Opinion | John Grisham writes: Virginia can do better than keeping innocent people in prison

"It is infuriating that our criminal justice system is so broken that bogus convictions happen at all."

SUBSCRIBE NOW   Get one year for $40 (John Lee for The Washington Post) Voices Across America Opinion: Virginia can do better than keeping innocent people in prison Opinion by John Grisham John Grisham is a novelist and retired lawyer. It is refreshing and inspiring that Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) has recently made use of his singular power to grant absolute pardons to three wrongfully convicted men. Bobbie Morman Jr., of Norfolk, spent 22 years in prison though an innocent man. Joey Carter, also of Norfolk, spent 25 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Emerson Stevens, of Lancaster County, served 32 years for a murder committed by someone else. That someone has never been caught because police framed the wrong man. Pardons and exonerations are bittersweet. On the one hand, the years of hard work by innocence lawyers ultimately pay off, and some measure of justice is found as the wrongfully convicted finally make their dramatic walk out of the prison gates. On the other hand, it is infuriating that our criminal justice system is so broken that bogus convictions happen at all. Innocent lives are destroyed. The guilty roam free. And the police and prosecutors are almost never made to answer for their bad behavior. If the authorities played by the rules … Read more »   More from The Post   More than half of all wrongful criminal convictions are caused by government misconduct, study finds Many factors contribute to wrongful convictions of people, including withholding evidence or false identifications, but science and innocence advocates are making progress, the study says. By Tom Jackman ●  Read more »   Police reform is not enough. We need to rethink public safety. We should think about public safety the way we think about public health. Opinion ●  By the Editorial Board ●  Read more »   "Please, Go On" with James Hohmann Coming Friday: On this week's episode, John Grisham will join Hohmann to discuss his opinion piece on wrongful convictions in more detail. Podcast ●  Read more »   What to know about the 2021 Virginia governor's race This year's race for Virginia governor is more crowded than any other in modern history, perhaps ever. By Laura Vozzella and Gregory S. Schneider ●  Read more »   For the curious Read more on-the-ground viewpoints on national issues as a subscriber. Get one year for $40

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