The Innocent Man, the book

The Innocent Man by John Grisham, his first non-fiction book, is an important book which tells the story of the perversity of the criminal justice system when prosecutors are narcissistic despots, cops are corrupt, judges are officious functionaries, and juries are prejudiced mobs who care nothing for facts, evidence, and the truth.

Ron Williamson, a mentally ill ex professional baseball player, is framed for a murder he did not commit and was a couple of weeks from being executed before some diligent indigent defense attorneys finally got a decent judge to review the error riddled original trial and put a stay on the execution. Barry Sheck's Innocence Project finally did DNA testing which found that Williamson and the other man framed, Dennis Fritz, could not have committed the crime.

If you have the misguided notion that our criminal justice system is fair, impartial, and accurate, you will be quickly dissuaded from that notion reading this book.

This is one of Grisham's most important books, and it is a book every American who cares about the criminal justice system and human rights should read. I highly recommend it.

Link: Amazon.com: The Innocent Man: Books: John Grisham.