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| American comic actor Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. Michael Jackson leaving the Santa Barbara County courthouse. SANTA MARIA, CA-Setting the stage for a contentious legal battle that would be played out in the world media spotlight, superstar Michael Jackson was put on trial in early 2005, charged with 10 criminal counts including child molestation, attempted child molestation, administering alcohol to a minor to aid in the commission of a felony, and conspiracy to kidnap, extort, and falsely imprison the teenage accuser's family. Thousands of stories were published detailing every minute aspect of the circus-like proceedings, including the day Jackson arrived late to court wearing pajamas and complaining of a serious back injury. Jackson believed he was the victim of a conspiracy and maintained his innocence throughout. Moreover, the list of possible witnesses to testify on his behalf read like a Los Angeles premiere, including the likes of Jay Leno, Elizabeth Taylor, Kobe Bryant, and Diana Ross.¹ Michael Jackson is certainly not the first major celebrity to be charged with criminal activity and to receive widespread media attention. Sex scandals involving the rich and famous have always attracted readers. Perhaps the first celebrity sex case dates back to when Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, a slapstick silent-film star whose girth begat his nickname, was charged with the rape and death of an aspiring young actress in 1921. Arbuckle was finally acquitted after three trials, but not before starring in the flurry of scandalous headlines touting "the case of the century" that ultimately ruined his reputation and career. The sensationalistic media attention surrounding Jackson's trial was reminiscent of Arbuckle's debacle, and so too was Jackson's case labeled the "case of the century," even though there were 95 more years to go. What is it about crimes and trials that fascinates people generation after generation, and why do some cases attract so much public attention? During the first few years of the 21st century, there were other celebrated criminal cases—basketball star Kobe Bryant, home decorating executive Martha Stewart, and film star Winona Ryder. All exposed many of the details behind our criminal justice system to millions of Americans. The rules of evidence, jury selection methods, DNA testing reliability, media interference, and police investigation techniques suddenly "mattered" to tens of millions of Americans. Yet such high-profile cases can also lead to an inaccurate and unbalanced view of our criminal justice system. Criminal justice isn't just the police or the courts. Perhaps most important, the overwhelming majority of criminal cases are handled nothing like the cases seen on TV. Media-fed images and preconceptions—whether from the nightly news, amateur footage of "real cops," or the latest Hollywood crime thriller—are more drama-based than focused on understanding how our society handles crime. The details of sensational cases often obscure why the system has evolved into its current form and where criminal justice might be headed in the years ahead. This book carries you beyond these preconceptions and limitations. Whether you become a criminal justice professional, enter a field that interacts with some part of the criminal justice system, or simply remain a private citizen, it is important that you develop an accurate understanding of how our system works—and how it can fail. This book helps you to analyze the issues that drive the system today and into the future. |