Alton Logan

The authors present a very serious problem with client-attorney privilege. Alton Logan, a 26-year-old African American was arrested for the shooting murder of a security guard at McDonalds in 1982 in Chicago's South side. He spent 26 years in prison for a crime that he did not commit.

His two attorneys also had the real murderer as their client. The real murdered told them that Alton Logan was innocent. He even signed an affidavit stating the same and to be revealed at his death. Because of attorney client privilege, neither attorney made the information public until after the murdered had died. The first section of the book discusses that rule and why it is immoral. The aim of justice as per John Adams who became the second president, it is better to have many guilty to go free than to cause an innocent person to be put to death or imprisoned. So, this needs to be fixed and the authors have proposed solutions in the back of the book. Not only was that very important information withheld but so was the testimony of some witnesses who said that Mr. Logan was not the McDonald, the information about the gun and the fact that Mr. Logan never possessed a gun. To make it a perfect storm, his case at times involve prosecutors driven by ambition, mistreatment of his brother when he was arrested and the lack of a good investigation.

Since Alton Logan dropped out of school he was unable to find a job. Later while in prison, he earned his GED and took some vocational education courses. But after he was released he still was unable to find work. That gap of 26 years on his resume was death of his job search. He is now getting help for his unemployment and other problems. But I think that much more help is needed. I would what the current program for high school drop outs and people are who have a prior record. So, this book brings up quite a few questions.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the Publisher as a win from FirstReads but that in no way made a difference in my thoughts or feelings in this review… (lisätietoja)