rights (November 2004, Basic Books), The Case for Israel (September 2003, Wiley), America Declares Independence, Why Terrorism Works, Shouting Fire, Letters to a Young Lawyer, Supreme Injustice, and The Genesis of Justice. His novels include The Advocate's Devil and Just Revenge. Dershowitz is also the author of The Vanishing American Jew, The Abuse Excuse, Reasonable Doubts, Chutzpah (a #1 bestseller), Reversal of Fortune (which was made into an Academy Award-winning film), Sexual McCarthyism and The Best Defense.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for laypeople who think OJ did it., April 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Reasonable Doubts: The Criminal Justice System and the O.J. Simpson Case (Paperback)

When the OJ verdict came out, my wife and I were on a West Coast road trip. When the innkeepers found out I was an attorney, they would invariably ask me what I thought about the verdict. I replied that OJ probably killed his ex-wife. But OJ went free because of the many mistakes the police and prosecution committed, including giving the glove to OJ. (Rule no. 1: never have a hostile witness conduct a demonstration. Ever. Even if you think the demonstration is fail-proof.)

This book confirms my hunches, which were certainly less informed than Dersh's. It also discusses all the different policies that go into our criminal justice system, in a language laypeople can understand.

After you read this book, you'll understand that "probably guilty" is not enough to convict. You'll also know that most people had more information than the jury, and that the jury had to base their verdict upon the evidence presented at trial, rather than all the facts and factoids floating around.

Ultimately, while the book may not convince you that (a) OJ didn't kill them (the book didn't try to that) or (b) OJ's guilt was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt, it will provide you with a better understanding of the criminal system.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a book that answers some questions, April 17, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reasonable Doubts: The Criminal Justice System and the O.J. Simpson Case (Paperback)

I don't know about you but I was totally engrossed when the OJ Simpson trial was on TV. So naturally when everyone from Johnnie Cochran to the man who bagged OJ's groceries the day of the murder starting writing a book about it, I started reading hoping to get some good evaluation of the case. As a student of history and political science I wanted to know what the people involved with the case thought. Of course almost every book is an opportunity for an ego trip, a defense of misguided actions, or a chance to rocket to the best seller list on the backs of history's most publicized criminal trial. No one actually spoke to anything valuable. And then there's Alan Dershowitz. Dershowitz was retained as an appellate lawyer and for his expertise in constitutional law. When Robert Shapiro, skip his book by the way, retained him he asked if he would educate the public on the case. As a teacher Dershowitz couldn't refuse. And he's still teaching. The book answers questions that have been on everyone's mind since the trial. Just read the table of contents and you won't be able to put it down.

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a "must read" book, December 25, 2002

By 

Thomas P. Connolly (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Reasonable Doubts: The Criminal Justice System and the O.J. Simpson Case (Paperback)

I watched a ridiculously large amount of the trial of the century and the associated talking heads. I was in utter disbelief when the jury acquitted O.J.

Since then I have carefully evaluated the evidence that the jury had to consider. I now believe that, although O.J. probably did the crime, the jury came out with the proper decision.

This book is excellent if you are interested in the trial or just want to know more about our judicial system. Professor Dershowitz clearly lays out the rules the jury had to operate under and isolates the information I had seen on television against what the jury was allowed to hear.