From Publishers Weekly
Although many agencies exist to serve the welfare of women, children and the elderly, retired Philadelphia adult criminal judge Forer ( Money and Justice ) here contends that the legal rights of these constituents are actually ill protected. Tracing gender and age bias to discriminatory English common law, the author vididly portrays victims of cases where judgment, she argues, went awry even in following the letter of the law. Among them: a sexually abused child too terrified to identify her molester; an indigent young divorcee unfairly deprived of custody of her only child; and two elderly women raped by a prematurely paroled psychotic. Rather than proposing piecemeal amendments and statutes, Forer's compelling plea calls for judicial reform based on a broad concept of equality that protects the rights of all members in an ever more diverse American society.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Retired judge Forer, whose previous books include an excellent study of libel ( A Chilling Effect, LJ 6/1/87), looks back on cases that she presided over during her 16 years on the trial bench that continue to haunt her. All the cases involve women, children, or old people, and in retrospect all the decisions in these cases were "tragically wrong." Why? Forer has come to believe that the law, by refusing to make allowances for age and gender differences, is "endemically biased" against such groups. In this courageous reflection on her own judicial performance, Forer explores the origins and manifestations of ingrained legal prejudices, concluding with a call for "a new concept of equality that acknowledges and protects differences." Highly recommended for both public and academic collections.
- Kenneth F. Kister, Tampa, Fla.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Kenneth F. Kister, Tampa, Fla.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
