Abstract
The United States criminal justice system, proclaimed as "the best in the world," has been rocked in recent years by numerous cases of wrongly convicted individuals being saved from life and death sentences or being freed from institutional settings after unjust convictions were brought to light; oftentimes meeting staunch resistance from state prosecutors until the shackles were ordered removed. While our methods of investigation, rules of criminal procedure, and appellate processes are designed to ensure that the guilty are apprehended, convicted, held accountable, and afforded rehabilitation - and that the innocent are shielded from erroneous legal maneuvers - the ideals of justice are far from the reality of its application. This paper echoes the growing call to action to right such wrongs through the words of one innocent "lifer's" experience in the black hole of the American criminal justice system.

J. Scott Hornoff
Warwick Police Department
Jeffrey Scott Hornoff was ordered reinstated to the Warwick Police Department by Rhode Island's superior court chief justice in 2004. Following a federal civil suit settlement agreement, the City of Warwick reinstated and retired Hornoff. He participated in several profiles (A &E's American Justice with Bill Kurtis, and Dateline), as well as the award winning documentary "After Innocence." In 2006 he earned a Master's in Criminal Justice from Boston University. Hornoff has guest lectured nationwide, and testified before The Vera Institute, as well as Rhode Island's and Utah's General Assemblies for judicial reform. He no longer makes appearances or consents to interviews. E-mail: jshornoff@yahoo.com

Barbara H. Zaitzow, Ph.D
Appalachian State University
Barbara H. Zaitzow, professor of criminal justice at Appalachian State University, conducts research projects in men's and women's prisons and has been involved in state and national advocacy work for prisoners and organizations seeking alternatives to imprisonment. She has served on various editorial boards for nationally-recognized journals, and she has published a co-edited book, articles, and book chapters on a variety of prison-related topics including HIV/AIDS and other treatment needs of women prisoners and the impact of prison culture on the "doing time" experiences of the imprisoned. E-mail: Zaitzowbh@Appstate.Edu