A man accused of a murder he didn't commit languishes on death row. A crusading lawyer is determined to free him. This powerful book reads like a compelling legal thriller with one crucial difference: Justice is not served in the end. In 1986, Kris Maharaj was arrested in Miami for the murder of his ex-business partner. A witness swore he saw him pull the trigger and a jury found him guilty and sentenced him to death. But he swears he didn't do it. Twenty years later, he's bankrupted himself on appeals and been abandoned by everyone but his wife. Enter Clive Stafford Smith, a charismatic public defender with a passion for lost causes who calls up old files and embarks on his own investigation. It takes him from Miami to Nassau to Washington as he uncovers corruption at every turn. Step by step, Clive slowly dismantles the case, guiding us through the whole scaffolding of the legal process and revealing a fundamentally broken system whose goal is not so much to find the right man as to convict. A bombshell whose final chapter should re-open a long closed case, The Injustice System will appeal to fans of true crime and anyone who has served on a jury.
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"Much admiration for Clive Stafford Smith and many hopes that Kris Maharaj is finally freed. I'm proud to have copyedited this book for Viking." — Janet (5 out of 5 stars)
"Much admiration for Clive Stafford Smith and many hopes that Kris Maharaj is finally freed. I'm proud to have copyedited this book for Viking."
“An empowering read for anyone who cares about the human implementation of justice.”
“If you believe in the death penalty, read this book. It will change your mind and change your life.”
“True stories of wrongful convictions are by their nature utterly compelling, but most Americans don’t believe them. How can our vaunted system break down so miserably? In The Injustice System, Clive Stafford Smith details a spectacular example of a bogus conviction and the many lives ruined by it. It is a superbly written account of only one case, but one of thousands.”
“A moving tale of devotion by an extraordinary lawyer who nearly bankrupted himself and his fledgling public-interest law office to fight for his client’s life and liberty, The Injustice System reveals the deep gap between cherished ideals and harsh reality in a country addicted to incarceration.”
“[Smith] shines a harsh light on the conventional belief that the innocent rarely go as far as trial and are seldom convicted, and the immunity of prosecutors from accusations of wrongdoing, including withholding evidence that could prove defendants innocent.”
Clive Stafford Smith details a spectacular example of a bogus conviction, and the many lives ruined by it. It is a superbly written account of only one case, but one of thousands.
" Although an important topic, it's a little too dry and straight-forward to be altogether gripping. "
Clive Stafford Smith has spent twenty-five years defending high-profile criminal cases in Georgia, Mississippi, and Louisiana. He has garnered many awards for his work, including the Gandhi International Peace Award, an International Freedom of the Press Award, and a Lannan Foundation Cultural Freedom Award. Clive is the author or coauthor of several books and is also the founder and director of Reprieve, a nonprofit legal defense firm in the UK.
Jonathan Cowley, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, is a British actor hailing from Eastbourne, East Sussex, but he currently calls Los Angeles home. He has narrated many audiobooks and can also be heard on both sides of the Atlantic narrating film trailers and documentaries. He is also an active television and film actor who has appeared in Grey’s Anatomy, Veep, and WestWorld.
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