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Crime Fictions: How Racist Lies Built a System of Mass Wrongful Conviction
An explosive account of how America’s shadow system of justice is purposefully designed to ensnare and criminalize innocent Black children—from an award-winning sociologist
Wrongful convictions have long been viewed as rare exceptions to an otherwise well-oiled criminal justice machine. But after years spent investigating the largest criminal courthouse in the country, Chicago's Cook County, Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve began to suspect otherwise. When she discovered hundreds of cases indicting innocent Black youth of crimes they didn’t commit, she realized that wrongful convictions were more than a set of anomalies. Arresting and incarcerating these kids was the point—the crime would be tailored to fit.
In a suspenseful narrative account based on hundreds of interviews, media analysis, archival research, and hidden documents, Gonzalez Van Cleve presents a groundbreaking “howdunnit,” illustrating how this shadow system operates. The police, informed by assumptions of Black guilt, find a “criminal,” and create a narrative to pin him to the case they aim to close. They routinely coerce confessions, bury evidence, and persuade witnesses to lie.
Lee Hester, a disabled fourteen-year-old boy, is branded a “super predator” and convicted for killing his teacher; Romarr Gipson is called a “threat to public safety” at seven years old and charged with a murder that is physically impossible for him to commit. In the cases of the Central Park Five, Roscetti Four, and the Dixmoor Five, groups of boys are characterized as “wolf packs” to make their behavior seem sinister.
These “crime fictions,” predicated on enduring racist myths, often defy logic and even DNA evidence. Nevertheless, they are actively produced, institutionalized by police, enshrined in our legal records by the courts, and propped up by media coverage. While injustice perpetuated by police has been more widely reported on in the past twenty years, nothing comes close to Gonzalez Van Cleve’s A systematic account of the secret, far-reaching bureaucracy built to sustain this shadow system of justice.
By placing the lost boys at the center of their own story, what emerges is a historical lineage of wrongful convictions, and a powerful indictment of the culture that so willingly places faith in the police’s promise to keep us safe.
Wrongful convictions have long been viewed as rare exceptions to an otherwise well-oiled criminal justice machine. But after years spent investigating the largest criminal courthouse in the country, Chicago's Cook County, Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve began to suspect otherwise. When she discovered hundreds of cases indicting innocent Black youth of crimes they didn’t commit, she realized that wrongful convictions were more than a set of anomalies. Arresting and incarcerating these kids was the point—the crime would be tailored to fit.
In a suspenseful narrative account based on hundreds of interviews, media analysis, archival research, and hidden documents, Gonzalez Van Cleve presents a groundbreaking “howdunnit,” illustrating how this shadow system operates. The police, informed by assumptions of Black guilt, find a “criminal,” and create a narrative to pin him to the case they aim to close. They routinely coerce confessions, bury evidence, and persuade witnesses to lie.
Lee Hester, a disabled fourteen-year-old boy, is branded a “super predator” and convicted for killing his teacher; Romarr Gipson is called a “threat to public safety” at seven years old and charged with a murder that is physically impossible for him to commit. In the cases of the Central Park Five, Roscetti Four, and the Dixmoor Five, groups of boys are characterized as “wolf packs” to make their behavior seem sinister.
These “crime fictions,” predicated on enduring racist myths, often defy logic and even DNA evidence. Nevertheless, they are actively produced, institutionalized by police, enshrined in our legal records by the courts, and propped up by media coverage. While injustice perpetuated by police has been more widely reported on in the past twenty years, nothing comes close to Gonzalez Van Cleve’s A systematic account of the secret, far-reaching bureaucracy built to sustain this shadow system of justice.
By placing the lost boys at the center of their own story, what emerges is a historical lineage of wrongful convictions, and a powerful indictment of the culture that so willingly places faith in the police’s promise to keep us safe.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published May 19, 2026
About the author
Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve
5 books34 followersNicole Gonzalez Van Cleve is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at Brown University and an affiliated scholar with the American Bar Foundation, in Chicago, Illinois. She is the is the author of Crook County: Racism and Injustice in America's Largest Criminal Court (Stanford Law Books, 2016), which won numerous awards, including the American Sociological Association’s Distinguished Scholarly Book Award. Her book, The Waiting Room (Amazon Original Stories, 2018), is a collaboration with the Pulitzer Prize–winning team at the Marshall Project and examines how the suffering - caused by pretrial incarceration - extends beyond the cages of the jail and into the communities.
