Jennifer Thompson-CanninoPicking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption

This was one of the books I had to get for my English class. It was greatly priced and packaged.

This case provides a graphic demonstration of how false convictions can be obtained based on eyewitness identifications. For a legal summary, see Convicted by Juries, Exonerated by Science: Case Studies in the Use of DNA Evidence to Establish Innocence After Trial, U.S. Department of Justice, 1996, pp. 43-44.Two white women were raped. One identified a black man named Ronald Cotton from a photo array and subsequently in a lineup. The second identified another man in the lineup. Ronald was tried for the first rape and convicted based almost exclusively on Jennifer's testimony; evidence of the result of the second lineup was excluded.The conviction was overturned on appeal on grounds that the jury should have heard about the results of the second lineup. After follow-up (coaching?), woman 2 identified Cotton also. The second trial was for both rapes, and again Ronald was convicted based on the eyewitness testimony. Evidence (account of a fellow inmate) that another inmate had spoken of committing the rapes was excluded.The attorney filing the appeal of the second conviction failed to contest the exclusion of the evidence about the other man; the conviction was upheld.In subsequent proceedings, two new attorneys in the case requested DNA testing. The results exonerated Cotton and produced a match when compared to the DNA database for violent criminals - to the other inmate who had spoken of committing the rapes.In 1995, Cotton was released after spending over a decade in prison and officially pardoned by the governor of North Carolina.The foregoing narrative is told in "Picking Cotton," which was jointly authored by the first rape victim (Jennifer Thompson-Cannino) and the defendant (Ronald Cotton), but the gripping part is not the legal action - it is the personal stories of these two people, both of whose lives were changed forever.The most remarkable part of the story is what happened afterwards, when Jennifer and Ronald reached out to each other and became fast friends. Years later, Ronald and Jennifer would be talking at a soccer tournament (children of both were participating) and one of the other moms asked, "How do y'all know each other?"I loved Ron's response: "We go way back." Maybe there is hope for the human race after all.

The injustice of what happened to these two people, the horror of being raped, and the horror of being wrongfully convicted. A true horrifying story of a man that spent many years in jail and was later exonerated.Most people think our justice system doesn't arrest or convict innocent people. Most people think police officers and district attorneys will only prosecute someone if they know they're guilty or if an eye witness states someone is guilty it must be true.Innocent people do get arrested and charged with crimes they didn't commit.Corrupt police can coerce statements to their liking and prosecutors will at times prosecute people for crimes they know they didn't commit. Picking Cotton is a incredibly sad and angering story, but also an important one.

I used to walk three miles to campus and back every day…I was going to graduate with a perfect 4.0…I taught aerobics and stayed to lift some weights…played tennis at Alamance County Country Club… I ate fried rice and spring rolls with sweat tea.Is it necessary to know the girl is smart, studious, disciplined, athletic, healthy, cheery and innocent? A crystal clear contrast with the ash tray smelling, easily outwitted rapist who could be any man as long as he’s black. The horror of facing privilege or perfect, Mr Cotton was doomed because he was neither. A frightening story. Every white male trips over himself to defend the honor of the cute blonde coed. They need a perp and found one. The real rapist was 5-9. Mr cotton was 6-4. No matter, close enough. Facts don’t matter when a white girl is harmed; someone’s gotta pay. The hero of this story is the victim, Ronald Cotton. The year was 1984 but the story repeats itself to this day. The dramatic writing that works in fiction (when the film finished, the screen went static… I just sobbed while the black and white blizzard raged on screen) is distracting and unnecessary. The good state of North Carolina gave Mr Cotton $109,000 and some change for his trouble. Hopefully the victim profits from this book. True story that will repeat today, tomorrow, and beyond until we change. How do we hold accusers and public officials accountable when they rush to judgment, ignore facts, and deny rights? We can fix this travesty if we want to.

An amazing story, highlighting the frailties of humans when it comes to judgement and perception of what we believe to be true.I had already read this book, which had been lent to me by a friend, but bought it to add to my library, and to lend to others. Stories such as this need to be told.

Saw the documentary about the story, and thought i had to read it in depth for myself.Loved and couldn't put it down until i had finished reading.High recommend.

Very interesting and easy read. Thought provoking and a must read for anyone into psychology. Raises a lot of issues about mistaken identity.

Fantastic, heartfelt book, what a great read, sympathies with both parties. Well worth the money,time to read. Exceptional true story

Enticing read. A really incredible story of miscarriages of justice and redemption. Highly recommend.

I heard about randomly over the tv. Bought it with out really knowing slot about it. Started reading and couldn't put it back down.. Loved every page of it. I would totally recomend this book.