A Journey from Judgment to Connection
February 15, 2023
An urgent plea for a more humane criminal justice system. Writing with her former colleague Ramirez, Steinberg notes that being a career public defender has meant protecting "those most vulnerable when the government seeks to take away liberty." In this book, she explores both her reasons for devoting her life to defending "those people" and stories of clients victimized by the legal system. Steinberg credits her drug-addicted father, a man who cycled in and out of jails and mental institutions, for teaching her the importance of advocating for even the most troubled people "because they never cease to be a human being." This lesson in compassion helped her with the many difficult cases she encountered throughout her career, like the one involving a Russian Jewish immigrant wrongly charged with sodomy. The apparent heinousness of the crime did not deter Steinberg from getting to know her client, gaining his trust and finding evidence of a forced confession. Though she did not win the case, what she learned prepared her for later encounters with police corruption and brutality. It also laid the groundwork for the Bronx Defenders, which the author founded to train young lawyers how to "put up a real fight, center our clients' voices, and think about our work through a systemic lens." Her work with the Defenders, combined with her strongly held feminist beliefs, led her to create what she calls a "holistic defender office" in Oklahoma, which has the highest rate of female incarceration in the U.S. Steinberg's commitment to reforming a racist, xenophobic, classist, and misogynist criminal justice system is undeniably inspiring, as is her unshakeable faith that "compassion restores our shared humanity," making us "freer and more authentic." Her uplifting vision will resonate with social justice reformers and any readers interested in the ongoing fight for justice in a broken system. Powerfully insightful reading.
COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
March 15, 2023
Former public defender and CEO of the Bail Project, Steinberg charts her path to becoming a leader in her field. By using compassion in the title, she names the guiding principle for her decades-long career and this book. For Steinberg, compassion began with her troubled father and has remained steadfast throughout her life. When an opportunity arose to start a public defense agency in New York, she put aside fears and concerns to develop an agency that extends beyond legal defense. Her work is not merely to defend individuals in court but also to offer "holistic defense" that addresses the host of consequences and challenges that often follow an arrest, from childcare and housing to immigration. The group's focus on fighting first for human dignity brought them national attention. And when that attention turned negative due to a misstep, she acknowledged it and continued her work. This is an inspiring work of social justice and respect, a story of hard work and meaningful results that debunks commonly held misperceptions. Steinberg challenges other defenders and readers to be courageous, curious, and compassionate.
COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.