Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 08/01/2014 Gr 5–8—This book takes a look at the evolution of the American justice system. Kanefield scrutinizes the judicial system by examining current and past crimes. The book opens by defining the word "criminalize" (as "an act that the law makes punishable") and goes on to argue that the American judicial system is flawed. The author offers both famous cases, such as Plessy v. Ferguson and more obscure ones, such as the example of a man accused of bank robbery for taking advantage of a teller's mistake and walking out of the bank with an extra $1,000. The writing is brisk and concise, getting right to the point, but there are few images or charts, which might turn off some younger readers who are used to heavily illustrated books. Though this title provides a solid example of how authors present and build arguments, students would be better served by learning to scrutinize the book for bias, as Kanefield only shows one side of the story, highlighting the flaws of the system without offering any constructive criticism for how to improve the situation.—Esther Keller, I.S. 278, Brooklyn, NY - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 11/15/2014 The awareness of injustice is often a bitter pill for young people who are just coming to grips with concepts of legality and adult consequences. Kanefield, an appellate lawyer, uses cases whose just resolutions are debatable at best—the execution of Marvin Wilson and the incarceration of Huzaifa Parhat at Guantanamo, for example—to illustrate that “just as there is no perfect person, there is no perfect system.” Crime control and deterrence are weighed against due process and the presumption of innocence to show young readers how to think critically about laws and punishments in the U.S. Changing cultural attitudes are taken into account, including the treatment of women and minorities and our increased understanding of mental illness, brain injury, and intellectual capacity. This short book is dense with examples and ideas and makes a complicated, somewhat daunting subject more accessible and interesting to a younger audience. A good companion read for novels in which a young person is facing prosecution, such as Walter Dean Myers’ Monster (1999). - Copyright 2014 Booklist.