The price of mercy : unfair trials, a violent system, and a public defender's search for justice in America / Emily Galvin Almanza.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Galvin Almanza, Emily, 1983- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Criminal courts--United States.

Criminal courts.

Criminal justice, Administration of--United States.

Criminal justice, Administration of.

Public defenders--United States.

Public defenders.

Genre:

Informational works.

Instructional and educational works.

Personal narratives.

Physical Description:

viii, 375 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Crown, [2026]

Summary:

"A former public defender takes us behind the closed doors of America's criminal courts, revealing how the institutions that claim to protect us are doing the exact opposite-and offering a blueprint for finally fixing it"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Outsiders on the Inside : The Power of Public Defense

All Rise : Judges, Bail, and Being Human on the Bench

The Grind : The Maze of Court Dates and their Consequences

Bad Incentives in a Bad System : How the Structure of Policing Enables Misconduct

What We Talk About When We Talk About Crime : How Media Obscures the Truth About Safety

A Game of Telephone : Favoring Expediency Over Transparency, And Precedent Over Fairness

Weird Science : How Bad Forensics Leads to Bad Convictions

Finders of Fact : Juries : Who Wields Power, Who is Excluded, and What They're Allowed to Know

An Unwinnable Game : How Prisons-and Release-Set People Up to Fail

Redefine Success

Sunlight is the Best Disinfectant

Unclog the System

Accountability Over Punishment

A Budget is a Statement of Values.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780593799116

0593799119

9780593799130

0593799135

OCLC:

1512666443

Publisher Number:

90103568772