This book examines 350 wrongful convictions of African-American men to determine how issues of race undercut the larger goals of our criminal justice system. The focus of this study on wrongful convictions includes not only homicide, but also sexual assault, drug dealing, and nonviolent crime. The analysis reveals that Black men accused of crimes against White victims account for a disproportionate number of wrongful convictions. Also uncovered are other disturbing failings on the part of prosecutors, police, witnesses, and informants. Highlighting the systemic role of race, the narrative challenges the "just a few bad apples" explanation and encourages the examination of what it is about our criminal justice system that allows the innocent to be judged guilty. This book contains seven chapters: Wrongful Convictions in the United States; Meet the Wrongful Convicted; Murder and Attempted Murder; Rape and Sexual Assault; Drug Offenses; Robbery and Other Offenses; and Reducing Wrongful Convictions. Appended methods and case histories, bibliography, and index