Presumed Guilty by Martin Yant

Presumed Guilty: when innocent people are wrongly convicted, Martin Yant. Amherst NY: Prometheus Books, 1991. ebook, 197 pps.


I used to say, "The American justice system is the greatest in the world." Things happened and then I added a caveat, "except when it doesn't work." The recent actions of our increasingly paranoid government politicians and agencies has caused me to re-evaluate my thinking and belief system. I am not so sure anymore. I've witnessed far too much injustice to make any such statements anymore.

Presumed Guilty was a horrifying book. Case after case was presented of innocent people who went to prison [and some who went to the electric chair] because of liars. The liars were found among prosecutors, police, expert witnesses so-called, people seeking revenge, and other players in the judicial system. In the scramble to get tough on crime and get re-elected, suspects are arraigned on multiple charges in the hopes that at least one or two of them will stick.

sapphoq reviews says: I'm all for the guilty being made to pay for their crimes. I am against innocent people being forced to pay for the actions of others. Martin Yant has written an important book. He is not just another liberal whining about people in prison. Read this book. Your views may also change a bit as a result. I am happy that there are people and agencies devoted to helping the truly innocent men and women serving time to get out and get free-- hopefully before they are put to death. Highly recommended.