Rating: 
Summary: The liberal Rush Limbaugh
Review: When I embarked upon reading this book, I thought I would be getting a fair and precise look into the American legal system. What I got was anything but that. Anybody wanting to read this book should know that Parenti is an extreme left-winger and this book is an acidic ribbing of the Republican Party, police offers, etc. etc. I do admit that Parenti is quite knowledgeable about the justice system and he provides many examples -- this book is full of examples to back up his points. But there is a problem: the only examples he gives are examples of police malfeasance, he never tells police success stories.
Also, my other major complaint is that throughout much of the book, he assumes a Rush Limbaugh personae and just starts taking irrelevant, low blows at people. He calls Rudy Giuliani a "ghoul," he sarcastically calls Dan Quayle "that towering intellect," and he even goes so far as to make fun of the way New York City Police Chiefs dress while they are off duty.Overall, this book is not very scholarly in tone. It states that there is a problem, but he never offers a solution to the problem - it is just a couple hundred pages of non-stop whining and Limbaugh-esque mocking of people he disagrees with.
If you are looking for a good introduction to contemporary American justice and the legal system, I HIGHLY suggest you look elsewhere.
| 
