A book that I have read that has made a significant difference in my life is The Innocent Man by John Grisham. This book tells the true story of a man named Ron Williamson, who got put on death row for a crime he did not commit. He spent many years of his life in a small jail cell, awaiting his death. He was accused as a young man, and dealt with these accusations for years. He was a middle age man before the charges were actually dropped and the true killer was found. He was released only days before his execution date. The book displayed the injustice in the legal system and the fact that public courts, for the most part, accepted these unlawful practices that were used as evidence against Williamson.
The book came to my attention during my spring semester this year. My criminal justice teacher, who happened to be a retired police officer, recommended it. He said as a former member of the police force, the way the officers in the story acted disgusted him. He said the really sad part was that these kinds of things actually do go on. This glimpse at the problems and illegalness of our imperfect legal system intrigued me. It made me want to read the book.
We discussed the book a lot during class because everyone wanted to read it. We talked a lot about the laws and regulations broken by the police officers since that was what we were learning about in class. It also brought up the debate about capital punishment-whether it should be allowed or not.
Never being a person who believed in capital punishment, the book only furthered my reasons to be against it. An innocent man almost got put to death and another innocent man in the book actually did get killed. I believe that capital punishment is just an easy way out for criminals, they should have their entire lives to sit and go crazy in a cell thinking about what they did. I don’t think anyone but God should be able to determine when one’s life should end… especially when there is not even evidence 100%. I’m sure there are many more cases in the United States where criminals have been killed, only to find out years later they were innocent after all.
This book has had an impact on my life because it is about such a serious issue and concern. It has made me more aware about the issue and more interested in it. I believe the book has strengthened my belief against capital punishment. It has made me have a stronger stand on the issue.
The Innocent Man has influenced what I read. It has made me more interested in crime stories that are real such as Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, which is the true story about when the author was raped. I also find things about executions interesting such as The Execution of Tropmann by Turgenev. It focuses on how wrong it is that people actually enjoy and take pleasure in public executions.
Not only has what I read been influenced, but what I watch, as well. I loved the movie The Life of David Gale. It reminded me a lot of the book because an innocent man is framed and put to death; he was not as fortunate as Ron Williamson. All movies about justice being served interest me. I just saw the new movie Law Abiding Citizen last week and thought it was an excellent example of how justice is not always served.
John Grisham’s book gave readers an inside look at what really can happen when people with power do not truly care about solving a crime, and they just want to look out for themselves. It is scary to think that things like this happen in the United States, in today’s society. The Innocent Man really brought that to my attention. It was a suspenseful, interesting, and well-written book. I would definitely consider it one of my favorites.
(This picture is of Dennis Fritz and Ron Williamson, the two innocent men convicted of a brutal murder. This is them in court as they hear Judge Landrith dismiss all charges, April 15, 1999.)
