Reading
Books that open up criminal justice without requiring a legal background. Choose from essays, short stories and non-fiction according to how you like to read.
Classic essay · Italy
Cesare Beccaria
A starting point for thinking about the limits of punishment, proportionality and safeguards against state power. The chapters are short, although the eighteenth-century language calls for patient reading.
Publisher’s edition ↗
Short stories · Germany
Ferdinand von Schirach
Short stories by a criminal defence lawyer, exploring difficult questions of guilt and responsibility. A good first choice if you prefer narratives to essays: the interest lies in the questions rather than easy answers.
Publisher’s edition ↗
Non-fiction · United States
Bryan Stevenson
A narrative account of defending convicted people, opening up questions about wrongful convictions and inequality. A useful way to think about how accusations are tested and what happens when a justice system gets things wrong. Originally published as Just Mercy.
Publisher’s edition ↗
Literary non-fiction · France
Emmanuel Carrère
A reconstruction of a criminal case that raises questions about how events are narrated and the limits of understanding an accused person. Best suited to readers looking for demanding literary non-fiction; the events described are particularly disturbing.
Publisher’s edition ↗These books encourage reflection; they are not guides to current Spanish law. Books set in other countries concern different legal systems.
Time to listen
Consult with María Morales Elbaz, lawyer in Madrid.