“NOBODY KNOWS RAPISTS BETTER”
After being fired from her post as Chief of the Special Victims Unit for refusing to “go along to get along,” Alice Vachss published the incendiary Sex Crimes, described as “a stark, passionate closing argument in [her] broader case against the criminal justice system” by the NY Times, which named it as a Notable Book of the Year. Nick (Goodfellas) Pileggi called it “the single best book about prosecuting sex crimes in America, period.” Now, twenty years later, Alice Vachss becomes Special Prosecutor for Sex Crimes in a new environment … on the opposite coast, in a small rural community. And asks the critical question: What has changed? Sex Crimes: Then and Now shreds the myths about sex crime prosecution in America, revealing that the passage of time and a different locale are mere window dressing for horrors America has yet to face. For those who want something more than press releases and Trash-TV “coverage,” this no-compromises book offers the brutal truth.
Nicholas Pileggi, author of Wiseguy (Goodfellas), Casino –
Alice Vachss has written an extraordinary book. It is the single best book about prosecuting sex crimes in America, period. As a prosecutor, Vachss has tried over one hundred felony rape and child abuse cases and she is not shy about describing a nightmare system where the bad guys are allowed to go free and the victims are victimized again, this time by the police, prosecutors, and courts.
Edna Buchanan, The Washington Post Book World –
Nobody knows rapists better than Alice Vachss. With this book she has scored a knockout.
Entertainment Weekly –
An impassioned account of rape victims, the criminals who terrorize them, and the legal system that too often neglects them.
The New York Times Book Review –
A stark, passionate closing argument in Vachss’ broader case against the criminal justice system.
Amazon review –
Did you ever read a verdict headline and wonder how justice went so far off the rails? Especially when the crimes involved sex? Alice Vachss JD used to lead the Special Victims Bureau in Queens, NY. This book shows how the machine worked — when it didn’t, why — and how creative she had to be to fight for victims. Especially when most of the justice system seems to care more about their careers than about justice.
Everyone should read this book. Even if you have never been the victim of interpersonal violence, or a crime involving sex, you need this glimpse into how the system works. You will never skim over the judge-and-attorney section of your ballot again. If you are cheerfully naive, this book will help you grow up. If you are checked out or indifferent, this book will make you show up.
And if you ever feel hopeless, as if there is no good in the world, no one willing to fight for the grievously wounded, no one able to make a difference…this book will inspire you.
When I read these books, I had a solid, empty career. These books were part of what connected me to my values, leading me to become a social worker later in life. I grew up learning how to be safe; these books helped me to be brave.
There is a world of ugly evil, and you will see it in these books — but you will also see a model of how to fight it, how to win, how to keep on fighting when you lose.