Gideon's Children

By Howard G. Franklin

Set amidst the tumultuous and transformative 1960s, Gideon's Children tells the fascinating story of the idealistic young men and women who staffed the newly formed and expanded Public Defender Offices after the Supreme Court's 1963 Gideon decision mandated the right to counsel when charged with a crime, and who then bravely led a revolution within the Criminal Justice system as part of the greater Civil Rights Movement.Sharing the view through the eyes of five young Public Defenders stationed in the fictional ghetto courthouse of Solina, the reader is catapulted onto the floor of the embattled courtroom where he or she walks amongst the remaining cast of judges, prosecutors, and cops within the frightening but intriguing atmosphere of murder, rape, robbery, and drugs. And as the drama spawned by intense human conflict unfolds, the novel weaves together the threads that form its essential lesson: That the power of the State is enormous, and that the only true protection against governmental abuse of power is the individual's supremely valuable constitutional rights! Relevant throughout American history, this lesson is highly applicable to today's alarming Patriot Act issues such as anyone being classified as an enemy combatant can be held indefinitely without being charged, and the ever increasing intrusion into individuals' lives via surreptitious governmental surveillance. Nor can one fail to observe that the civil rights so valiantly fought for during the 1960s are being sorely tested in the here and now as evidenced by the tragic events in Ferguson, Missouri.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 099083980X
• ISBN13: 9780990839804
• Release Date: October 2014
• Publisher: Chamberlain Press
• Length: 578 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.1" x 9.1"