Rough Justice recounts the experiences of victims of police and criminal justice failings through the stories of some who fought back, often with amazing commitment and courage. Their feelings encompass frustration, confusion, helplessness and anger. Their encounters affected their trust, certainty and confidence in British justice, sometimes for a lifetime. "An extraordinary book to remind us all that our 'social contract' comes with some frightening downsides" Professor David Wilson (From the Foreword). In 2006 Prime Minister David Cameron declared the police the 'last great unreformed public service' but Governments have dodged fundamental change. Police still investigate and often 'clear' themselves, and avoid prosecution more than Joe Public. A minority practice deception and dubious tactics to obscure what is happening. At a time when the Home Office is reviewing police integrity and discipline, the book also looks at the manipulation of crime statistics, argues that the Independent Police Complaints Commission is unfit for purpose and points to unfairness underpinning a crisis of legitimacy. As former Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer commented, 'Britain's criminal justice system fails the vulnerable'. It lets down law-abiding people too (including MPs) through free-style policing and a 'because we can' approach. It could it happen to you. Will anything ever change? When will politicians face up to the need for action? Roger Williams wrote Rough Justice as an ordinary citizen caught-up in a highly professional and impenetrable criminal process. He then discovered others with the same sense of inadequacy when faced with the might of the state. He hopes their stories and his suggestions might make a difference.

Even in an age of economic prosperity, there are young people who live on the edge of western societies and who are held accountable for their every indiscretion, sometimes even for those of others. This book employs a sociological imagination to make connections between the public issues and private troubles of youth living on the street. The narrative is pedagogical in intent, seeking to make sense of seemingly antisocial behavior, understood in the context of broader social, political, and economic concerns. In particular, it speaks to the «helping» professions of education, law, social work, nursing, psychology, and medicine.

Ten years ago, in the wake of massive crimes in central Africa and the Balkans, the first permanent international criminal court was established in The Hague despite resistance from some of the world's most powerful states. In the past decade, the court has grown from a few staff in an empty building to a bustling institution with more than a thousand lawyers, investigators, and administrators from around the world. Despite its growth and the backing of more than 120 nations, the ICC is still struggling to assert itself in often turbulent political crises. The ICC is generally autonomous in its ability to select cases and investigate crimes, but it is ultimately dependent on sovereign states, and particularly on the world's leading powers. These states can provide the diplomatic, economic, and military clout the court often needs to get cooperation-and to arrest suspects. But states don't expend precious political capital lightly, and the court has often struggled to get the help it needs. When their interests are most affected, moreover, powerful states usually want the court to keep its distance. Directly and indirectly, they make their preferences known in The Hague. Rough Justice grapples with the court's basic dilemma: designed to be apolitical, it requires the support of politicians who pursue national interests and answer to domestic audiences. Through a sharp analysis of the dynamics at work behind the scenes, Bosco assesses the ways in which powerful states have shaped the court's effort to transform the vision of international justice into reality. This will be the definitive account of the Court and its uneven progress toward advancing accountability around the world.

This early work by Mary Elizabeth Braddon was originally published in 1898 and we are now republishing it with a brand new biography of the author. 'Rough Justice' is one of Braddon's novels in the sensation literature genre. Mary Elizabeth Braddon was born in Soho, London, England in 1835. She was educated privately in England and France, and at the age of just nineteen was offered a commission by a local printer to produce a serial novel "combining the humour of Dickens with the plot and construction of G. P. R. Reynolds" What emerged was Three Times dead, or The Secret of the Heath, which was published five years later under the title The Trail of the Serpent (1861). For the rest of her life, Braddon was an extremely prolific writer, producing more than eighty novels, while also finding time to write and act in a number of stage plays.

Investigates the pervasive and persistent commitment to "rough justice" that characterized rural and working class areas of most of the United States in the late nineteenth century. This work examines the influence of race, gender, and class on understandings of criminal justice and shows how they varied across regions.

