William Morrow and Company, Inc. Description: In 1987 Kelly Michaels was sentenced to 47 years in prison for abusing children at the Wee Care day care center in Maplewood, New Jersey. This 364 page book is a detailed account of the two-year investigation and lengthy trial by Lisa Manshel, a Harvard graduate who covered the trial as a journalist. The book is divided into 21 sections which cover the investigation by the New Jersey prosecutor's office and the trial. The first set of lawyers hired for Kelly Michaels were quickly discharged and Ms. Michaels was assigned Harvey Meltzer and Robert Clark as defense attorneys. The prosecutors were Sara McArdle and Glenn Goldberg. The state hired Eileen Treacy as their chief expert and the defense retained Jonas Rappeport, Elissa Benedek and Ralph Underwager. Although the defense raised over 100 objections, most were overruled by the judge. The prosecution attempted to protect the children and the judge refused to release the names and addresses of the alleged victims to the defense. However, children had to testify against Ms. Michaels and several children and parents refused to participate in the trial. Other parents filed a civil suit against the day care center. After the trial, the judge sealed the records of the case. Both sides used the media to garner public opinion and the
case was highly publicized. Bail was denied and Ms. Michaels remained in
jail
during the investigation and trial. The prosecutors attempted to avoid the
mistakes made in the Jordan, Minnesota cases in which the first defendants were
acquitted and the charges were dropped against the rest. Sara McArdle is presented very
positively. Discussion: This long book is biased and clearly pro-prosecution. It also reads like an apology for prosecutorial and social services ineptitude. The use of first names, without titles or roles, is confusing and ambiguous terms are not clearly explained. However, people working in day care may want to read the state's main arguments so they can learn how to defend themselves. (Editor's Note: A very different account of the Kelly Michaels trial is presented by Dorothy Rabinowitz in "From the Mouths of Babes to a Jail Cell" in the May 1990 issue of Harpers Magazine.) Reviewed by LeRoy Schultz, professor of social work, at West Virginia University.
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