Rating: 
Summary: Excellent, Dirturbing Story of Misuse of Power
Review: After reading about the appalling miscarriage of justice that sent Pat Dunn to prison, I read the rebuttal issued from Jagels' office. If I had any doubts about Mr. Dunn's innocence, this document put them to rest. Early in the rebuttal, the writer speaks of an argument the Dunns were supposed to have had, after which Sandy fled the house. The rebuttal goes on to say that "Sandy Dunn returned home to a still angry husband," and that since he was the only one with her at the house, he was the only one who could have killed her. But if Pat and Sandy were the only ones home, how does the writer of the rebuttal know that Pat was a "still angry [sic] husband"? This isn't a fact, it's a presumption. The theory is then put forth that Pat killed Sandy in their bed and wrapped her in a sheet or blanket and deposited her in the desert. But none of these items was ever recovered or connected to the Dunns, no matching fibers were found, and no blood stains were found in the house. If that rebuttal is any indication of the kind of justice people are receiving in Kern County, CA, then it's time--past time--for the governor of the state to look into it.I hope, eventually, that "Mean Justice" can do for Pat Dunn what Errol Morris's "The Thin Blue Line" did for Randall Dale Adams.
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Summary: Another Great Job by Humes
Review: Among those of us who write about crime for a living, the name Edward Humes commands instant respect. Humes assiduously avoids the easy route, which is to sensationalize, embroider and embellish in an attempt to play to the cheap seats and the mass market. Whether his conclusions disturb or offend you, you will find honesty, conviction and journalistic integrity on every page, as well as skilled storytelling and graceful writing. I rate this book with MISSISSIPPI MUD, also by Humes, as two of the best examples of accurate and incisive crime journalism in recent years.
Rating: 
Summary: Well written, scary if true
Review: Another reviewer recommends the rebuttal of this, and I am more than interested in reading that. The other side of the story is needed here. The facts as presented by Humes are just too disturbing if true. The defense counsel should have protected and served their client - Dunn - much better. The prosecution is going to get away with whatever they can. Bad lawyer jokes aside, who really believes that lawyers don't play to win. I, for one, don't believe seeking justice is the main goal of a trial. The jury selection process - always critical - was left out. And Dunn wasn't completely railroaded; he did several stupid things to hurt his cause notwithstanding the lack of forensic evidence. Most cases are decided on circumstantial evidence and defendant behavior matters. Good book; I just need to see the other side of the story before I render my own final judgement.
Rating:
Summary: The Death Of Justice
Review: DA's have godlike power in their silo's or better said satanlike where corruption is often the norm not the exception. Mean Justice points out all the terrible flaws in our "system" of justice in America where an OJ Simpson is found innocent because he had the powers (money and fame)to get away with murder! We need to reengineer asap our legal system to prevent anyone from having too much control that allows innocent people to rot in jail because some idiot thinks he's god or God's gift to mankind. Voters should remove any DA, judge, etc. who comes remotely close to the one's described in this book or they can only blame themselves for what happens in their community's form of justice. One can only hope that such DA's et al scumbags get a one-way ticket to hell when they are sentenced by the Almighty for their crimes on earth.
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Summary: It's about time
Review: Ed Jagels is a crooked person. It is about time someone told what he is like.
Rating:
Summary: A Truly Superb Book
Review: Edward Humes is a member of a vanishing breed -- crime journalists who deal in facts, who don't make it up, who refuse to invent quotes, who don't substitute their own flights of fancy for the hard dogged job of research. MEAN JUSTICE is a classic of a fading genre. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in crime, justice, journalism and plain old-fashioned good writing.
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Summary: Been there
Review: Edward Humes was accurate in his book about Kern County's judicial system. I was at the booksigning Mr. Humes held in Bakersfield. At that time, I think people in Kern County began to see the magnitude of the misconduct of the D.A. and certain members of the Kern County Sheriff's Department. The expression "Only in Kern County.." is unfortunate because most of the people are honest, hard-working, caring and giving people. The basic desire to trust law enforcement and the judical system dies slowly. Ed Jagels has done a lot to murder that trust. More people like Edward Humes need to investigate and publish the wrongdoings of people in power. The middle-class American is starting to learn what minorities have know for a long time -- absolute power corrupts absolutely and evil grows in darkness.
Rating:
Summary: Grisham with details, truth, substance, chilling
Review: Excellent book, intense, detailed, fascinating, one of the best legal books in years
Rating: 
Summary: Criminals Unite!!!
Review: Finally, a book where all of Kern County's criminals can gather around and bemoan "unique" tales of "injustice." Everyone knows that the State prisons are full of "innocent" men and women. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard how convicted felons were "wrongfully" accused and/or prosecuted. However, just because people do not want to accept the consequences of their criminal conduct does not mean this book is either true or accurate. Just because one of the leading characters, Patrick Dunn, a convicted murderer, would rather get out of prison, does not make this book true or accurate. I, for one, like it when convicted criminals are behind bars; it makes me feel safe. This book does an injustice to the community of Bakersfield by creating a false sense of hysteria where none exists. It just seems ironic, though not at all surprising, that this book would find support from Kern County's convicted and admitted criminals; dare I say only the "innocent" convicted crimiunals?
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Summary: Kirkus Reviews
Review: Grippingly written, compellingly told, Mean Justice makes other tales on the miscarriage of justice look like pleasant little fairy tales. In the legal world crafted by the founders of the Constitution, a series of checks and balances exist to ensure that innocent people don't go to jail. The crater-size cracks in the criminal justice system today, however; are disturbingly clear in this page-turner by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Humes (No Matter How Loud I Shout, 1996; Mississippi Mud, 1994; etc.). Patrick Dunn is a retired school principal whose wife, Sandy, mysteriously disappears during one of her regular predawn walks. Although Dunn reports her missing, he becomes the prime suspect -- indeed, the only suspect -- based almost solely on a gut feeling by one of his closest friends, a younger woman who as an appointed official in Bakersfield, Calif., has the clout and stick-to-it-iveness to push the local police and district attorney's office to go after Dunn. Not that they need much prodding. As Humes so carefully chronicles, this is a suburban town that already has a well-documented history of convicting innocent people and, worst of all, making these crimes stick for years. Bakersfield, after all, was one of America's prosecutorial hot spots in seeking out supposed child molestation rings in the 1980s. Humes displays his award-winning style here as he lays out both Dunn's sad tale -- he is ultimately convicted with virtually no evidence pointing to him as the killer -- and the background that so chillingly puts Dunn's story into perspective. Especially distressing is Humes's research indicating that cases such as Dunn's are occurring with increasing frequency. Dunn, meanwhile, remains in jail. An eye-popping tale of justice miscarried that will shock anyone who believes our criminal justice system still works just fine. -- Kirkus Reviews 1/1/99
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