Four gripping stories from the Old Bailey that force us to consider: What is justice? Do our legal courts dispense it? Has our judicial process improved, for the victims, the accused and for society? And what more must be done to ensure genuine justice is carried out in future? 'A compelling read' Lady Hale ‘Joseph is a deft deployer of suspense and nuance’ Sunday Times ‘Her Honour entertains as she educates us’ Philippa Perry 'Beautifully written, immensely engaging, powerful and disturbing insight into a judge’s work and the choices faced.' Peter James ‘If ever I was on trial I would want my judge to be this one.’ Cherie Blair, CBE KC Following on the heels of her bestseller Unlawful Killings, Old Bailey judge Wendy Joseph KC skilfully reconstructs courtroom dramas affecting society’s most vulnerable, drawing on her many years’ experience as a murder trial judge, and asking the key questions of the institutions tasked to deliver what is right and fair. From the trial of a child charged with disposing of dismembered body parts, to the woman accused of killing her own husband, Joseph is utterly compelling as she sets out how our justice system works. But, as she compares these modern courtroom tales with eerily similar cases and miscarriages of justice from years ago, might the most chilling story of all be that the lessons of the past have yet to be learned? Incisive, masterfully crafted, Rough Justice illuminates the struggles of any one of us caught up in our legal system – but particularly the marginalized and the easily exploited – and grapples with the concept of ‘justice for all’ so that we might demand better. ‘The author's wit and wisdom deserve as wide an audience as possible.’ His Honour David Radford ‘An author who uses hindsight to contemplate foresight whilst generating genuine insight.’ Professor Dame Sue Black 'The criminal law has found its voice: quiet, determined, steely, and yet always humane.’ Justin Webb 'A riveting front-line account of our beleaguered courts...Told with clarity and eloquence, it distils an arcane subject with the vigor and pace of a legal thriller.' Kia Abdullah .......................................................................................................... Praise for Unlawful Killings: 'The most exceptional book I have read in a long time.' CLARE MACKINTOSH 'Absolutely superb. 5 stars' PHILIPPA PERRY, author of THE BOOK YOU WISH YOUR PARENTS HAD READ 'A very rare gem. written with authority, humility and compassion. Compellingly clever and sharply honest.' PROFESSOR DAME SUE BLACK, author of ALL THAT REMAINS '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 'Her writing is characterized by analytical precision, but it is also a book of great empathy and urgency... A fine book.'' TLS 'Riveting, thought-provoking, and very, very entertaining. I loved it.' RODDY DOYLE 'Will make you question all the fundamentals that you've come to take for granted about offenders, the crimes that they commit - especially murder - and the punishment they deserve. A page turner that will leave you wanting to know more.' EMERITUS PROFESSOR DAVID WILSON, author of MY LIFE WITH MURDERERS

THE WAR IS OVER The Civil War may have ended, but division still remains among its survivors. Some continue to rally for equality. Then, there are others, like the Knights of the Rising Sun. They’re a group of vicious vigilantes who want to halt progress in Texas and put an end to bluebellies and carpetbaggers by bullet, fire, and noose. THE FIGHT CONTINUES The Secret Service sends Gideon Ryder to stop the Knights before they grow from a gang into an army. But as Ryder follows the band of villains from Corpus Christi to Jefferson, Texas, his mission proves more difficult than planned, especially when the cowards only surface with sacks over their heads. To learn their identities, Ryder will have to get close enough to see under the hoods. Luckily, Gideon has an army of his own ready to take them down, flanked by his Colt in his left hand and his Henry in his right…

In Kosovo, American Blake Johnson and Major Harry Miller of Britain band together just in time to stop a rogue Russian captain from desecrating a helpless village. Actually, Miller stops him...with a couple of bullets to the head. In the world of covert operations, death begets death-revenge leads only to revenge. And before the explosive situation is put to rest, there will be plenty of both.

“Kafkaesque” isn’t a term that’s used often or even lightly. So when it finds itself tied to any modern-day author, you know you’ll be in for a real treat. And that’s just what we’ve come to expect from Steve Rasnic Tem. His work often embodies the same nightmarish quality that authors like Kafka inject into their own writing. However, in Tem’s stories the situations are even more nihilistic. His environments are inhabited by droogs and degenerates, lost or forgotten, whose stories—up until now—have had no voice. But in a world overrun by an abject and apathetic populace, Tem provides his characters with all the voice they need. Thus, it’s no surprise that violence is the wallpaper that lines Tem’s squalid hallways. Stories like “Facing It” and “Rough Justice” portray a dog-eat-dog world where “little bastards” are held in check and accused baby killers receive their just deserts. But keep a look-out for irony knocking on the door—it provides all the epiphany our flawed anti-heroes would ever wish to meet. In “Rat Catcher” an infestation of rodents in one family’s home leads to an anguished plea for help. But the man who arrives leaves their children unsettled, and like the nightmare the father endured as a child, a horrific manifestation has been resurrected. Just as deplorable is “The Stench” in which Riley is continually hampered by foul odors found in ordinary people, places, and things, forcing him to avoid them at all costs. But one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and for Riley, the stench he so admonishes may in fact be our windfall. Tem shows that there may be a glimmer of sentiment lurking inside—one that needs its door slammed shut. “Love Letters” features a man traveling cross country in the hopes of recovering his ex’s love notes. No matter what their nostalgia, they pull him further from reality and further from the closure he so desperately needs. “Daddy’s an Actor” and “My Daughter is Here” feature two distinct father-daughter depictions: one that surrounds a fascination with the art of acting; and the other with end-of-life care. Their faux relationships may be teetering on the brink of collapse, but thankfully, their “daughters” are there to swoop in and help as needed…in their own little, maladjusted ways. Unlike the noir-driven exploits from your father’s time, these forty-three tales of crime and deception run the gamut from high-altitude capers to back-alley brouhahas. You’ll meet obsessives and connivers, goons and scoundrels. You may find it uncomfortable or even disturbing, but you’ll never be lonely or bored locked inside Tem’s “Kafkaesque” amphitheater. With nearly 500 pages of disturbing content, it’s not to be read all at once.