Innocence X is fictional and not grounded in the operations and practices of actual organizations that are dedicated to this work. The websites of the following organizations provide information about work in criminal justice reform:

The Innocence Project focuses on DNA testing for exonerations and criminal justice reform. innocenceproject.org

The Equal Justice Initiative was founded by Bryan Stevenson. The first book you should pick up is Just Mercy, Mr. Stevenson’s memoir. eji.org

The Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit organization, provides facts and analysis for the media and the public. deathpenaltyinfo.org/​documents/​FactSheet.pdf

Prison Policy Initiative is a nonprofit and nonpartisan group that researches the harm caused by mass incarceration. prisonpolicy.org/​reports/​money.html

Suggested References

The topics of racism, injustices in criminal prosecution, and police brutality are unfortunately controversial issues. Some people may resist or even attack efforts to shine a spotlight on American law enforcement and our justice system. But it is this critical juncture that must be examined, as it sits at the crossroads of racial equality. Below are some references that I would suggest if you are interested in the topic and want to learn more.

Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. New York: New Press, 2010.

Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Between the World and Me. New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2015.

Crenshaw, Kimberlé W. “From Private Violence to Mass Incarceration: Thinking Intersectionally About Women, Race, and Social Control,” 59 UCLA Law Review 1418 (2012).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt). The Souls of Black Folk. The Oxford W. E. B. Du Bois series. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.

DuVernay, Ava, director. 13th. Forward Movement, Kandoo Films, Netflix, 2016. netflix.com/​title/​80091741.

Goffman, Alice. On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2014.

Kendi, Ibram X. Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. New York: Nation Books, 2016.

King, Gilbert. Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America. New York: Harper, 2012.

Kuklin, Susan. No Choirboy: Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row. New York: Henry Holt, 2008.

Moore, Wes. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates. New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2010.

Rothstein, Richard. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America. New York: Liveright Publishing, 2017.

Stevenson, Bryan. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2014.

Thompson, Heather Ann. Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy. New York: Pantheon Books, 2016.

Wytsma, Ken. The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege. Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Books, 2017.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost, thank you, God, for leading me in a purpose-driven life.