The Faces of Justice

Novelist Sybille Bedford watched courts closely—and with remarkable insight—in England, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. There she found stories of human frailty and impulsive action, both among the defendants in court and the judges and juries that decided their fates. Their tales are fascinating and resonate today. Not only are the social and political differences apparent in these countries and their machinery of crime and justice, but also their historic perceptions of fairness and…