Why I read it:
Years ago a friend's ex-husband did something that could have landed him in prison. He'd been desperate, but, still, had broken the law. Around this time I was reading in bed one evening, my cat snuggled against my leg, when I was overwhelmed by the thought of what it must be like to go to prison. I shivered, then got up, grabbed a beverage and a snack, and snuggled back into bed with my book and cat, resolving to never do anything to land in prison.

But what if you land in prison for a crime you didn't commit? It couldn't happen to you, right?

In Stolen Years journalist Reuven Fenton tells the story of ten people who didn't think it could happen to them either. Yet these ten people were wrongfully convicted for crimes they didn't commit. These eight men and two women spent a combined total of 176 years in prison. The shortest time was nine years, the longest thirty. Can you imagine?

False accusations, eyewitness miss-identification, false confessions made under duress, improper forensic science, and official/government misconduct are what wrongfully put these people behind bars. Studies estimate that between 2.3 to 5 per cent of people currently serving time in U.S. prisons are innocent. That's up to around one hundred thousand people wrongfully convicted. Not only are the inmates' life ruined, but the impact on family and friends is monumental. Not to mention that the real murders were left to walk the streets.

These stories are compulsively readable yet I found myself only able to read one or two per sitting. It's overwhelming to read about real people who are plucked out of their lives and thrown into a nightmare. At the heart of the matter is a legal system that's based on winning or losing rather than justice.

In his conclusion Fenton offers suggestions on how to change the system, what reforms some states are already implementing, and what citizens can do to help. One of the easiest things citizens can do is thank journalists who write about people who have been exonerated and share the stories on social media. Doing this will help keep the focus on such stories. The more the public learns about problems in the justice system and begin the put pressure on elected officials, the sooner reforms will be implemented. Visit innocencenetwork.org to learn more.

Stolen Years is a quick read that will stay with me for a very long time. I highly recommend it to readers who are new to the issue of wrongful imprisonment and/or interested in our criminal justice system. It will no doubt make for interesting book group discussion.

Source: Review copy provided by TLC Book Tours. ( )

This book was both uplifting and heartbreaking. While I am happy for the individuals in the book who were eventually given their freedom, I am overwhelmed by the thought of the thousands who could possibly be sitting in prison who should not be there. The one thing that jumped out at me while I read the book was the fact that none of these people would be called well off by any stretch of the imagination. The way poor people accused of a crime in this country are treated is wrong and is just one of the many things in our justice system that needs to be changed. Hopefully, books like this will do just that. Powerful and important. ( )

Stolen Years tells the stories of ten people wrongfully imprisoned, a popular topic these days, and is a valuable addition to the growing awareness of the problems in this country’s criminal justice system. This book is heartbreaking as each individual tells their story and the struggles they went through serving time for crimes they didn’t commit. These individuals’ lives were irrevocably changed and each was forced to come to terms with their circumstances. Though each was eventually exonerated, their struggles continued even after they were freed. These stories illustrate the need for reform in our criminal justice and prison systems. ( )

Stolen Years: Stories of the Wrongfully Imprisoned is a compilation of true stories of individuals who were in prison for many years for crimes they did not commit. For some, prison changed them in good ways, for others it simply robbed them of families and friendships too far gone to get back when they were exonerated.

These stories were eye opening. I've always believed in the justice system. I always thought I was ok with the fact that given the way our system runs, there are bound to be some innocent people serving time for crimes they did not commit. I feel somewhat differently after reading this book. ( )