THE INNOCENT MAN: MURDER AND INJUSTICE IN A SMALL TOWN, by John Grisham. New York: Doubleday, 2006. 368pp. Hardcover. $28.95. ISBN: 9780385517232. Reviewed by Jack E. Call, Department of Criminal Justice, Radford University. Email: jcall [at] RADFORD.EDU. John Grisham’s legal novels are well-known to avid readers of that literary genre. THE INNOCENT MAN is Grisham’s first (and so far only) venture into non-fiction. It tells the story of Ron Williamson, an Oklahoma boy with great promise as a professional baseball player. However, the demons of drink, drugs, and mental illness prevented Williamson from fulfilling that potential. Eventually, Williamson’s demons also destroyed his marriage, prevented him from holding a …show more content…
This result required analysis from another technician, who ultimately concluded that some of the samples were consistent with Fritz’ hair. It took this expert over two years to do his analysis, and he did so with the knowledge that when he was analyzing Fritz’ hair, Fritz was a suspect in the case. (Other hair samples that he analyzed were not marked as having come from a suspect). [*604] The prosecution’s case may have been strengthened when it was able to prove during cross-examination of Dennis Fritz that he had lied to the school system when he indicated on his job application that he had no criminal convictions. In fact, he had once been convicted of growing marijuana. (When the police had discovered this fact during its investigation, they called the junior high school where Fritz was working and told them that he was under investigation for murder and had lied about his marijuana-growing conviction. The school system fired him immediately). The prosecution also established that Fritz had lied about the marijuana-growing conviction on an application for a gun permit. Although this testimony may have strengthened the prosecution’s case a little by showing that Fritz had lied on at least two occasions, the case in chief from the prosecution was so weak to start with that it is difficult to imagine how the case survived a motion for a directed verdict from the defense, much less provided a
We analyzed 3 pieces of evidence for hair. We collected hair from the Victim, the Victim’s Car, and the Cabin. The Victim
Imagine this, you have just found out that your brother has been touching and molesting innocent Native American women. Would you take initiative and arrest your own and only brother? Or would you sweep everything under the rug because he is your brother? Well, in the novel Montana 1948 by Larry Watson, a young boy, David, learns that his uncle, Frank, a doctor, has been molesting his Native American women patients. It is up to Wes to make a decision of whether or not to go by law or let everything slide. Numerous of readers believe that justice is shown more than loyalty to family in the book because eventually Frank is arrested. However, loyalty to family is shown more than justice because Wes never thought of arresting Frank in the first
The book is written by Steve Bogira, who is a reporter for a newspaper is Chicago. He goes into the courtroom 302 whose judge
The famous novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn once said “Justice is conscience, not a personal conscience but conscience of the whole humanity.” Justice is one of the most dominant themes in the book of Montana 1948 by Larry Watson. In the story, Wesley is a sheriff of Bentrock Montana, when his brother Frank is accused of taking advantage of his patients. He is forced to choose between justice and family loyalty. In the beginning of the novel, Wesley values family loyalty more than justice, but after he finds out what his brother has done. He decides that justice is more important.
John Berendt’s novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil follows a New York native reporter as he investigates in Savannah. The story tells us, the readers, how the people living in Savannah deal with a murder case between a well-known man and a well-known hustler. The book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil shows the reader the various speakers, the impersonal tone, and the occasion of the trial.
In today’s society the criminal justice system that we live in is flawed in so many ways. Some say that it works while others go to prison or jail for crimes that they didn’t commit. In this paper I will be covering specific examples from the book, The Innocent Man, where the defendant’s rights were violated. John Grisham talks about innocent men being innocent and convicted for murder and sent to unlawful court proceedings. In this paper I will be focusing mainly on the violations of his 6th amendment. The 6th amendment is the right to effective assistance of counsel.
