Why people recommend it
Justice on Trial by Chris Daw QC is a provocative and unconventional book that critically examines the flaws of the contemporary criminal justice system in the United Kingdom and advocates for sweeping reforms such as prison abolition and drug legalization. Chris Williamson enthusiastically recommended the read on Modern Wisdom, describing it as an unexpectedly revolutionary piece of work coming from someone operating directly within the legal profession. Williamson urged his audience to pick up a copy, directing listeners straight to the show notes while reflecting on how disconnected the public's perception of crime and punishment is from measures that actually rehabilitate offenders and reduce recidivism. During the interview, Williamson walked through the various compelling chapters of the book, covering contentious topics such as criminal children, internet crime, and the blurred lines of good and evil. He expressed deep personal enjoyment of the text and praised the author for challenging deeply ingrained societal assumptions about justice. The publication stands out as a vital contribution to modern legal discourse, forcing readers to rethink the ultimate purpose of penal institutions and consider radical, evidence-based alternatives to traditional incarceration in pursuit of a fairer and more effective societal framework.
Who recommended it
- Chris Williamson Recommended
Chris Williamson — 6 mentions
“okay so justice is on trial today i want you to give the opening speech approach the microphone please crystal qc and give us the opening speech”
“apart from anything i think upon reading the book the thing that struck me was that i believe the public's idea of what the purpose of the current litigative uh makeup the current sort of crime and punishment uh justice system in the uk is decoupled from what actually works to a degree where it's going to be very very”
“so again with this there's just each of the chapters closing prisons children being criminals legalizing drugs good and evil internet of crime like all of the stuff in your book is”
“so here's just as you're speaking and having really enjoyed the book here's what”
“man you um chris uh like i said i think it's a a oddly revolutionary book that i didn't think would have come out of someone whose job i mean is your job”
“look chris justice on trial is an awesome read anyone that is thinking of getting it it will be linked in the show notes below”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (15: passing, ad reads, own books)
“and of course we continue to prosecute people for drug crime when as i say in my book drugs have been taken for tens of millions of years by human beings”
“well it's in the book uh interestingly so you don't need to know anything before you read the book”
“but i also spent a lot of last year researching the book and i traveled to you know the deep south of america and alabama and saw some of the sort of hell holes of prison there”
“so my my kind of whole philosophy and that comes across in the book is knock them all down all of these big victorian prisons with the cell blocks and the heavy gates and the big heavy cell doors and the bars”
“and there's a very small number actually because uh i mentioned in the book there that 69 of people in prison are in there for a non-violent crime”
“so i talk in the book i tell the story of the tragic case of the two young people who were killed on london bridge last year”
“and the interesting thing about that case for me and i and again i talk about this in the book is that jack merritt who was one of the two young men who were killed by usman khan his father david after jack's death he came out publicly and said don't use my son's death as an excuse for longer”
“and i talk about in ancient times you know going back to the mayans and the romans you know the idea that you take a life as as or you impose serious harsh prison or harsh conditions or torture or something like that as a penalty for committing a crime”
“and i know i explained in the book how there are countries and and you know even saudi arabia has an older age of criminal responsibility than us you know”
“and at the end of the day the idea is and i tell the story that probably the most tragic section of the whole book is the story of martha fernbach who was a young girl of 15 who went out one saturday and with her friends who were all sort of teenagers around the same age they decided to”
“and i saw in action in switzerland as you know from the book you know i saw the heroin assisted treatment program where you know they treat heroin users as if they have a medical condition that needs to be helped”
“i mean i tell this tragic story in the book of of of a guy who got you know he was a heroin user and he got caught up in uh in low-level dealing and he got beaten to death for a uh for allegedly stealing a caravan”
“and and it's fascinating topic as you know it kind of it's it may well lead into another book i suspect”
“so so definitely looking ahead to potentially another book and and my book's only published today”
“i said you know looking at your system you have these millions of people 2.3 million people in prison in the states and as you know from the book i caught i call it the city of incarceration be the fifth largest city in america”