Her newest book, Crime Fictions: How Racist Lies Built a System of Wrongful Conviction (Random House), is the first account of “mass wrongful conviction” in the United States. Crime Fictions offers a novel intervention in the field of wrongful convictions by examining how racial stigma embeds in the seemingly race-blind, fact-finding stage of criminal investigations, demonstrating how wrongful conviction is systemic and actively produced by police.
Gonzalez Van Cleve’s written commentary has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, NBC News, Crain’s Chicago Business, and CNN. Her legal commentary has been featured on NPR, NBC News, CNN, and MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show.
Currently, Dr. Gonzalez Van Cleve is a native-Chicagoan, a first generation college graduate, and a proud alumni of Northwestern University (BA., MA., Ph.D.).
Her newest book, Crime Fictions: How Racist Lies Built a System of Wrongful Conviction (Random House), is the first account of “mass wrongful conviction” in the United States. Crime Fictions offers a novel intervention in the field of wrongful convictions by examining how racial stigma embeds in the seemingly race-blind, fact-finding stage of criminal investigations, demonstrating how wrongful conviction is systemic and actively produced by police.
Gonzalez Van Cleve’s written commentary has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, NBC News, Crain’s Chicago Business, and CNN. Her legal commentary has been featured on NPR, NBC News, CNN, and MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show.
Currently, Dr. Gonzalez Van Cleve is a native-Chicagoan, a first generation college graduate, and a proud alumni of Northwestern University (BA., MA., Ph.D.).
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 6, 2026
The whole system is guilty as hell
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Wow. What a potent, important read.
When it comes to history, “truth” is shaped by the person telling the story—and that’s exactly what makes this book so powerful. It challenges readers to examine not just the narratives themselves, but the people behind them, exposing a deeply troubling pattern that has long gone unchecked.
At its core, Crime Fictions reveals how those in power, specifically within the criminal justice system, construct the stories that determine guilt and innocence. Police don’t just investigate crimes. They shape narratives, crafting “crime fictions” that fit a desired outcome. Through coerced confessions, manipulated reports, and systemic bias, innocent Black youth are pulled into a machinery designed to close cases rather than seek justice.
I found the accounts of the wrongfully convicted boys—including Lee Hester, Romarr Gipson, George Jones, Omar Muhammad, and the so-called “wolf packs”—devastating, and it was almost impossible to comprehend the level of manipulation involved. And yet, these stories were also impossible to put down. Gonzalez Van Cleve creates an immersive read through vivid storytelling, insightful character analysis, and a meticulously built argument that reveals a hidden “shadow system” of justice operating within the courts.
I realized I was holding my breath as each case unfolded, watching the patterns repeat and hoping (even when I knew it was impossible) for justice to prevail. The book reads less like an academic study and more like a true crime thriller, which makes its findings all the more accessible, and all the more unsettling.
While nothing can undo the harm to these boys, Crime Fictions shines a necessary light on systemic failures that demand our attention. Definitely recommend this for anyone interested in true crime and/or injustice in America.
I received a free copy of this eBook from Random House and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
When it comes to history, “truth” is shaped by the person telling the story—and that’s exactly what makes this book so powerful. It challenges readers to examine not just the narratives themselves, but the people behind them, exposing a deeply troubling pattern that has long gone unchecked.
At its core, Crime Fictions reveals how those in power, specifically within the criminal justice system, construct the stories that determine guilt and innocence. Police don’t just investigate crimes. They shape narratives, crafting “crime fictions” that fit a desired outcome. Through coerced confessions, manipulated reports, and systemic bias, innocent Black youth are pulled into a machinery designed to close cases rather than seek justice.
I found the accounts of the wrongfully convicted boys—including Lee Hester, Romarr Gipson, George Jones, Omar Muhammad, and the so-called “wolf packs”—devastating, and it was almost impossible to comprehend the level of manipulation involved. And yet, these stories were also impossible to put down. Gonzalez Van Cleve creates an immersive read through vivid storytelling, insightful character analysis, and a meticulously built argument that reveals a hidden “shadow system” of justice operating within the courts.
I realized I was holding my breath as each case unfolded, watching the patterns repeat and hoping (even when I knew it was impossible) for justice to prevail. The book reads less like an academic study and more like a true crime thriller, which makes its findings all the more accessible, and all the more unsettling.
