Innocence Project Shares 9 Best Books of 2024

As 2024 comes to a close, we’ve curated a list of the year’s most powerful books that shed light on wrongful conviction, criminal legal reform, and the fight for fairer, more compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone. From moving poetry to compelling and insightful nonfiction, these books offer valuable perspectives on justice, the human consequences of a flawed criminal legal system, and the extraordinary tenacity and resilience of people caught in the system.

Whether you’re searching for a meaningful holiday gift or a thought-provoking read to kick off the New Year, these books will deepen your understanding of the urgent work needed to advance justice.

1. The Sing Sing Files: One Journalist, Six Innocent Men, and a Twenty-Year Fight for Justice by Dan Slepian

In “The Sing Sing Files,” veteran NBC News producer Dan Slepian recalls his two-decade pursuit to uncover the truth and help free six innocent men imprisoned for crimes they didn’t commit. At the heart of this book is the powerful bond Mr. Slepian forms with Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez – a man he helped free – and his family, a connection forged through prison visits, court battles, and the shared pursuit of justice.
It is a story of gutwrenching failure and disappointment and of hope and the power of relationships that sheds light on wrongful convictions and the urgent need for accountability and change.

2. Perspectives and Emotions by Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams

“Perspectives and Emotions” is a poignant collection of poetry by Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams, an Innocence Project and Midwest Innocence Project client who was executed in September despite no evidence linking him to the crime and serious doubts about the integrity of his conviction. Written during his two decades on death row, Mr. Williams’ poems are rich with themes of empathy, hope, and survival, surfacing deeply personal experiences of his childhood, loneliness, and racial injustice along with reflections on our systems of justice and incarceration. Mr. Williams’ poetry and life are a reminder of the humanity of the people languishing on death row and the risks of an executing an innocent person.

3. Framed by John Grisham

In “Framed,” bestselling author and Innocence Project Board Member John Grisham teams up with Jim McCloskey, the founder of Centurion Ministries, one of the first organizations dedicated to freeing the wrongly convicted, to chronicle through ten true stories. They explore how racism, misconduct, flawed testimony, and systemic corruption led to wrongful convictions, taking years — if not decades — of innocent people’s lives. With Mr. Grisham’s signature storytelling and meticulous research, “Framed” illuminates these hard-fought battles for exoneration and the pressing need for a transformation of our criminal legal system.

4. FRAMED: The Corruption and Cover- up Behind the Wrongful Conviction of William Michael Dillon and his Twenty-Seven Year Fight for Freedom by William Michael Dillon and Ellen Moscovitz

“FRAMED“ is a gripping firsthand account of wrongful conviction by William Michael Dillon, an Innocence Project of Florida client who was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1981 and spent 27 years fighting for his freedom. Mr. Dillon exposes rampant corruption within Brevard County law enforcement, and illustrates how fabricated evidence and a biased judicial system led to his conviction. This beautifully crafted memoir takes readers through Mr. Dillon’s heart-wrenching prison experience and ultimately, his exoneration. In doing so, Mr. Dillon, who is also the lead singer of the Exoneree Band, offers a compelling testament to the power of persistence in the pursuit of the truth.

5. Ghosts Over the Boiler: Voices from Alabama’s Death Row by Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty and Katie Owens-Murphy

“Ghosts Over the Boiler: Voices from Alabama’s Death Row” is a profound anthology of poetry, art, essays, and archival materials created and curated primarily by people on Alabama’s death row who are part of the prison-founded group Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty. Drawing from works published over the past three decades in the prison newsletter, On Wings of Hope, the collection gives insight into view of the stark realities of capital punishment. Through deeply personal and reflective works, the book chronicles the lived experiences of those facing execution in Alabama and underscores the resilience and tireless effort of their fight to abolish the death penalty.

6. Death Penalty in Decline? The Fight Against Capital Punishment in the Decades Since Furman v. Georgia by Austin Sarat

“Death Penalty in Decline?” examines the evolving landscape of the death penalty in the United States since the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Furman v. Georgia in 1972. Edited by Austin Sarat, a political scientist who previously wrote about our clients Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams and Robert Roberson, this collection explores the shifting attitudes, legal trends, and social movements driving efforts to abolish capital punishment and offers a timely evaluation of advocacy strategies in the current political climate.

7. All Our Trials: Prisons, Policing, and the Feminist Fight to End Violence by Emily L. Thuma

Through extensive research and vivid storytelling, “All Our Trials” delves into the impact of incarceration on women, and highlights the feminist activism of Black, queer and incarcerated women who organized to challenge and dismantle oppressive systems of policing and imprisonment. This book tells the powerful story of feminist activism in the 1970s, when women came together to fight against gender violence and mass incarceration. It challenges readers to confront the injustices in these systems and inspires them to join the ongoing movement for justice and change.

8. American Inmate by Justin Rovillos Monson

“American Inmate” by Justin Rovillos Monson is a bold and inventive debut poetry book that reimagines incarceration, Asian American identity, and hip-hop poetics through a defiant and deeply empathetic lens. As he weaves his personal narrative with rap lyrics and the impersonal, bureaucratic language of the prison system—like the cold terms of legal documents and disciplinary reports—Monson creates a powerful contrast that challenges stereotypes about imprisonment while exploring critical questions about freedom, humanity, and systemic injustice.

9. Assata Taught Me by Donna Murch

“Assata Taught Me” examines how the historical and political roots of “state violence, racial capitalism, and mass incarceration” have contributed to our contemporary movement for Black lives. Ms. Murch connects past and present struggles for Black liberation, and highlights how “punishment campaigns” against marginalized communities have fueled systemic oppression. This pressing collection offers a sharp critique of our criminal legal system and is essential reading for anyone seeking to better understand this historic moment.

What were some of your favorite reads of 2023? Share with us in the comments below.