Peggy Beckstrand is the deputy district attorney for the LA county juvenile justice system. One of the first things that Humes notices about Beckstrand is that she has very good posture, making her seem taller than her 5’6” frame:

Exceedingly pale, with very straight brown-blond hair, Beckstrand, a former Montessori teacher with a ribald sense of humor, enjoys a reputation for toughness that has left her decidedly unloved—and once sued—by her counterpart in the Public Defender’s Office (32).

As the deputy district attorney, Beckstrand does not try very many cases anymore, but rather oversees many of the seemingly vastly-inept prosecutors. She frequently has to clean up their messes when they do not know the law while also placating various judges, such as Dorn, whose nerves her prosecutors get on as a result of their ineptitude. Humes categorizes Beckstrand as almost unfailingly capable while blaming most of the problems in the district attorney’s office either on Beckstrand’s boss or on those she supervises. Humes will generally side with Beckstrand over the juvenile defendants, believing that any of her missteps stem from her earnest resolve and motivation. For example, Humes attempts to humanize Beckstrand by almost exclusively referring to her as Peggy, lending a note of familiarity to Beckstrand with which the

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