In Spite of Innocence

by Michael L. Radelet, Hugo Adam Bedau, Constance E. Putnam

Few errors made by society can compare with the horror of executing a person wrongly convicted of a crime. This sobering book, which includes an expanded preface, tells the personal stories of over 400 innocent Americans convicted of capital crimes. Some were actually executed; most suffered years of incarceration, many on death row.

Genres: Nonfiction, Law, True Crime

399 pages, Paperback

Published May 26, 1994

About the author

Michael L. Radelet is a sociologist at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is a professor in, and chairs, the Department of Sociology at the university. In his research, Radelet focuses on his interests in criminology, deviance, capital punishment, societal reaction to crime, racial disparities in death sentencing and crime victims. Radelet has taught courses covering introductory sociology, criminology for both undergraduate and graduate levels, capital punishment for both undergraduate and graduate levels, sociology of mental health and illness for both undergraduate and graduate levels, graduate seminar on health professions, social and ethical issues in medical practice, human development, statistics, and social problems. He is the author of the book Facing the Death Penalty that was published in 1989, in which he describes the realities of capital punishment to those condemned.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Very good at telling stories of the wrongly convicted and the factors leading up to it.
I could see my own biases springing up as I noted my surprise at the police and prosecutor corruption. It makes sense though: if your job is to catch criminals and criminals are actively resisting making that happen, then you might want to bend the rules a little to make that happen. And to paraphrase a wise man, if you allow yourself to go down into that place, you'll never come back.
Reading the index was interesting and terrifying. There seems to be no pattern as to whether exonerees get compensated for their ordeals. Hopefully, with each wrongful imprisonment suit, it will get easier.

[Rebecca Scaglione · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super hard to review this book... almost 4 stars but it’s an intricate slower read. Incredibly worth it, and I recommend it to anyone who finds this topic interesting. Definitely not for everyone.

Side note: Came across the title when reading Last Words of the Executed and just HAD to read this one too!

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting look at criminal justice, history, and capital punishment. The writing wasn't great but it was extremely interesting and informative.

[Jeremy Stock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book detailing the woes of our judicial system.