Volume 32, Number 4 · March 14, 1985
We Try Harder
By Graham Hughes
Tightening the Reins of Justice in America: A Comparative Analysis of the Criminal Jury Trial in England and the United States
by Michael H. Graham
Greenwood, 341 pp., $35.00
In England the police can arrest you on no more than 'reasonable suspicion' that you have committed a crime. This includes possessing drugs or carrying an 'offensive weapon,' which can cover a multitude of objects. If you are arrested, the police officer in charge of your case may deny your request to see a lawyer on the ground that this would impede the progress of the investigation. You may be held incommunicado by the police for interrogation up to thirty-six hours and, under a recent statute, a magistrate can extend this period up to ninety-six hours. When you do appear in the Magistrates' Court there is no guarantee, if you are poor, that you will be assigned a lawyer, unless the case is one of some gravity. A lawyer may be present in the court to advise defendants but you may not be sure for whom he works and at best you can have only a brief, huddled conference with him.
Review, 2921 words
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