Race and Justice : : Wrongful Convictions of African American Men / / Marvin D. Free Jr., Mitch Ruesink.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Lynne Rienner Press Complete eBook-Package 2013-2000
• VerfasserIn: Free Jr., Marvin D.,; Ruesink, Mitch,
• Place / Publishing House: Boulder : : Lynne Rienner Publishers, , [2022]; ©2012
• Year of Publication: 2022
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (334 p.)

In this investigation of some 350 wrongful convictions of African American men, Marvin Free and Mitch Ruesink critically examine how issues of race undercut the larger goals of our criminal justice system. Free and Ruesink expand the focus of wrongful conviction studies to include not only homicide, but also sexual assault, drug dealing, and nonviolent crime. Their careful analysis reveals that black men accused of crimes against white victims account for a disproportionate number of wrongful convictions. They also uncover other disturbing failings on the part of prosecutors, police, witnesses, and informants. Highlighting the systemic role of race, the authors challenge us to move past the "just a few bad apples" explanation and to instead examine what it is about our criminal justice system that allows the innocent to be judged guilty.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Tables -- Preface -- 1 Wrongful Convictions in the United States -- 2 Meet the Wrongfully Convicted -- 3 Murder and Attempted Murder -- 4 Rape and Sexual Assault -- 5 Drug Offenses -- 6 Robbery and Other Offenses -- 7 Reducing Wrongful Convictions -- Appendixes -- Appendix A: Methods -- Appendix B: Case Histories -- Bibliography -- Index -- About the Book