cover image American Injustice: Inside Stories from the Underbelly of the Criminal Justice System

American Injustice: Inside Stories from the Underbelly of the Criminal Justice System

David S. Rudolf. Custom House, $27.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-06-299735-7

Defense attorney Rudolf debuts with a searing look at systemic failures in the U.S. justice system. He notes that over the past three decades, nearly 3,000 people were exonerated and released from prison for crimes they had not committed, and delves into the factors behind these false convictions, including racial bias; the so-called trial penalty, which incentivizes defendants to plead guilty in order to avoid the likelihood of a harsher sentence should they be convicted at trial; and a reliance on suspect testimony. Rudolf also documents shortcomings in forensic science, describing, for instance, a case in which an expert witness grossly exaggerated the statistical likelihood that two hairs found at a rape scene belonged to the defendant. Noting that a false conviction leaves the real culprit free to commit other crimes, Rudolf laments that potentially exculpatory DNA evidence is not a factor in most crimes, and claims that the cases in which he and other defense attorneys have been able to win civil settlements and official declarations of innocence for their clients are just the tip of the iceberg. Enriched by Rudolf’s firsthand experience and heartfelt compassion for his clients, this is a harrowing call for change. (Jan.)