While nothing can undo the harm to these boys, Crime Fictions shines a necessary light on systemic failures that demand our attention. Definitely recommend this for anyone interested in true crime and/or injustice in America.
I received a free copy of this eBook from Random House and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Review of Uncorrected eBook File
These stories of massive, gross injustice are both heartbreaking and appalling. Obviously, changes need to be made within both the Chicago Police Department and the prosecutor’s office to address these acts of willful malfeasance by some of the officers as well as by prosecutors and others who turn a blind eye as to the actions of those determined to create cases simply because of skin color. Many readers may find it difficult to believe that police officers could be responsible for these miscarriages of justice, but the extensive accumulation of evidence speaks to their culpability.
Although the stories recounted here are horrific, the author’s willingness to bring them to the attention of the general public should be commended. This should be a must-read for everyone who believes in true justice.
Recommended.
I received a free copy of this eBook from Random House and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
#CrimeFictions #NetGalley
These stories of massive, gross injustice are both heartbreaking and appalling. Obviously, changes need to be made within both the Chicago Police Department and the prosecutor’s office to address these acts of willful malfeasance by some of the officers as well as by prosecutors and others who turn a blind eye as to the actions of those determined to create cases simply because of skin color. Many readers may find it difficult to believe that police officers could be responsible for these miscarriages of justice, but the extensive accumulation of evidence speaks to their culpability.
Although the stories recounted here are horrific, the author’s willingness to bring them to the attention of the general public should be commended. This should be a must-read for everyone who believes in true justice.
Recommended.
I received a free copy of this eBook from Random House and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
#CrimeFictions #NetGalley
May 18, 2026
This brilliant book offers an in-depth examination of the U.S. criminal justice system and its disproportionate impact on Black Americans and people with disabilities. Gonzalez Van Cleve combines meticulous research with accessible storytelling, making complex issues understandable without ever oversimplifying them.
What impressed me most was how the author weaves academic rigor with real human stories, creating a narrative that is both powerful and easy to follow. The book sheds light on systemic inequities, biases, and discriminatory practices that often go unchallenged. Despite its serious subject matter, it is written in a clear and engaging style that keeps you turning the pages.
Crime Fictions is a must-read for anyone interested in social justice, reforming the justice system, or simply understanding the truth behind its failures. It’s informative, eye-opening, and leaves a lasting impact. Highly recommended!
What impressed me most was how the author weaves academic rigor with real human stories, creating a narrative that is both powerful and easy to follow. The book sheds light on systemic inequities, biases, and discriminatory practices that often go unchallenged. Despite its serious subject matter, it is written in a clear and engaging style that keeps you turning the pages.
Crime Fictions is a must-read for anyone interested in social justice, reforming the justice system, or simply understanding the truth behind its failures. It’s informative, eye-opening, and leaves a lasting impact. Highly recommended!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
As the mother of a 13-year-old Black son who is already 6 feet tall, Crime Fictions didn’t just make me angry…it terrified me and validated the exact systemic BS we have already experienced in the school system. Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve brilliantly and brutally exposes how the justice system strips Black children of their innocence, weaponizing their age and size to turn them into "suspects" rather than kids. Reading this made me want to repeatedly hit every educator and law enforcement officer over the head with this book, even though I'm not sure it would actually change their minds. This book is a gut-punch, a masterpiece, and a stark reminder of the monstrous assumptions our children are forced to navigate. An absolute must-read that left me completely furious.
Thank you Random House and NetGalley #CrimeFictions #NetGalley.
Thank you Random House and NetGalley #CrimeFictions #NetGalley.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is a powerful and important book. Anyone who thinks racial injustice Is a thing of the past needs to read it. The author documents egregious behavior on the part of the Chicago police department including fabricating evidence, coercing confessions, hiding exonerating evidence, and perjuring testimony. Even more concerning is the prosecutors and judges who willing went along with these wrongful convictions and kept innocent people in jail for decades. While it is well written and well researched, it is a sobering and disturbing read. Highly recommended
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced reader copy.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced reader copy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you, Penguin Random House, for providing the copy of Crime Fictions by Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve. This was a tough read, but I’m glad I gave it a try. Of course, I watched When They See Us, the brilliant film about the Central Park Five, but I had no idea how many Black children were unfairly convicted of crimes in other states. This book focuses on Chicago, and wow, the terrible things that were happening made me gasp. