Exonerated: A History of the Innocence Movement

by Robert J. Norris

Overview

The fascinating story behind the innocence movement's quest for justice.

Documentaries like Making a Murderer, the first season of Serial, and the cause célèbre that was the West Memphis Three captured the attention of millions and focused the national discussion on wrongful convictions. This interest is warranted: more than 1,800 people have been set free in recent decades after being convicted of crimes they did not commit.

In response to these exonerations, federal and state governments have passed laws to prevent such injustices; lawyers and police have changed their practices; and advocacy organizations have multiplied across the country. Together, these activities are often referred to as the “innocence movement.” Exonerated provides the first in-depth look at the history of this movement through interviews with key leaders such as Barry Scheck and Rob Warden as well as archival and field research into the major cases that brought awareness to wrongful convictions in the United States.

Robert Norris also examines how and why the innocence movement took hold. He argues that while the innocence movement did not begin as an organized campaign, scientific, legal, and cultural developments led to a widespread understanding that new technology and renewed investigative diligence could both catch the guilty and free the innocent.

Exonerated reveals the rich background story to this complex movement.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781479886272
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	05/16/2017
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Robert J. Norris is Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law, and Society at George Mason University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction: Innocence and the Criminal Justice System 1

Part I The History of The Innocence Movement

1 "Voices in the Wilderness": The Beginning of Innocence 13

2 "A Eureka Moment": DNA, the Legal System, and the Meaning of Innocence 30

3 "We're All Together on This": Expanding the Network, Becoming a Movement 72

Part II Innocence As A Social Movement

4 "It Did Go against the Grain": The Foundations of a Movement 115

5 "It's Just Justice … Real Justice": The Emergence of a Movement 140

6 The "New Civil Rights"? Reaching beyond Innocence 163

Conclusion: The Challenges Ahead and the Future of Innocence 181

Appendix: Data, Methods, and Limitations 215

Notes 225

References 261

Index 279

About the Author 289

Editorial Reviews

"Exonerated delineates the origin story of the “innocence movement,” a highly publicized pivot in legal circles in the late twentieth century toward the wrongful conviction of innocent persons. Robert J. Norris focuses mostly on the key players involved in the early days of using forensic DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) to exonerate innocents … Exonerated draws on social movements theory to explain in terms of political opportunities for legal reform, local actions of individuals and organizations, and the ways key players framed innocence to bolster its legitimacy."

The Journal of American History

"A timely and important new contribution to the literature, Exonerated is both an accessible history of the recent history of wrongful convictions, and a much needed analysis of the innocence movement as a social movement."

Simon A. Cole

"Exonerated is the first serious, thorough history of the modern innocence movement. A major, innovative contribution to the scholarship on wrongful convictions and a true delight to read."

Daniel S. Medwed

"Exoneratedis the first complete and authentic history of the innocence movement. Robert J. Norris shows us how it came into being and how it evolved over the decades. He also shines light on the issues involved and the challenges the movement faces. With his unmatched academic credential, Norris has written a book that will benefit both students and experts of innocence movement."

The Washington Book Review

"Exonerated is the definitive account of how the innocence movement transformed public views about the everyday fallibility of the American criminal justice system in the late 20th century, and why preventing the wrongful convictions of the factually innocent remains more important than ever in the 21st century."

Richard A. Leo

A timely and important new contribution to the literature, Exonerated is both an accessible history of the recent history of wrongful convictions, and a much needed analysis of the innocence movement as a social movement.”-Simon A. Cole,author, Suspect Identities: A History of Fingerprinting and Criminal Identification

“It (is) a valuable window into the effect of many factors that drive the criminal justice system (race, class, and gender) but not necessarily a means of addressing them. This careful attention to grounding his history makes the book a valuable reference for social scientists, graduate students, and anyone seeking to understand the dynamics of change in the legal system.”- International Criminal Justice Review

" Exonerated is the first complete and authentic history of the innocence movement. Robert J. Norris shows us how it came into being and how it evolved over the decades. He also shines light on the issues involved and the challenges the movement faces. With his unmatched academic credential, Norris has written a book that will benefit both students and experts of innocence movement."- The Washington Book Review

