Author Wendy Murphy recently updated her book, And Justice for Some, which challenges the maxim that the United States has the best legal system in the world.
“There are some things that are great about it, some things that are better than most,” she told Emily Rooney, “but when it comes to respecting, especially victimized women and children, we have a pretty awful, especially criminal justice system, that overtly subjugates women, overtly.
Take the case of Ariel Castro, the Cleveland man who was recently charged with kidnapping and raping three women in his home. Murphy asked why he wasn’t charged with violating their civil rights, too?
“He targeted them because of their gender,” she said. “In Ohio, if you target someone for violence based on a variety of categories, including gender, you’re supposed to face civil rights charges. Where is the outrage? Where is the leadership? Where is the attorney general?”
Watch Wendy Murphy talk to Emily Rooney on Greater Boston about other famous cases in which Murphy believed victims’ rights weren’t respected.