25 to Life: The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth

She has presided over some of Americas most complex and violent cases, ranging from narcotics to sex crimes to headline-making murder and mob trials. Her toughness in court is legendary and she is known for frequently imposing maximum sentences (120 years each for five young drug lords). As a result, she must have round-the-clock security due to the repeated death threats from the criminals she has put behind bars. Now Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Leslie Crocker Snyder offers an account of her unparalleled career, including nearly twenty years on the bench - and takes readers behind the scenes and into a courtroom whose trials and rulings have placed a permanent stamp on our legal system. Graduating from law school in a time when women werent welcome in the law, Snyder fought for the opportunity to serve in New York Citys rough-and-tumble district attorneys office. She had to prove herself to the male lawyers around her, to the perps she helped arrest, and to detectives who only trusted their own. Spearheading the establishment of the first sex-crimes prosecution division in the country, Snyder rose through the ranks, overseeing headline-grabbing rape and assault cases and coming down hard on drug gangs and murderers. By the time she was ready for the bench, Snyder had visited horrific crime scenes, stared down vicious killers, and earned the respect of her peers and the police. Since becoming a judge, she has put the guilty behind bars - and kept them there. In 25 to Life Leslie Crocker Synder describes her controversial crime-fighting career, what it is like to confront murderers and rapists, and how she deals with the contracts on her life. Last but not least, she gives us a blunt, front-lines assessment of our nations war on crime - what should be done and why, if we as a nation are to survive.--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved (Syndetics)

Author: Leslie Crocker Snyder, Manhattan Supreme

Language: English

Binding: Hardcover

Pages: 352

Publisher: Warner Books

Publication Date: 2002-09-23