Falk shows that the police themselves often violate the law; that prosecutors send innocent citizens to prison and even to death row ; that defense attorneys take on cases they are not prepared to handle ; that juries vote guilt or innocence on the basis of emotion, not facts ; that judges are often failed attorneys or unscrupulous politicians ; and that jails and prisons are too frequently warehouses of the poor. The book ends with recommendations for the improvement of our criminal justice system so that America can truly be, as our Supreme Court proclaims, a land of "Equal Justice under Law...from publisher.

Introduction -- The American police -- A brief history of criminal prosecution in America -- Prosecuting violent crime and sex offenses -- Prosecuting "white collar" crime -- Defending the accused -- The American jury -- Courts and judges -- The prison-industrial complex -- Probation and parole -- The death penalty : non omnis moriar -- Epilogue.