By Bryan Stephenson, 2014, Speigel and Grau

This is the story of a young man who founded a non-profit organization in Atlanta to fight for overturning prison sentences for individuals who were unfairly convicted or sentenced in the South.  The book relates many instances where the justice system failed because the police, court system or the prison system was focused on getting a conviction and sentence rather than meting out proper justice.

There are many cases in the book where the individuals affected weren’t entirely blameless, but the system, because of racial bias and community pressure, ignored the facts of the case and proceeded to obtain a conviction and also subsequently ignored facts to grant an appeal.  The author also provides statistics and numerous instances where juveniles were given unduly harsh sentences.

The book provides numerous instances that should cause the reader to respond with outrage.  It’s unfortunate that in today’s world these situations are mostly ignored as there is so much injustice that it makes it difficult to fully engage with these situations unless someone close has been affected.

This book is definitely worth reading to understand the extent of the abuse that our justice system can impose on individuals in our society.