Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions

Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey, published in 2024, is an exploration of systemic failures in the criminal justice system and the individuals who fight against them. Grisham, a renowned author and former attorney, and McCloskey, the founder of Centurion Ministries and a veteran advocate for the wrongly accused, draw on their extensive experience to illuminate harrowing cases of injustice. This nonfiction work delves into the complexities of wrongful convictions, revealing the devastating consequences of prosecutorial misconduct, flawed forensic science, and societal biases. Thematically, the text highlights systemic flaws in the legal system, the persistence of those fighting for justice, and the urgent need for reform. Combining detailed narratives with critical insights, Framed stands as both a call to action and a testament to the resilience of those seeking truth in an imperfect system.

This guide refers to the 2024 Doubleday New York edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of racism, death, child death, rape, graphic violence, emotional abuse, suicidal ideation, anti-gay bias, and cursing.

Language Note: The guide features quotations that include the n-word. In these quotes, the slur has been obscured.

Summary

The book explores the harrowing realities of wrongful convictions, systemic flaws in the justice system, and the relentless efforts of advocates working to uncover the truth and seek reform. 

In the first section, the authors establish the book’s central themes by delving into systemic flaws in the justice system and the devastating consequences of wrongful convictions. In the Preface, they introduce their shared commitment to exposing these injustices, with Grisham reflecting on his experience writing The Innocent Man—his first work of nonfiction—and McCloskey drawing from his decades-long advocacy work through Centurion Ministries. The authors emphasize the widespread nature of wrongful convictions, highlighting their emotional toll on individuals and families, as well as the systemic failures that allow such injustices to persist. Their collaboration aims to illuminate the urgent need for reform through 10 meticulously chosen cases, each demonstrating the human and institutional costs of a flawed legal system. Chapters 1 and 2 exemplify these themes with the harrowing cases of the Norfolk Four and Clarence Lee Brandley. Grisham details the coerced confessions and police misconduct that led to the wrongful imprisonment of four innocent men, despite overwhelming evidence against the true perpetrator. McCloskey focuses on Brandley’s case, exposing the racial prejudice and judicial corruption that condemned a Black janitor to death row for a crime he did not commit. Together, these narratives underscore the systemic issues of coercion, racism, and prosecutorial misconduct, while highlighting the resilience of those fighting to uncover the truth and secure justice for the wrongfully convicted.

In Chapters 3 and 4, Grisham and McCloskey focus on the devastating consequences of corrupted forensic practices and racial prejudice in criminal investigations. Grisham highlights the misuse of autopsy and forensic science through the cases of Levon Brooks and Kennedy Brewer, whose wrongful convictions were based on pseudoscientific methods like bite mark analysis and testimony from unethical figures like Dr. Steven Hayne and Dr. Michael West. He underscores the human cost of these flawed practices, as well as the institutional complacency that allowed such unreliable methods to persist in courtrooms, ultimately resulting in decades of wrongful imprisonment for the innocent. McCloskey recounts the racially charged convictions of three young soldiers in Savannah, Georgia, falsely accused of murder amid public outrage and political pressure. Through the story of Mark Jones, Kenny Gardiner, and Dino Lucci, he exposes how systemic bias, coercive witness testimony, and suppressed evidence were used to scapegoat the men in a racially and politically charged atmosphere. Both chapters reveal how systemic failures—whether in forensic science or racial dynamics—lead to catastrophic consequences for individuals, emphasizing the urgent need for accountability and reform in the justice system.

In Chapters 5 and 6, Grisham and McCloskey highlight two cases of wrongful conviction. Grisham recounts the story of Henrietta Nickens’s murder, which led to the baseless convictions of three innocent Black men despite conclusive DNA evidence identifying the real perpetrator, exposing racial bias, coerced testimonies, and prosecutorial obstinacy. McCloskey, meanwhile, narrates the wrongful conviction of Ellen Reasonover for a gas station attendant’s murder, highlighting how coerced testimony from unreliable informants, suppressed exculpatory evidence, and prosecutorial misconduct resulted in 16 years of unjust imprisonment. The narrative reveals the far-reaching human cost of these injustices, underscoring the systemic prejudice, flawed investigations, and lack of accountability that perpetuate wrongful convictions while obstructing true justice.

Chapters 7 and 8 explore two harrowing accounts of wrongful convictions, underscoring systemic corruption, unreliable evidence, and the devastating human toll of miscarried justice. Grisham narrates the case of Joe Bryan, a Texas school principal wrongfully convicted of his wife’s murder despite a lack of motive and reliance on dubious forensic testimony, illustrating how procedural flaws and biased investigations can lead to lifelong consequences. McCloskey details the plight of David Alexander and Harry Granger, two Black men from Louisiana who were falsely accused of a murder they did not commit, highlighting fabricated evidence, coerced testimonies, and prosecutorial misconduct.

In Chapters 9 and 10, the authors unpack two cases that emphasize the need for advocacy and reform in the criminal justice system. McCloskey recounts the ordeal of Kerry Max Cook, who endured decades of wrongful conviction and a death sentence for a murder he did not commit, due to coerced testimony, suppressed evidence, and prosecutorial bias. His story reveals the enduring impact of injustice, even after his eventual exoneration, and the resilience required to confront a system that is more focused on convictions than truth. Grisham examines the case of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed for allegedly setting a fire that killed his children, despite mounting evidence that the fire was accidental. The chapter exposes the misuse of debunked forensic methods, reliance on unreliable informants, and political indifference that perpetuated this grave miscarriage of justice. Overall, these chapters underscore the human cost of a broken system and the urgent need for accountability, transparency, and reform to prevent such failures from recurring.