Our reading selection for the month of April was The Innocent Man by John Grisham.
This was the author's first non-fiction book. It centered around the true story of Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz, who were convicted of a murder they did not commit. Ron spent 11 years on Death Row before the Innocence Project investigated the case and was able to get both Ron and Dennis freed.
Most people who are familiar with John Grisham's previous works have expressed some disappointment with the book because it simply lays out the details of the murder case. There is no literary achievements here. However, story of how the Williamson and Fritz cases were mishandled by local law enforcement and the assigned legal teams is atrocious and makes for a compelling conversation on how the judicial system is flawed and can be unjust soley due to the personal convictions of a few individuals rather than based on the actual facts. This is an obvious problem throughout the country. Since 1992 when the Innocence Project was established, a total of 216 people have been exonerated in the US, including 16 people on Death Row.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comments:
This books shows that when you get pulled into the system, even through no fault of your own, you are judged guilty. There is little innocence left if you are lucky enough to survive the "legal" process.
Maybe not the greatest read, but a compelling story.
Post a Comment