Rough Justice

Rough Justice

Do we have the law we deserve?

Summary

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What is justice? Do our legal courts dispense it? Has our judicial process improved, for the victims, the accused and for society? What more must be done to ensure genuine justice is carried out in future?

Following on the heels of her bestseller Unlawful Killings, Old Bailey judge Wendy Joseph KC places her readers at the heart of the courtroom drama, and asks questions of the institutions tasked to deliver what is right and fair.

With a text that is vivid, fast-paced and utterly absorbing, with all the hallmarks of a twisty thriller, she keep readers on tenterhooks as they await the verdicts of some of the most shocking and harrowing cases this murder trial judge has presided over. But, as she contrasts modern courtroom tales with eerily similar cases and miscarriages of justice from many years ago, could the most chilling story of all be that the lessons of the past have yet to be learned?

Unpicking the fatal foibles of our legal system, in Rough Justice Joseph asks British courts to face up to their failings, as she makes her own compelling case for change.
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Praise for Unlawful Killings

'Wendy Joseph's gripping account of the law at work reads like a cliffhanger.' Sunday Times

'A gripping insight ... beautifully crafted ... grim tales lifted by humour and honesty.' The Times

'Absolutely superb. 5 stars' PHILIPPA PERRY, author of THE BOOK YOU WISH YOUR PARENTS HAD READ

©2024 Her Honour Wendy Joseph KC (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Reviews

  • A vivid picture of the thoughts, feelings and actions of a woman judge as she tries cases involving women as victims/perpetrators and asks herself whether we do them justice. A compelling read.
    Lady Hale

About the author

Her Honour Wendy Joseph KC

Until March 2022 Her Honour Wendy Joseph KC was a judge at the Old Bailey, sitting on criminal cases, trying mainly allegations of murder and other homicide. She read English and Law at Cambridge, was called to the Bar by Gray's Inn in 1975, became a QC in 1998 and sat as a full-time judge from 2007 to 2022. When she moved to the Old Bailey in 2012 she was the only woman amongst sixteen judges, and only the third woman ever to hold a permanent position there. She was also a Diversity and Community Relations Judge, working to promote understanding between the judiciary and many different sectors of our community, particularly those from less privileged and minority groups. She mentors young people, from a variety of backgrounds, who hope for a career in law and has a special interest in helping women. Her first book, Unlawful Killings, won the Crime Writer's Association 'Gold Dagger' for Non-fiction and was a Sunday Times bestseller.
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