Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The book contains several true stories of innocent people who were framed by police, prosecutors, “expert” witnesses, even judges. The stories are interesting and the writing is good. But I could not finish it or give it five stars because the content is just so depressing and misleading. I have no doubt the facts in the book are true and that these innocent people were framed, not just accidentally caught up in the criminal justice system by happenstance. But the book gives the impression that all police and prosecutors are corrupt and no witnesses should ever be believed. My 26 years in law enforcement allows me to know this is a false impression. The vast majority of police, sheriffs, and others in law enforcement are honest and give defendants their rights. The real danger from books like this is to sow seeds of doubt in the public such that criminals cannot be convicted and crime has no consequences.