Michele Roberts grew up in Melrose Houses, a low-income housing project in the South Bronx. Her father left the family when she was still a toddler, leaving her mother, Elsie, to raise five kids on her own. As a hobby, her mother would watch trials and arraignments at the nearby courthouse, often bringing her daughter with her.
During one such visit, a family friend was brought in for arraignment. He failed to make bond, thanks in part to a poor effort by the attorney who was assigned to...