"Robert J. Norris’ book, Exonerated , is the first complete and exhaustive treatment of the [innocence] movement itself. The book offers a deep dive. The fact that it is nonetheless eminently readable speaks to Norris’s ability to merge impressive scholarship and research with fascinating stories, interesting interviews and anecdotal information. The result is an impressive history layered over with entertaining color."- Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Book Reviews

"[An] informative overview of the development of the innocence movement...A useful contribution to an important national conversation about crime and punishment."- Kirkus Reviews

“ Exonerated is the definitive account of how the innocence movement transformed public views about the everyday fallibility of the American criminal justice system in the late 20th century, and why preventing the wrongful convictions of the factually innocent remains more important than ever in the 21st century.”-Richard A. Leo,author, The Wrong Guys: Murder, False Confessions and the Norfolk Four

“Carefully researched and elegantly written, this book calls attention to the importance of wrongful convictions for the death penalty and beyond. It shows how the criminal justice system is at the heart of efforts to achieve social justice. This is an important book.”-Sister Helen Prejean,author, Dead Man Walking and The Death of Innocents

“ Exonerated is the first serious, thorough history of the modern innocence movement. A major, innovative contribution to the scholarship on wrongful convictions and a true delight to read.”-Daniel S. Medwed,author, Prosecution Complex: America’s Race to Convict and Its Impact on the Innocent

“This work is readily accessible to most adult audiences, and is especially recommended for all college, university, and seminary libraries.”- Catholic Library World

From the Publisher

2017-03-15
How efforts to exonerate wrongfully convicted prisoners have grown into an energized international movement.In his debut book, Norris (Government and Justice Studies/Appalachian State Univ.) offers a straightforward, informative overview of the development of the innocence movement, which began with a few lawyers working for the releases of their innocent clients. He profiles several early activists and groups, such as the Centurion Ministries, the Innocence Project, and the Northwestern Center on Wrongful Convictions, highlighting some of the cases that drew their attention. Those cases involved prisoners whose innocence was confirmed largely through DNA testing, which allowed for a breakthrough in arguing that convictions be overturned. The lawyers focused not on problems of lawyer error or trial technicalities but only on cases where innocent individuals were incarcerated and sometimes sentenced to death. By 2012, those working in the movement had formed the Innocence Network, which grew to include 70 organizations around the world. Based on interviews with lawyers, law professors, academics, and organization leaders, Norris analyzes the work and impact of the movement, providing a solid departure point for future research. Network organizations, he has discovered, receive nearly 20,000 requests yearly, from which they pursue about one-quarter. The early focus on DNA has evolved into a wider scope: lawyers have found that miscarriages of justice are caused by "eyewitness errors, false confessions, forensic misconduct, prosecutorial and defense issues, jailhouse informants, and racism." Publicizing these factors has fueled a policy-reform agenda in law enforcement, leading to a change in eyewitness identification procedures, recording of interrogations, better preservation of biological evidence, monitoring of forensic labs, and giving inmates access to post-conviction DNA testing. In addition, Innocence Network lawyers have proposed policies for use in drafting new laws. In 1998, Innocence Project cases led to a moratorium on the death penalty enacted by the governor of Illinois. Within a few years, Norris writes, "innocence was fundamentally changing the death penalty discussion in the United States." A useful contribution to an important national conversation about crime and punishment.

Kirkus Reviews

"Carefully researched and elegantly written, this book calls attention to the importance of wrongful convictions for the death penalty and beyond. It shows how the criminal justice system is at the heart of efforts to achieve social justice. This is an important book."

Sister Helen Prejean

"It (is) a valuable window into the effect of many factors that drive the criminal justice system (race, class, and gender) but not necessarily a means of addressing them. This careful attention to grounding his history makes the book a valuable reference for social scientists, graduate students, and anyone seeking to understand the dynamics of change in the legal system."

International Criminal Justice Review

"Robert J. Norris book,Exonerated,is the first complete and exhaustive treatment of the [innocence] movement itself. The book offers a deep dive. The fact that it is nonetheless eminently readable speaks to Norriss ability to merge impressive scholarship and research with fascinating stories, interesting interviews and anecdotal information. The result is an impressive history layered over with entertaining color."

Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Book Reviews

"This work is readily accessible to most adult audiences, and is especially recommended for all college, university, and seminary libraries."

Catholic Library World

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