Blind Injustice

A Former Prosecutor Exposes the Psychology and Politics of Wrongful Convictions

By: Mark Godsey

Narrated by: BJ Harrison

Drawing upon stories from his own career, Godsey shares how innate psychological flaws in judges, police, lawyers, and juries coupled with a "tough on crime" environment can cause investigations to go awry, leading to the convictions of innocent people.

Godsey explores distinct psychological human weaknesses inherent in the criminal justice system-confirmation bias, memory malleability, cognitive dissonance, bureaucratic denial, dehumanization, and others-and illustrates each with stories from his time as a hard-nosed prosecutor and then as an attorney for the Ohio Innocence Project.

He also lays bare the criminal justice system's internal political pressures. How does the fact that judges, sheriffs, and prosecutors are elected officials influence how they view cases? How can defense attorneys support clients when many are overworked and underpaid? And how do juries overcome bias leading them to believe that police and expert witnesses know more than they do about what evidence means?

This book sheds a harsh light on the unintentional yet routine injustices committed by those charged with upholding justice.

©2017 Mark Godsey (P)2019 Tantor

urgent reading

compassionate yet unflinching. the cruelty of so-called american justice, part I. may the author next take on the indulgence of so-called american justice for the "legal" crimes of ultra high-net worth individuals paupering society in a follow up book, part II – working title: "bought injustice."

Insightful

Being a criminal defense lawyer listening to the insights of a prosecutor turn innocence project manager sheds a lot of light on what innocence is really up against. A must read for Lawyer’s and non Lawyer’s.

Opened My Eyes!!

I enjoyed this book. My family is dealing with a member being in prison for a crime he DID not commit so I truly learned alot from this book.

Class book

Had to listen for class, very good book the class is for political science and I have to write basically like a report on the book. Find two things in the book that you’d change yada yada. Glad it’s this book that I listened to to be the book I have to do the book report on. Thanks

Spot on

As a significant other of a wrongfully convicted man of 15.5+ years, this book is spot on. He explains what truly goes on behind the scenes that has nothing to do with the case itself. It helped me understand how the state and AAG can honestly think he could be guilty even though the amount of evidence and experts proving innocence. Wisconsin Courts are some corrupt and this book goes into how corruption happens. Great book!!
I’m sending this to him in prison so he can read it too.