Injustice Town

“Injustice Town is both a gripping true-crime story and an exposé of systemic rot at the core of a Midwest city’s government and police department. Tulsky, a lawyer, journalist, professor, and founder of Injustice Watch, has written a tour-de-force narrative illustrating how Lamonte McIntyre’s case exposes the failings of our local and national criminal justice systems.” – Booklist
“In this gripping narrative, Rick Tulsky reveals a network of police, prosecutors and judges that was, itself, literally criminal when it ensnared the teenaged Lamonte McIntyre for a crime he did not commit. Tulsky excavates the case through McIntyre’s eventual exoneration but also goes further, outlining common-sense reforms. This book is essential reading for those who care about actual justice in America.” – Cynthia Tucker, Pulitzer prize-winning former editorial page editor, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Investigative reporter Tulsky debuts with a harrowing true crime narrative about 17-year-old Lamonte McIntyre, who was unjustly convicted of murder by a dirty cop, an unethical DA, and a judge who had a secret past relationship with the prosecutor. Tulsky meticulously traces the perfect storm of prejudice and corruption that left McIntyre vulnerable, and wrenchingly describes his unsteady efforts to rejoin society as an adult. This horrifying account of injustice and new beginnings leaves a mark.” – Publishers Weekly
“A compelling story of a massive failure of the legal system: how a Black youth lost 23 years of his life due to racism, police corruption, prosecutorial misconduct and the incompetence of court appointed lawyers.” – Stephen Bright, law professor, former director of Southern Center for Human Rights, and co-author of Fear of Too Much Justice
“Rick Tulsky has done it again: A beautifully written, true story that exposes dark, big truths about America’s criminal justice system. Every prosecutor, police officer, judge, and defense attorney who wants to do the right thing will do better after reading this memorable book.” – Lawrence Krasner, lawyer and 26th District Attorney of Philadelphia
“Tulsky details a history of racism and corruption that stretched back for decades in Kansas City political circles and the police force. This book is a page-turner; its tension is enhanced by language as crisp as a court reporter’s and as intimate as an inmate’s private journal. A gripping exposé reveals that the true criminal is not the man behind bars.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Rick Tulsky’s account of the outrageous injustice done to LaMonte McIntyre in Kansas City, Kansas delivers a harsh blow to faith in our criminal justice system. A dirty cop, utterly incompetent defense lawyers, and an unethical prosecutor literally in bed with the judge, it is a story of mind-boggling malfeasance. It also illustrates how Kansas makes it easy to lock up anyone its authorities deem a ‘criminal type.’ One need only glance at prison demographics to see who fits that description.” * Mark Bowden, New York Times betselling author of Black Hawk Down *
“Injustice Town is appalling and inspiring – appalling because the criminal justice system conspired against Lamonte McIntyre, and inspiring because journalist Rick Tulsky has fought to deliver long-delayed justice to an innocent man. This is a vital and compelling book that exposes the racism baked into our justice system. A triumph of investigative reporting.” – David Zucchino, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Wilmington’s Lie
“Injustice Town is the unforgettable chronicle of how an innocent man spent half his life in prison, doomed by a justice system contorted by corrupt cops, incompetent lawyers, a compromised judge and intimidated witnesses.” – Bill Marimow, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner, former Editor-in-Chief of The Philadelphia Inquirer

Rick Tulsky began writing about abusive police and unjust court systems as a young reporter in Jackson Mississippi and that focus has defined his work ever since. Rick became a lawyer in Philadelphia and he continued exposing injustices on the staff of newspapers in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Jose. His work has won more than two dozen national awards, including a Pulitzer Prize, and he was a Pulitzer finalist two additional times. In 2011 Rick moved back to his hometown and joined the faculty of Northwestern University’s journalism school and co-founded a nonprofit newsroom, Injustice Watch in 2015. It was there that Rick first heard about Lamonte McIntyre, a story that took over his professional life. Rick lives in Evanston, Illinois, with his wife, Kim. They have two terrific children, Eric and Elizabeth, and one fabulous dog, Jasper.

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