Book of the Month- September

Hey! I want to add a section of my blog where I recommend books, cafes, restaurants, and things to do in London. So my first segment is book recommendations! I am an avid reader and love books but I will be honest—when I am in law school I don't do any reading outside of my studies...as I read an average of 150-400 pages in a given week. Trust me, the readings aren't about fairies, dragons, and enemies to lovers. They're about one ship that didn't show up on time and is now in breach of it's contract, or some lady finding a snail in her ginger beer. Anyway my goal is to read AT LEASTTT one book a month. Starting out this month of September is The Secret Barrister.

The Stats:

Rating: 3/5 stars

Genre: Non-fiction, law

Published: 2018

My Overall Thoughts:

I found this book to be interesting and pretty informative about some of the realities in criminal law and broke down the law, the disparities, and strengths. I found that I had experienced some of the issues within the criminal justice system while working in children and family law. For example we were ready to sit in front of the District Judge at Central Family Court but couldn't until we knew if one of the necessary needed translators as most of the parties involved did not speak English. I have seen first hand where the courts try to cut corners or save a couple quid and I often wonder if justice is still being delivered.

I learned things about the criminal system that I didn't know such as if you are wrongly convicted and appeal and the state realizes their mistake you are then released with the standard bus fare amount and a short "oops, so sorry—there you go.” The book touches on how not only have these people lost time, they have lost family, a job, accommodation and were later found to be innocent. The UK under article 14(6) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966 it is required to provide compensation to victims of miscarriages of justice.

In 2011 the UK courts identified four possible categories for quashed conviction but only two were covered by the compensation scheme. (3) Where the fresh evidence renders the conviction unsafe in that, had it been available at the time of the trial, a reasonable jury might or might not have convicted the defendant. (4) Where something has gone seriously wrong in the investigation of the offence or the conduct of the trial, resulting in the conviction of someone who should not been convicted. These are steep standards that a person must be able to prove and argue upon. It caused me to think critically about how most people never think about criminal law because they think that legal system is for the "bad guys" but I truly think anyone could find themselves in a criminal court and would hope to want a justice system that promotes honest justice.

Reading this I really wondered how much of this is public knowledge or commonly known. Coming from the US I find that a good amount of Americans have a rough idea of their rights, most would begin by pointing to the constitution. The UK has no written constitution it pulls from historical documents and weaves the law into modern day with less hoops to jump through. I am no expert still on UK constitutional law as it really feels like the polar opposite of what I have known. I wonder and this goes for any country or legal entity if the public was more educated on the process and their rights would the system be better? Would the public then be okay watching the public dollar or pound go into the justice system because they want a well oiled machine that upholds society? Or is there power to the state and the system that the general public is unaware or unable to access clear answers and honest legal services...all thoughts I had while reading.

I will say this...I read this book and multiple times questioned so when do they kiss???! I did fall asleep on the couch with the book open. I am not saying this because it was a bad book, I just hadn't touched any non-fiction or educational text this whole summer holiday. I think if I wanted to get a different type of perspective of what the legal system looks like this would be a great book to read. It will give you the facts and legislation but will not bog you down with legal jargon. It feels a lot more like a straightforward and honest telling of someones experiences and thoughts.

Well overall I think it was a good book for the month of September to help me get into the mindset of going back to university and I found myself relating and questioning which I always enjoy when I am challenged by a book. Until next month!

xWilbur