We have received a great deal of valuable assistance and encouragement throughout the course of our research and during the preparation of this manuscript.1 As for the initial idea to conduct a study of wrongful convictions—both the cases and the processes—we are indebted to our friend and colleague the late Professor Edward Sagarin, whom we have also acknowledged in our dedication. Ed contributed more than ideas; he wrote some of the initial material for this book (which we have incorporated almost entirely verbatim), and his enthusiasm and encouragement were always there for us. Since his death, his widow, Gert, has maintained a genuine interest in this book, one of Ed's last writing projects.

We are also indebted to the many judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and law enforcement officers who have been willing to complete our surveys, and who also (in many cases) have informally shared their experiences and their insights with us over the past decade, both in the [Page xviii]United States and in Israel. This book documents the fact that wrongful convictions often result, at least in part, from incompetent, unprofessional, and/or unethical conduct by law enforcement officers, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and even judges. However, we firmly believe that the great majority of those working in the criminal justice system are genuinely concerned about such errors and their implications for justice and for public safety.

For their assistance and collaboration in analyzing cases of wrongful conviction and compensation in the state of Ohio, we would like to thank Professor Anand Desai of the School of Public Policy and Management at Ohio State; Howard Ishiyama, a doctoral candidate at that institution; and Jack Jones and Ted Stanich, former graduate research associates. Our appreciation also goes to Martin Yant, a courageous journalist and author who has published many newspaper articles and a book on wrongful conviction, for his assistance in updating and summarizing some of the cases discussed in this book. Marty exemplifies the kind of independent inquiry and dedication to the pursuit of truth that is essential to a free, democratic society.

Two distinguished scholars—professors Rita Simon of the American University and Elizabeth Loftus of the University of Washington—reviewed portions of the manuscript prior to its publication and made many useful and insightful suggestions for improvement, which we have attempted to incorporate. We want to recognize their important contributions while at the same time acknowledging that we are solely responsible for the content of the book and the degree to which it meets, or fails to meet, its purpose: describing and analyzing the problem of wrongful conviction and its public policy implications.

Ms. Georgia Meyer, administrative secretary at Ohio State's Criminal Justice Research Center, helped immensely in coordinating the production of the final manuscript. She also remained characteristically cheerful in spite of deadline pressures.

We owe a special debt of gratitude to some of the convicted innocents and their families for sharing their experiences—injustice, trauma, and, ultimately, vindication. Special recognition goes to Randall Dale Adams, Bradley Cox, Lenell Geter, Todd Neely, and Todd's parents, Edith and Lewis Crosley, for their openness and their willingness to let us try to learn what the experience of wrongful conviction means on a personal and [Page xix]familial level. The insights they provided helped shape much of what is in this book, which is, after all, their story.

Finally, we express our love and appreciation to our own families for their patience with us over the past decade as we pursued our analysis of this important problem. We can never compensate them for the time we stole; we can only hope that this book will make a small contribution to the continuing pursuit of social and criminal justice throughout the world.