Dark Places Justice and Judgment

Justice is supposed to be blind, but in Dark Places, she's blind with a blindfold, Stevie Wonder glasses, and a paper bag over her head, just to be sure she makes the completely wrong decision. The authority figures in this book convince children to make false testimony in order to accuse innocent people of guilt. And then they leave it up to citizens to clean up the mess.

Questions About Justice and Judgment

1. What evidence was there against Ben? Why was he convicted? He didn't seem innocent, but there doesn't seem to be any evidence proving his guilt, either.
2. Why are so many people in the Kill Club interested in bringing the correct person to justice, while the justice system itself is happy convicting the wrong person?
3. What event finally convinces Libby to recant her testimony?

Chew on This

The "Satanic panic" of the '80s stirred people into a frenzy, eager to pin crimes on anyone who seemed a little different. Justice was driven by emotion, not by reason.

Libby is only able to search for justice once she puts emotion aside. She finds the real killer by finding hard evidence, not just by speculating.