40 pages • 1 hour read
Nicole Gonzalez Van CleveCrook County
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2016A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
Crook County: Racism and Injustice in America’s Largest Criminal Court by Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve exposes systemic racism and corruption in Cook County, Illinois' criminal courts. Through a decade of ethnographic research, Van Cleve demonstrates how legal processes discriminate against poor individuals of color, perpetuated by court professionals, including sheriffs, defense attorneys, and prosecutors. The book details how racial bias is cloaked in non-racial terms, illustrating the pervasive culture of racial colorblindness in the justice system. The text includes references to racial degradation and violence.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve's Crook County expertly unveils systemic racism within the Chicago criminal courts, praised for thorough research and gripping narratives. Critics commend its compelling accounts, though some found repetition in its case studies, potentially affecting engagement. Overall, it's an impactful and sobering look at justice disparities.
Who Should Read Crook County?
Readers intrigued by systemic racial injustices within the U.S. legal system will appreciate Crook County by Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve. Similar to Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow, this book offers a critical and revealing examination of court procedures, making it ideal for those interested in sociology, criminology, and social justice.