The organization Centurion was founded some 40 years ago. It was the first group of its kind

working to overturn wrongful convictions for people facing execution or life sentences. Decades later,

as the death penalty continues to be carried out in some states and debated in others, its work

continues, a story now told by its founder in one of today's most popular

novelists. Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown reports for our series, Art in Action,

exploring the intersection of art and democracy, part of our canvas arts and culture coverage.

In 2021, Larry Walker left a Pennsylvania state prison, a free man after serving 38 years

following a conviction for murder.

Hey, what's going on this day, he was visiting friends at Centurion, the Princeton, New Jersey

group that took

on his case, and finally convinced a judge and even Walker's trial prosecutor that his conviction

had been based on the weakest of evidence and a flawed defense.

I have always heard that happens to other people, but when it had happened to me, you know, reality just set in.

But I don't know exactly when I look back, you know, how this happened.

In the new book framed astonishing true stories of wrongful convictions, Centurion's founder

Jim McCloskey and best-selling novelist John Grisham show how it happened in 10 separate

harrowing cases.

We want to educate the public and those who administer the criminal justice system that this kind of thing,

wrongful convictions is far more common than you would ever believe.

It's a huge problem we have.

People don't believe that these cases happen.

They don't believe there are thousands of innocent people in prison.

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