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Archive for October, 2010

Defending the Damned


Product Description

Chicago was the nation’s deadliest city in 2001, recording 666 homicides. For lawyers in the Cook County Public Defender’s Office Murder Task Force, that meant a steady flow of new clients. Eight out of ten people arrested for murder in Chicago are represented by public defenders. They’re assigned the most challenging and seemingly hopeless cases, yet they always fight to win.

One of those lawyers is Marijane Placek, a snakeskin boot-wearing, Shakespeare-quoting nonconformist whose courtroom bravado and sharp legal skills have made her a well-known figure around the courthouse. When an ex-convict was arrested on charges of killing a Chicago police officer that deadly year, Placek got the high-profile case, and her defense forms the hub around which the book’s narrative revolves.

Veteran journalist Kevin Davis reveals the compelling true story of a team of battle-scarred lawyers fighting against all odds. Unflinching, gripping, and full of surprises, Defending the Damned is an unforgettable human story and engaging courtroom drama where life and death hang in the balance. Davis explores the motives that compel these lawyers to come to work in this dark corner of the criminal justice system and exposes their insular and often misunderstood world.

This groundbreaking work comes at a time when the country has seen how wrongful convictions have slipped through the system, that innocent people have been sent to death row, and that some police have lied or coerced suspects into confessing to crimes they did not commit. Such flaws drive these public defenders even harder to do their jobs, providing scrutiny to a long ignored and often broken system.

Davis’s reporting offers an unvarnished account of public defenders as never seen before. A powerful melding of courtroom drama and penetrating truecrime journalism, Defending the Damned is narrative nonfiction at its finest.

Defending the Damned

Offers State of Illinois Criminal Records

Everyone must not be too negligent in ensuring the safety of each family. Crimes, whether it be of minor or major case could happen anytime and anywhere. Thus, it would be a smart idea to conduct a Illinois Criminal Records search in order to protect the lives of your loved ones. The people you associate with in your daily routine should be the ones you must investigate more especially when they are acting suspiciously. Finding-out someone’s records in the past certainly brings peace of mind to anyone concerned.

The Illinois Arrest Records have so much information to provide to people for whatever legitimate purposes. If you want to have a correct choice in the future, then you should seek for the official files and use them as your legal basis. These important documents comprise all the data which relate to the criminal offenses of a particular individual. Doing so would absolutely give you an at ease mind without having to worry on things.

These Public Criminal Records are absolutely accessible by anyone for whatever legal reasons. The right has been provided by law for complete transparency on the criminal records. All the details you need to have about these public reports can be retrieved for whatever purposes. There has been no restriction in terms of the use of the said legal documents. Only the confidential files that are kept for the general welfare of the public or when a certain crime is committed by a minor individual cannot be retrieved by the people.

Illinois Criminal Records do not necessarily signify that a person had been sentenced to imprisonment. That person could have been arrested, but he or she remain guiltless until proven to be accountable for the misdeeds. These vital details are useful for any serious issues more especially in legal proceedings. Companies often perform a background check on their applicants; thus, the effective way to do so is to find-out if someone had gone through some serious trouble in the past.

Anyone should not be too careless in dealing with people around. These important documents are obtainable from the local police departments, sheriff departments and police Departments or from other law enforcing agencies. People can definitely resort to hiring some private companies which offer such kind of services for more convenience to the public. Usually, an amount of charge is demanded in return for the retrieval of records.

With the advent of modern computerization and the Internet these days, such relevant files can be obtained for both free and paid services. The commercial record providers though offer a better deal in terms of the quality of the search results. There is no waiting time unlike those that had to be done at the offices. Online criminal records check is the most preferred method because it is fast and hassle-free to perform.

Originally published here.


Arrest records are handled differently from state to state. Visit us at Public Criminal Records for pointers and information on State of Illinois Criminal Records. We are seasoned specialists in public records.


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Fun with Fotoshop

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