Rating: 
Summary: Junk Journalism?
Review: Having read these reviews I must say I am simply amazed at how many people believe that what they read is "true" merely because an author labels his or her work as non-fiction. Although Mean Justice revovles around a true story this particular account is objectively inaccurate in many material points. One reviewer states that the book is "well-reported" and "well-documented." Really? How would any reader know this to be "true?" Why does this "reader" slip into such necessarily first-person assertions? Could they be the desperate assertions of an "author" under-fire. Simply asked, why are there so many errors and distortions? Was it for the sake of selling books? Was it poor research? Surely one would expect top-notch research from a Pulitzer Prize winning author. Whereas we, the readers, might now have to look beyond the cover of a book to find the "truth," one cannot help but ask: If a public offical is held accountable to a voting public, who holds a "non-fiction" author, who profits from increased sales, accountable for sensationalistic inaccuracies? One should carefully consider both sides of a story before jumping upon a one-sided band-wagon?
Rating:
Summary: One-sided view of Kern County
Review: Humes hopes that we will accept this book as the final word on justice in Kern County, but it is not. A rebuttal has been posted on the District Attorney's Web page. The rebuttal, Humes writes, "failed to respond directly to most key issues raised in the book." (paperback, page 510)This is untrue, because the rebuttal actually addresses all of Humes' important points, and rebuts many errors. It is a shame that Humes avoids any further discussion. On the book's own Web page, with more than eighty links, there is no reference, and no link, to the rebuttal. I read this book hoping for scholarship, but it turned out to be issue advocacy, and pretty sloppy advocacy at that. Prosecutorial misconduct is a major issue, an issue that deserves a better book than this.
Rating: 
Summary: Two thumbs up! From Death Row, San Quentin
Review: I am an anti-death penalty activist and graduate student who corresponds with an inmate from Kern County. I literally pounced on "Mean Justice" at Moe's Bookstore in Berkeley when I realized what it was about, paid for it and quickly xeroxed several chapters to mail in to San Quentin. Several inmates from Kern County have read these chapters and say, "It sounds just like home". Unfortunately, with all of the excited calls to lawyers, family and friends which followed, the administration apparently decided to enforce the "no xeroxed books" policy - so this very positive review only covers the first chapters. Personally I found the finishing chapters with summaries of the many botched cases out of Kern County the most shocking and powerful part of the book. By coincidence I had just finished reading a similar account of corruption - this time in Fresno - which I would also recommend: Marx Arax's "In my father's name : a family, a town, a murder" (New York : Simon & Schuster, c1996).
Rating:
Summary: Expertly Written Account of Wrongful convictions
Review: I can think of only one thing more terrifying than being convicted and sent to prison for life, and that is to be convicted and sentenced to life or death when you know youre innocent. Edward Humes' account of the Pat Dunn murder case, as well as the numerous other cases he discusses in the book, is a testament to the fact that innocent people are routinely sent to prison for crimes they did not commit. A common thread that seems to permeate these cases is the single minded approach police investigators and prosecutors embrace once they zero in on a suspect, much to the delight of the real perpetrators. What I find most disturbing, though, is the inability of the judges, district attorneys, and prosecutors to admit their mistakes. When evidence emerges that perhaps they were wrong, they go out of their way to discredit contradictory evidence, conceal statements and facts that disprove their theories; and then they try to block appeals that might bring their errors to public light. Unfortunately, many appeals laws are written in such a manner that not only allow this type of behavior but in some cases make it impossible to appeal a conviction even when proof of misconduct surfaces. Other laws prohibit victims of wrongful convictions from seeking compensation for the damage inflicted on their lives. Edward Humes account of the Pat Dunn murder case presents compelling and well documented evidence of Pat Dunn's innocence. My only question about the case concerns two telephone calls that could have made a significant difference in the outcome of the trial. One call was supposedly made by the victim a day after she was reported missing. The second call was made to an estate attorney concerning power of attorney. In both cases, the exact date of the calls were in question. Nowhere in the text did I see any mention of an attempt to examine phone records that could have verified the dates of the calls. The only explanation I can think of for this is that perhaps there is no way to track local phone calls, if indeed they were local. In addition to the Pat Dunn case the book covers several other cases involving many of the same judges and prosecutors, many of whom are still in power today. The most heart wrenching of these stories has to be the cases concerning child molestation rings, where families were torn apart and lives ruined. When Edward Humes writes, in referring to the release of the Kniffens and McCuans, that "after fourteen years, four more innocent people finally walked out of prison," there is no way any words can adequately describe the pain and misery that these four people and their families had to endure. However, there is a way that Edward Humes words can make a difference. First, it is an almost certainty that the Pat Dunn case will be retried (defense attorneys have already filed for a new trial). Secondly, I hope that the people of Bakersfield will read the book and oust the judges and prosecutors who still remain in their positions. And finally, I hope that Jenny and Jane McCuan read this book and finally find the courage to reconcile with their parents. One final note. For those who may be interested in reading reviews and commentary about "Mean Justice" from some of the prosecutors and attorneys mentioned in the book, check out the site "www.Bakersfield.com." You will find a wealth of additional material including pictures of some of the people Edward Humes writes about. Also, another book worth looking into is "In Spite of Innocence," an account of 400 wrongfully convicted people sentenced to either death or life in prison
Rating: 
Summary: Spin, spin and more spin
Review: I couldn't wait to read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Humes' earlier work, "No Matter How Loud I Shout." I found NMHLIS to be balanced and thoughtful. Interested in reading more from this engaging author, and as a Southern California transplant originally from Bakersfield, I was immediately drawn to this book. Unfortunately, in "Mean Justice" Mr. Humes appears to have lost the reasoned approach that provided NMHLIS a ring of credibility. "Mean Justice" presents an overtly biased perspective of the Kern County Sheriff's Dept/D.A.'s office. The tendency of the author to portray evidence indicative of Dunn's guilt as "unfortunate setbacks" to the defense case is hypocritical; especially since any minor inconsistency between prosecution witnesses' accounts are depicted as some blatant attempt to railroad an innocent man. What a disappointment this book proved to be! There was a great deal of repetition as Humes attempts to bully the reader into accepting his flawed perspective of things. I think the truth is probably somewhere between the two extremes represented in "Mean Justice," but we will never know the truth from this book. Humes zealously advocates for his version of the "truth" in this biased presentation of "evidence". Mr. Humes is a gifted storyteller, and I found the book engaging as pure entertainment; however, Mr. Humes' trustworthiness as a reporter of the facts was delivered a fatal blow by "Mean Justice." Enjoy the story, but read this book with a critical eye for its inherent bias.
