Saturday, May 15, 2010

House Rules - Chapter 5 (pgs 184- 241)

In Case 5: The Not-So-Good Doctor, Bill Sybers was caught for the murder of his wife by rushing and overlooking or being unaware of a fact that made it easier to catch him. Oliver rushes through Jacobs arraignment and doesn't really know what he's doing, putting Jacob in a place he shouldn't be. Repeatedly in this chapter, people aren't told Jacob has AS as he moves from the police station to the court to jail. It's only a loose connection. Anyone have any other thoughts? I am enjoying trying to link the relevance of the cases opening each chapter to the chapter.

This chapter is all about the missteps that occur leading to Jacob being put in jail, which he can't handle. Oliver is ineffective as a lawyer. Don't lawyer learn how to handle court appearances in law school, such as mock trials or shadowing? I get that he's inexperienced but it seems like he should have some idea how to proceed. Also, I'd have thought there would be a special prison or prison wing for prisoners with disabilities. No one in the prison even seems to know Jacob has AS. A nurse is there administering these drugs to Jacob. Surely, she would know about the characteristics of Autism or AS if she knew Jacob had it. Rich seems to know Jacob is acting oddly for someone who has just been charged with a crime. He knows not to leave Jacob in the cell at the police station.

This chapter didn't give in any further insight into how Jess died. I also didn't find it as interesting as the previous chapters. I still want to know what happens next, but the (mostly minor) characters are seeming somewhat stereotypical. The chapter didn't seem like it was furthering the story much either.

2 comments:

Shirley said...

I had thought, too, that attorneys had more training on how criminal matters are handled. Although Oliver's incompetence probably caused the initial stay in jail, I wonder if Emma would have been able to get a more dedicated attorney than Oliver. Unless she was wealthy or her case grabbed the attention of someone willing to handle it without charging, I doubt that the defense would be any better than what she is getting from Oliver.

With autism and AS receiving more press, perhaps incidents in which an accused's disability is not taken into consideration will become less common. However, given the increasing size of the prison population and the less than ideal working environment (most prisoners are probably less than desirable people to be around, are not happy to be imprisoned and most will claim innocence)I suspect that the main focus for correction officers is getting the job done rather than being aware of a prisoner's disabilities.

It was sure a horrible experience for Emma and Jacob.

Jennifer said...

Yeah, I have no idea what it would cost to retain a good criminal attorney.