Review: The Velvet Hammer by Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Jr. and Amy Mitchell

Bridging the traditional boundaries of personal and professional life, Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Jr. offers an eye-opening peek into the American justice system with The Velvet Hammer, a powerful memoir laced with revelatory insight about some of the most memorable, challenging, and heinous cases of his career, including the Casey Anthony case, which brought him intense scrutiny and notoriety.

Born in 1949 and coming of age in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, Perry developed a deep understanding of systemic fractures in America, but also recognized the life-changing leaps toward racial equality that were gained during his generation. As an African-American judge in the conservative state of Florida, raised by a policeman, Perry offers a valuable and uncommon perspective, adding significant weight to his opinions regarding the justice system.

From the seminal lessons of his childhood and the hard edges of law school to formative memories from youth programs and early encounters with unpunished law-breaking, readers are able to get a full picture of both the man and the justice system itself, flaws and all. Early in the book, Perry describes himself as a compassionate judge who believed in delivering justice at the individual level, not through a standardized or cookie-cutter system of punishment. As the titular “velvet hammer,” he had to navigate a balance between grace, eloquence, and righteousness in the face of horrific crimes and disturbing violations of humanity.

Methodically moving through the details of eight shocking cases, the narrative pulls back the curtain on the judicial process and the regrettably snail-like pace of the criminal justice system, while also reading like a true-crime thriller, packed with emotional peaks and shocking valleys that set these grim proceedings apart. In various courtrooms over the years, Perry faced down manipulative serial killers, sadistic butchers, remorseless rapists, and suicidal maniacs, and was responsible for the delivery of justice, or mercy. Providing readers with the backstory and details of these villains reveals the tricky nature of legal maneuvering and prosecution, and the critical role a judge plays in such proceedings.

While the Casey Anthony trial defined his career and placed him squarely in the public eye, it was only one of eight cases he handled that ended with capital punishment. Not only is this a memoir highlighting the darkest crimes the author presided over from the bench, but also a thoughtful analysis of the death penalty, along with arguments for its essential role in the justice system as well as criticisms of its brutal finality. The judge does not revel in the life-ending decisions he handed down, and acknowledges the monumental responsibility and emotional weight of condemning a person to death. Embedded in this intensive breakdown of each case are Perry’s personal beliefs on morality, human rights, forgiveness, redemption, and the punitive measures of incarceration, for a fully-rounded examination of American justice.

On a technical level, this book is meticulously edited without any obvious errors, and the passion for righteousness flows authentically on every page. Any reader with even a passing curiosity about the procedural elements of the criminal justice system will be enlightened, appalled, and educated by this timely and blunt confession about the American judiciary.