Book: Felony Review by Randy Barnett

Barnett, Randy. 2026. Felony Review. Encounter Books.

The publisher codes the book as "true crime", but one could argue that Felony Report is really a professional memoir rather than a proper "true crime" book, in the sense that it is really about what it was like to work in the office of the State's Attorney in Chicago in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Telling that story means telling some stories about crimes, especially about how the crimes played out for their perpetrators in court, but the book is much more than just those stories. Indeed, one of my favorite bits of the book (pages 79-81 for those playing along at home) explains how the skills required to be a good prosecutor differ from those required to be a good defense attorney, so more labor economics than sordid criminal detail. 

The book also reveals an impressive familiarity with cop shows and lawyer shows both modern and, even more so, vintage, including many shows from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Overall, Randy is not so pleased with their representation of prosecutors and their role in the criminal justice system.

The title of the book refers to one of Randy's first jobs within the office of the State's Attorney, namely reviewing potential felony cases to see if they merited pursuing. This role within the office, which began in part as a way of unclogging the courts and focusing prosecutorial resources on the most winnable cases, put him in a position to interview both suspects and victims and do to occasional bits of detective work. 

I know Randy in the sense that we met a few times many years ago at libertarian events when I was in gradual school at the University of Chicago. I have followed his (quite impressive) career from a distance since that time and look forward to reading his longer biography, A Life for Liberty: The Making of an American Originalist. 

I purchased Felony Review at Madison Street Books. Perhaps oddly, Madison Street Books is in Chicago rather than Madison, sitting not far from Greektown in an area I would not have walked in at night when I was a graduate student but which has become a hipster haven. It has become my favorite stop for new books in Chicago outside of Hyde Park.