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.