The following essay will interlock four major points that John Grisham uses in his first nonfiction novel The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town to convince
After reading “the Innocent Man” by Pamela Colloff’s who write a long journalism about Michael Morton, who was found guilty for murdering his wife Christine was sentenced for fifteen years in prison. Later founding that Michael was Innocent after reinvestigating his case, capturing DNA testing and finding new evidence was able to help prove his innocence. The theme of this essay a widow husband who seek to fight for his freedom in prison and staying connected with his son. Michal son Eric gave him a reason to have hope that they would one day reunite and his son would know for himself that he did murder his wife. The point of view of this essay although a man is falsely accuse for a crime he did not commit he is self-determined to fight.
The relationship between law enforcement and prosecutors, which goes hand-in-hand, can’t be overlooked. Evidence of a crime that detectives and law enforcement discover is as equally important as a good trial on part of the prosecution. If detectives aren’t able to find good solid evidence – that case usually isn’t bothered in being pursued. Several years ago, in the late 80’s, there was a murder case in Southeastern Oklahoma which now serves as a tragic example to the need for honest, constitutional work in the criminal justice system. Disreputable investigative procedures, fraudulent sources, and bad evidence were the foundation of this case that shattered innocent lives.
The accusations against him, brought by Briony Tallis, held him responsible for the violation of her cousin Lola. Robbie reflects on this, as Briony plans to refute her statement to the police, “The intricacies were lost to him, the urgency had died. Briony would change her evidence, she would rewrite the past so that the guilty became the innocent. But what was guilt these days? It was cheap. Everyone was guilty, and no one was. No one would be redeemed by a change of evidence, for there weren’t enough people… to…gather in the facts.” (188) Robbie’s loss of security and his future took away the childlike carefreeness he displayed before the accusation. Briony’s conscience weighs heavily on her as she moves from a naïve implication to the realization of the consequences.
For the past 50 years, America’s criminal justice system has encountered several significant changes dealing with courts and policing. According to Marion and Oliver (2006), the historical Supreme Court rulings like Mapp v. Ohio and Miranda v. Arizona mold the way courts and law enforcement handle individuals charged with committing crimes. This paper will discuss the evolution of courts and law enforcement reflects the diverse and changing need for today’s population which is first importance, the urgency for cooperation and communication among criminal justice agencies and law enforcement within the country. Individuals must
Well those are some basic facts everyone should know about hair for this case. Now that everyone has back round information about hair I can explain why I believe a particular suspect is a match to the hair found at the crime scene. I received four different pieces of hair from each of the suspects, which I labeled A-D. Then I analyzed them all under a microscope on wet, latex and water mounts. After that, I actually got the hair from the crime scene and labeled it “Evidence” and analyzed it under a microscope on wet, latex and water mounts just like I did to the suspects hair.
John Grisham's The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town is the nonfiction retelling of a 1982 case involving the rape and murder of a 21-year old cocktail waitress in Ada named Debra Sue Carter. For over five years the police were unable to solve the crime. They named Ron Williamson and his friend Dennis Fritz were eventually arrested in 1987 and charged with capital murder. In the absence of physical evidence, the prosecution's case was paper thin and relied on the testimony of less than credible characters (i.e., convicts and jailhouse snitches). Dennis Fritz was found guilty and given a life sentence. Ron Williamson was sent to death row. Both convictions were eventually overturned.
In conclusion, the hypotheses that the researchers have made their claims upon are largely insufficient and lacking in extensive causal areas. I believe that I have brought these issues to light, and have shown with the information I have learned in Criminology 260, the ways in which they could improve upon their
I became interested in the criminal justice system after taking a law course in high school. As a female within the context of my religious and cultural background; having career in the criminal justice system is considered a non-traditional role for women and is frowned upon. Nevertheless, I decided to enter the Honours Program in Criminal Justice at the University of Winnipeg. During my research field placement at the Winnipeg Police Service and my work as research assistant for Dr. Weinrath and Dr. Karen Harlos I developed an interest in conducting my own research. My honours thesis on white-collar crime generated a curiosity in investigating crime perceptions and provided the background for my proposed project topic.