Rough Justice “God help us, if ever in this great country we turn our heads while people who have not had fair trials are executed” (Grisham 216). The Innocent Man, by John Grisham, is a nonfiction novel explaining the false conviction of Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz. In the small town of Ada, Oklahoma, a waitress named Debra S. Carter was violently raped and murdered. The people of Ada were enraged and a one-sided investigation took place. Local police coerced Ron Williamson into confessing false statements by using Williamson’s bipolar disorder to their advantage. Due to the bias contained within the Ada jury, Williamson was convicted and sentenced to death. Ron Williamson would spend the next eleven years of his life awaiting his punishment.
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Similarly to the controversy surrounding Ron Williamson’s conviction, widespread debate over the legality of capital punishment has rooted itself within the American Nation. In the early 1970’s, capital punishment was reinstated with the ruling in Gregg v. Georgia. The majority of states that continue to practice capital punishment tend to be conservative, southern states as opposed to liberal states who oppose the death penalty. There have also been numerous instances in which innocent people were convicted due to the uncertainty contained within the American Criminal Justice System. Today, American Society is divided between the continued legalization of capital punishment. John Grisham’s The Innocent Man displays the many errors contained within the American Judicial Process and the flawed institution of death row. The American criminal justice system contains discrepancies, including the manner in which court and police systems are operated. Raymond Bonner’s paper regarding holes within the judicial system illustrates the condition of innocence after conviction. “In our criminal justice system, once a person has been convicted, no matter how shaky the conviction, the presumption of innocence
Similarly to the controversy surrounding Ron Williamson’s conviction, widespread debate over the legality of capital punishment has rooted itself within the American Nation. In the early 1970’s, capital punishment was reinstated with the ruling in Gregg v. Georgia. The majority of states that continue to practice capital punishment tend to be conservative, southern states as opposed to liberal states who oppose the death penalty. There have also been numerous instances in which innocent people were convicted due to the uncertainty contained within the American Criminal Justice System. Today, American Society is divided between the continued legalization of capital punishment. John Grisham’s The Innocent Man displays the many errors contained within the American Judicial Process and the flawed institution of death row. The American criminal justice system contains discrepancies, including the manner in which court and police systems are operated. Raymond Bonner’s paper regarding holes within the judicial system illustrates the condition of innocence after conviction. “In our criminal justice system, once a person has been convicted, no matter how shaky the conviction, the presumption of innocence