Moments of it are fucking brilliant. Best five hours on tv this year thus far.

sit back and enjoy...its really good tv. some people are getting a bit sniffy about the representation of the legal system but just keep the boys story as the focal point, dont worry about wheteher stuff like this would actually happen in court. it peaks in the first few episodes but is still really worth a watch.

Felt really rushed, like they'd forgotten they had to resolve everything. Well worth watching, though.

I enjoyed it, esp seeing the prison scenes. I work in a court and usually only see the actual trials (which can be pretty long winded and dull, hence they tend to be intensified and therefore glamourised and unrealistic on telly), so it's good to see the back story and a different perspective.

by kathryn flett in the observor that perfectly explains what i was trying to say

'even if Criminal Justice hadn't been an entirely compelling drama about the soul-sapping abasements of prison life and the complex ritual dances of the police and the judiciary - which it was - it would have been an entirely compelling drama about a young man's abrupt and painful journey away from youth and into adulthood'

I'm completely hooked. The end of episode 3 is heartbreaking :(