Getting Life: An Innocent Man's 25-Year Journey from Prison to Peace: A Memoir

Being from Williamson County I can say that Michael Morton's case is not an anomaly. This was and continues to be the standard operating procedure because the courts are run by former prosecutors and the courts have given itself and the predatory prosecutors absolute immunity--they are literally above the law, they know it, and they abuse it. It is heart-wrenching to read Michael's story and know that for every Michael cleared by DNA, there are thousands who have no evidence to prove their innocence because the deputies, the "investigators" for the prosecutors, and the prosecutors themselves destroy, hide, and suppress anything that would tend to prove innocence and anyone who could testify to the truth. Michael was so fortunate to have John because without John, he would never have recovered his life. If the deputies had found that bandana, he would never have known about it. Michael, you owe John your life. Prosecutors and law enforcement officers dream up crimes and then tamper with witnesses, evidence, and government records to prove these fabricated crimes and to frame the innocent because they are just too lazy to investigate the truth. Why should anyone do the honest and right thing when they enjoy absolute immunity for their criminal conduct. These people are the true gangsters who prey on the people and their conduct violates 18 U.S.C. Sections 241 and 242, as well as 42 U.S.C. Sections 1983 and 1985, but they have political cronies in the federal courts, F.B.I., and Justice Department who make it impossible for anyone to pursue those claims. Constitutional rights have become a myth because those who we delegated our power to in order to protect our values have abdicated their role and been derelict in their duties. The people need to demand that the self-serving absolute immunity be removed. Five days in jail hardly compensates for cold-blooded, intentional, deliberate, and willful plotting and scheming to deprive a person of their life, family, friends, and future. The state employees commit hundreds of murders a month in this fashion without any remorse or accountability. The tactics employed to convict Michael could be used against you or someone you know because there is still nothing in place to stop it--not even the Michael Morton Act prevents this racketeering, profiteering, and human trafficking.This is a great book and awesome literary style. I hope this book is a classic that people will read for centuries. It should be required reading in high schools and colleges--and especially in law enforcement training academies.

Purchased as a gift. Really gives good inside into the justice system, how someone can get wrongly convicted, the consequences of that conviction, and justice working out in the end. Wonderful story.

So sorry that Michael, because of corrupt lawmen, had to go through this. So happy Michael is now happy and at peace. Fantastic read!

Sent as a gift. Recipient loved this book.

I was drawn to this book by brief reviews on the group site for my hometown. I soon discovered that connection was not particularly important to the story, but I am so grateful that I followed it anyway. I began reading Getting Life immediately and continued to the end. The writing was clear and beautiful, often heartbreakingly so. How could I possibly stop reading until this disgraceful injustice was corrected? How could I put it down before discovering the effect on the young witness? I had to keep on turning pages until I had the answers....and then I could sleep. One extra gift that was mine through this book was the knowledge that God sends Damascus Road experiences to His children who are most in need of them. Thank you, Michael Morton, for several of the most rewarding hours I have spent in a long time. If it were not for the fact that I graduated from Kilgore High School about thirty years before you, I would have assumed you might have had the same demanding English teachers I did!

Living most of my adult life in the same county as Michael Morton, remembering this story and case from when it happened so many years ago, feeling unconvinced of his guilt even back then, then following the recent news of his release and exoneration made this a particularly powerful read for me. The amount of corruption in the county, that unfortunately still remains today, is mind-boggling and would be completely unbelievable except that it was true. Sadly, those with power had more political ambition than integrity and a quest for the truth. They took the easy route instead of taking time to search for the real killer, then fought his attorneys every step of the way as they tried to get the truth heard.Michael Moore has a way of narrating his story so that you're feeling the full range of emotions he experienced: his disbelief at what was happening to him, mourning his murdered wife, the shame of being found guilty and being sent to prison, losing his young son in the process, the sheer helplessness and hopelessness he felt as he was sent off to spend years in Texas prisons for a crime he did not commit. It is heartbreaking and infuriating that something like this could have happened to someone at the hands of our elected officials. That "winning" a conviction meant more than identifying the true killer. The arrogance is truly staggering.You will never look at criminal cases, jury duty, and counties that claim to be "tough on crime" in the same way again after reading this book.