Expert Witness in the Legal System: A Scientist's Search for Justice

Expert Witness in the Legal System: A Scientist's Search for Justice is not for the faint-hearted. If tidy wrap-ups and happy endings are your thing, stick to CSI and Law and Order, where a crime is solved in less than sixty minutes. Dr. Morris S. Zedeck, a pharmacologist who served as an expert witness in 191 trials, describes his experiences and observations of a justice system that is not always just.

Dr. Zedeck discusses incorrectly written cocaine statutes that lead to unfair jail sentences. He describes how powerful DNA evidence has led to the exoneration of 248 innocent people and discusses the causes of wrongful convictions. Dr. Zedeck points to unreasonable rules of discovery and provides examples of dishonesty of expert witnesses, prosecutors, police, attorneys and judges and the cases affected by such behavior.

His recommendations for improving the justice system include a more transparent discovery process, better scientific training for judges, increased resources for the indigent and studying forensic disciplines using the scientific method. Expert Witness in the Legal System: A Scientist's Search for Justice is comprehensive, readable and astonishing in the depth of its information and the scope of its issues. If you have time to read only one new book on American justice this year, this should be it.