This is a highly personal criticism of the British legal system, its courts, its judges and its procedures. It takes women as the key example, showing how they have been adversely affected by images of women held by both lawyers and jurors, and discussing recent debates and cases such as the Sara Thornton case and the Kennedy rape trial, as well as the lesser-known daily business of the courts.

Acute, questioning, humane and passionately concerned for justice, Helena Kennedy is one of the most powerful voices in legal circles in Britain today. Here she roundly challenges the record of modern governments over the fundamental values of equality, fairness and respect for human dignity. She argues that in the last twenty years we have seen a steady erosion of civil liberties, culminating today in extraordinary legislation that undermines long established freedoms.