About:
Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey is a non-fiction book about egregious miscarriages of justice and State-sponsored perjuries. Mr. Gishham is a best-selling author, this is his first non-fiction book. Mr. McCloskey is a former naval officer, corporate consultant, and the founder of Centurion Ministries which fights to overturn wrongs and free the innocent.
- 368 pages
- Publisher : Doubleday
- Language : English
- ISBN-10 : 0385550448
My rating for Framed – 5
Buy Framed from Amazon.com*
More books by John Grisham*
More books by Jim McCloskey*
Thoughts:
This book is frightening, it shows how easily corrupt police officers, attorneys, and judges can tilt the scales of justice their way. Once that’s done, the full power of the state can come down on an innocent person, usually for political reasons.
In Framed by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey, each author writes five stories of injustice. Mr. Grisham’s are page-turning narratives of cases that local and national media have previously covered. Mr. McCloskey’s stories center around the ones that Centurion Ministries fought, while they lack Mr. Grisham’s style, they more than make up with insider’s perspectives and nuance.
I didn’t find the book as astonishing as the title suggests, but more enraging, alarming, and terrifying. Many of the stories take place in Texas and systematic racial bias is one factor that seems to repeat itself. these events didn’t happen during reconstruction, but during my lifetime – it isn’t easy to believe. These convictions however apply to everybody, half the convictions in the book are average white people.
All of the stories show the lengths authorities will go to avoid admitting that they made a mistake, avoid embarrassment, or not pay settlements, and that includes executing innocent people. Relying on The shady “experts”, jailhouse snitches, ignoring evidence and common sense are dramatized over and over again.
These are great stories, and after some of the latest books I read by Grisham (The Exchange for example) which, frankly, disappointed me, it’s good to see him back in top form. This book makes a good case against the death penalty, especially with DNA evidence and abuses which are being uncovered.
Buy Framed from Amazon.com*
More books by John Grisham*
More books by Jim McCloskey*
Zohar — Man of la Book
Disclaimer:I got this book for free.
*Amazon links point to an affiliate account, the money is usually spent on books
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