Rating:
Summary: Addendum.
Review: I forgot to mention in my review of "Mean Justice", that Roger Parloff's book, "Triple Jeopardy" (Amazon.com has it), is another hair raiser on the same subject of prosecutorial misconduct. It's also brilliant and more than worth the cost or trip to the library to read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting but Flawed
Review: I found this book to be very well written but the author clearly has a bias. Considering that he has written a number of books on the legal system, he displays a marked ignorance of it. In the interests of full disclosure, I am a Deputy District Attorney in a California county (not in Kern County). I cannot speak to how the system in Kern County works but I can tell you that his picture of hundreds of innocent people sent to prison is completely false. Prosecutors have no interest in convicting innocent people. We are not paid by the conviction and have no incentive to go after anyone unless the evidence shows their guilt. I find Mr. Hume's image of Kern County DA's sitting around plotting to keep evidence of their misconduct hidden from the appellate courts so that their tainted convictions will not be overturned highly unlikely. Mr. Humes perhaps should sit in a courtroom and observe the unethical and sleazy actions of many (but not all) of the criminal defense bar. There is a scandal deserving of some attention. In addition, his description of the Dunn case strikes me as somewhat unbalanced. If everything he says is true, then I will admit that Mr. Dunn was convicted on very thin evidence. However, he was convicted by a jury of his peers that were approved by his attorney. Apparently 12 people found the evidence convincing to them even if Mr. Humes did not. Further, Mr. Hume seems to equate having a conviction overturned by an appellate court with factual innocence. Simply put, the two are not the same. An appellate court's decision merely says that there was a legal error in the trial process, it is not a finding of innocence. Nor, as a matter of fact, is an acquittal the same as innocence. Defendants are found "not guilty", not innocent. Anyone who followed the OJ Simpson proceedings understands this but apparently not Mr. Humes. Consequently, readers should not buy into Mr. Humes argument that everyone acquitted or who has their case overturned is innocent of the crime they were charged with. Generally speaking, they are not. I would advise people to read this with a grain of salt. It is well written and does raise some good points about misconduct in the system. However, do not buy into Mr. Humes biased picture of hundreds of innocents being railroaded to prison due to prosecutorial misconduct. Your career prosecutors, judges and juries are too good to allow that to happen.
Rating:
Summary: Unfortunately this story is true.
Review: I know this story is true personally as I turned this office into a higher political power to report inefficiency in one of their departments, which I am withholding the department name out of fear of further retaliation from Mr. Jagels. I received a scathing letter from Mr. Jagel's office accusing me of things that were not true in response to my reporting him. In less than a year, I found myself being accused of a crime that I did not commit. I plead nolo contendre knowing full well that this DA did not like me and I would never receive a fair trial. I prayed for the Lord to seek vengeance for me as I am not a vengeful person. I never knew about this book until months after it was published, but then found out it was published less than a month after my plea of nolo contendre. I truly believe this book is an act of God and will prevail until Mr. Jagels repents of his wrongdoing. If he can't learn on his own, God will teach him. Mr Jagels actions against me drove me to thoughts of suicide, but my faith in God brought me through it. I still have a long way to go, but with God's help, I will heal from this horrible misjustice that was wrought upon me and my family. I pray that no one else suffers at the hands of this office. They say that truth is stranger than fiction and this book proves it. If you are into scary books, this is the one for you. I found it extremely interesting reading. The DA can say that this book is in error a million times over, but now who would expect them to admit the terror that they have caused in this town? He actually hired a poll to see how well-liked he is in this town. It was not very convincing. Heartbroken and healing in Bakersfield
Rating:
Summary: I can't wait for the movie!
Review: I love legal thrillers, authors like Scott Turrow and John Grisham. Mean Justice is one of the best I've ever read. But the scary part is that this page-turner is all true! This is Edward Humes' best book since Mississippi Mud.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing but true!
Review: I picked up Mean Justice after seeing the recent rave review in the San Francisco Chronicle. What a story! It was the best page turner I've read in a while.
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