ABSTRACT

Compelling and engagingly written, this book by former Attorney General of Ohio Jim Petro and his wife, writer Nancy Petro, takes the reader inside actual cases, summarizes extensive research on the causes and consequences of wrongful conviction, and exposes eight common myths that inspire false confidence in the justice system and undermine reform. Now published in paperback with an extensive list of web links to wrongful conviction sources internationally, False Justice is ideal for use in a wide array of criminal justice and criminology courses. 

Myth 1: Everyone in prison claims innocence.

Myth 2: Our system almost never convicts an innocent person.

Myth 3: Only the guilty confess.

Myth 4: Wrongful conviction is the result of innocent human error.

Myth 5: An eyewitness is the best testimony.

Myth 6: Conviction errors get corrected on appeal.

Myth 7: It dishonors the victim to question a conviction.

Myth 8: If the justice system has problems, the pros will fix them.

part |2 pages

PART I: Failed Justice

chapter 1|7 pages

The Devil Cheats Justice

chapter 2|9 pages

A Haunting Doubt

chapter 3|7 pages

Relentless Pursuit

chapter 4|5 pages

Political Genes

chapter 5|4 pages

Advocating for a Victim

chapter 6|4 pages

Rising to Opportunity

chapter 7|6 pages

The Calling Card

chapter 8|9 pages

Proving Innocence

chapter 9|7 pages

Life After Exoneration

chapter 10|7 pages

Proving Guilt

chapter 11|4 pages

How Many?

chapter 12|9 pages

A Compelling Witness

chapter 13|7 pages

Flaws and Faulty Forensics

chapter 14|6 pages

Closing Arguments

chapter 15|3 pages

Surviving Injustice

chapter 16|5 pages

Truth and Redemption

chapter 17|5 pages

Dissecting Error

part |2 pages

PART II: Pursuing Truth

chapter 18|8 pages

Prisons and Executions

chapter 19|10 pages

Capital Punishment Disclosures

chapter 20|7 pages

Classic Misconceptions

chapter 21|9 pages

Lies and Other Disgraces

chapter 22|9 pages

Expert Mumbo Jumbo

chapter 23|9 pages

When the Good Guys Aren’t

chapter 24|11 pages

Why We Can’t Believe Our Eyes

chapter 25|7 pages

Observations on Eyewitnesses

part |2 pages

PART III: Doing Justice

chapter 26|9 pages

When the DNA Is Gone

chapter 27|6 pages

Advocacy After Politics

chapter 28|4 pages

Discerning Guilt and Innocence

chapter 29|4 pages

Seeking Assurance

chapter 30|4 pages

Arguing from the Other Side

chapter 31|5 pages

A Higher Authority

chapter 32|2 pages

Waiting Eighteen Years for Fifteen Minutes

chapter 33|2 pages

Tough Decisions

chapter 34|4 pages

A Partial Victory

chapter 35|4 pages

Brady’s Catch-22

chapter 36|5 pages

Pesky Issues

chapter 37|7 pages

Addressing Unacceptable Error

chapter 38|8 pages

A Defining Moment for DNA

chapter 39|4 pages

The Supreme Court’s Divided Opinion

part |2 pages

PART IV: Dispelling Eight Myths

chapter 40|4 pages

Myth No. 1

chapter 41|3 pages

Myth No. 2

chapter 42|6 pages

Myth No. 3

chapter 43|2 pages

Myth No. 4

chapter 44|4 pages

Myth No. 5

chapter 45|2 pages

Myth No. 6

chapter 46|2 pages

Myth No. 7

chapter 47|5 pages

Myth No. 8