"Ready for the People": My Most Chilling Cases as a Prosecutor - Softcover

Los Angeles produces its share of horrific crimes leading to surreal trials, and in this volume, L.A. deputy DA Batt distills her 25-year career into an account of three such trials. Batt details the crimes: a vicious wilding spree, a homosexual rape and the nearly fatal beating of an unarmed man. For each instance, the author explains her techniques for interviewing the victims and the witnesses, then shows how she structures the prosecution's case for trial. Batt is a natural storyteller, with an acute eye for the revealing detail and a talent for building suspense. The characters populating the trials are vividly described, from a hardworking cop to a biased judge, or from a sleazy defense counsel to a superlative expert witness. Batt also lets her characters speak in their own voices, even when the language is raw and the subject matter repellent. Interestingly, the author did not focus solely on courtroom triumphs for the prosecution. One trial results in acquittal, and another produces a guilty verdict but a preposterously lenient sentence. Throughout these stories Batt teaches her readers about the law and its sometimes arcane procedures. The art of jury selection is addressed, along with the role of the preliminary hearing and the surprisingly complicated definition of attempted murder. The author's aim is to "shine a penetrating light into the darkest corners of the criminal justice system," an objective well served by this fast-paced and absorbing book.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Batt, L.A. deputy district attorney in the criminal division, draws on more than 20 years of experience in recalling her most challenging cases. She also gives readers an uncensored insight into prosecution from the perspective of the people (the state). The cases reflect an uncommon grittiness: rape, arson, attempted murder with multiple victims, a homosexual rape case in Hollywood, and the bludgeoning of an unarmed Mexican immigrant by a self-declared good citizen helping to keep the city clean. In her quest for justice, Batt encounters a homophobic judge and another apparently highly qualified judge who is blinded by the self-righteous motivation of a citizen vigilante, causing him to diminish the life value of the immigrant victim. Batt's compassion toward crime victims and good case preparation are contrasted with rulings that reflect the fragility of our criminal justice system. Batt aptly uses these selected cases to share her insight into human nature and the difficulties that exist on both sides of the law. Vernon Ford
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