Anatomy of Innocence: Testimonies of the Wrongfully Convicted  edited by Laura Caldwell and Leslie S. Klinger

Liveright Publishing, 2017

ISBN-13: 978-1631490880

Available: Pre-order hardcover, Kindle edition

As much as we would like to believe our criminal justice system works the way it is supposed to, it has many flaws. Every year, people are wrongfully convicted of crimes they did not commit, and serve time they don’t deserve to lose from their lives. Some of these are eventually able to prove their innocence, and are freed and exonerated of their crimes. With an introduction by author Scott Turow and Barry Scheck of the Innocence Project,  Anatomy of Innocence collects the stories of 15 exonerees, each working with a bestselling author of mysteries, thrillers, and crime fiction, to effectively share their personal experiences. Authors involved include(but are not limited to) Sara Paretsky, Lee Child, Laurie R. King, and Arthur Miller. Different stories focus on different parts of the process the exonerees went through, from arrest to trial, time served, appeal and exoneration.

The purpose of this book is to show how easily errors can occur in our justice system– in some cases, genuinely well-meaning, honest people contribute to the conviction of an innocent person. The book also illuminates parts of the justice system we’d rather not see: David Bates, tortured into confessing; Michael Evans, convicted in spite of evidence pointing to innocence when the one holdout juror caved to peer pressure; Peter Reilly, freed when hidden evidence was revealed after the prosecutor for his case died; Alton Logan, whose accuser admitted the crime on an affidavit to be released only after his death, under the veil of attorney-client privilege. It’s obvious that in many of these cases race was a factor– in Ray Towler’s story, it’s pretty clear that eyewitnesses identify him almost completely by skin color, despite considerable physical dissimilarities to the person they describe initially.

The stories also show the indomitable spirit these men and women exhibited (and still do) under extremely traumatic circumstances– solitary confinement, separation from loved ones, deliberate attempts at the destruction of self. Kirk Bloodsworth drew on his POW training as a Marine; Ginny Lefever took up running and reading; Antione Day formed a band. And while there are tragedies and abuses of the system, many of these stories show the best in people. Peter Reilly’s community raised money for an appeal; an elderly African-American inmate encouraged Bill Dillon to apply for a DNA test of crime scene evidence; a prison trustee’s reading suggestions led Jeff Deskovic to contact the Innocence Project.

Anatomy of Innocence brings to light perspectives we rarely see, of those wrongfully convicted, with powerful emotional impact. With the tensions in our criminal justice system today, it provides an opportunity for thoughtful reflection and compassion, in a time of anger, fear, and moral confusion. A list of member organizations of the Innocence Project is included at the end of the book. A majority of funds raised by the sale of the book will benefit Life After Innocence, an organization that helps exonerees adapt to life after release from prison.  Highly recommended.