Steve Bogira’s riveting book takes us into the heart of America’s criminal justice system. Courtroom 302 is the story of one year in one courtroom in Chicago’s Cook County Criminal Courthouse, the busiest felony courthouse in the country.

We see the system through the eyes of the men and women who experience it, not only in the courtroom but in the lockup, the jury room, the judge’s chambers, the spectators’ gallery. When the judge and his staff go to the scene of the crime during a burglary trial, we go with them on the sheriff’s bus. We witness from behind the scenes the highest-profile case of the year: three young white men, one of them the son of a reputed mobster, charged with the racially motivated beating of a thirteen-year-old black boy. And we follow the cases that are the daily grind of the court, like that of the middle-aged man whose crack addiction brings him repeatedly back before the judge.

Bogira shows us how the war on drugs is choking the system, and how in most instances justice is dispensed–as, under the circumstances, it must be–rapidly and mindlessly. The stories that unfold in the courtroom are often tragic, but they no longer seem so to the people who work there. Says a deputy in 302: “You hear this stuff every day, and you’re like, ‘Let’s go, let’s go, let’s get this over with and move on to the next thing.’”

Steve Bogira is, as Robert Caro says, “a masterful reporter.” His special gift is his understanding of people–and his ability to make us see and understand them. Fast-paced, gripping, and bursting with character and incident, Courtroom 302 is a unique illumination of our criminal court system that raises fundamental issues of race, civil rights, and justice.

From the Hardcover edition.

“A gripping, insightful book . . . Might be required reading for anyone interested in the realities of the American justice system.” —Peter Blauner, Newsday

“A tour-de-force . . . The author has done his homework . . . An outstanding accomplishment; for all collections.” —Harry Charles, Esq., Library Journal

“Courtroom 302 is a dispassionate work of journalistic precision, a smart, subtle broadside against a criminal justice system that feeds upon the poor and dispossessed. The waste of an unenforceable drug prohibition, the number-crunching senselessness of assembly-line plea bargaining, the willful blindness by judges, lawyers and sheriff’s deputies to the very human element itself—all of it is rendered through the careful and honest examination of one Chicago courtroom. Steve Bogira has written a book that detail by detail, reveals the chasm between law and justice and, in the end, shames us all.” —David Simon, author of Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood

“Steve Bogira reveals how our court system really works—and it is nothing like you see on television. He takes readers past the metal detectors, into a felony courtroom—and inside the minds of judges, lawyers, and defendants alike. Along the way, he exposes the bureaucracy that feeds America’s prisons, delivering fresh insights into how America ended up with the world’s highest rate of imprisonment. Courtroom 302 is a triumph of narrative journalism and a must-read for anyone concerned about the state of justice in America.” —Jennifer Gonnerman, author of Life on the Outside: The Prison Odyssey of Elaine Bartlett

“An addictive portrait of an American courtroom . . . Eye-opening and bold from the start.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

From the Hardcover edition.

“For fans of Law & Order, CSI, and other crime dramas dominating prime time today, Steve Bogira offers the real thing . . . Meticulously reported.” —Ann LoLordo, Baltimore Sun

“Fascinating.” —Jennifer Reese, Entertainment Weekly

“Engrossing . . . Compelling and carefully observed.” —Keelin McDonell, The New Republic Online

“A rare, richly detailed look at criminal justice . . . Well-written, meticulously researched . . . A vivid tapestry of the day-in and day-out workings of criminal justice, ranging from the mundane to the bizarre and from the humorous to the gut-wrenchingly sad.” —Maurice Possley, Chicago Tribune

“So insider-ish, so candid, that it will shock, awe, and generally stick in the mind for a long time . . . So much in Courtroom 302 is revelatory that the revelations cannot even be summarized in a normal-length newspaper review . . . Important, compelling.” —Steve Weinberg, Legal Times

“Courtroom 302 is insightful and a pleasure to read . . . Dead-on accurate.” —Jim Day, Chicago Lawyer

Courtroom 302 is the fascinating story of one year in Chicago's Cook County Criminal Courthouse, the busiest felony courthouse in the country. Here we see the system through the eyes of the men and women who experience it, not only in the courtroom but in the lockup, the jury room, the judge's chambers, the spectators' gallery. From the daily grind of the court to the highest-profile case of the year, Steve Bogira’s masterful investigation raises fundamental issues of race, civil rights, and justice in America.

Steve Bogira graduated from Northwestern University and has been a prizewinning writer for the Chicago Reader since 1981. He is a former Alicia Patterson Fellow. He lives with his wife in Evanston, Illinois.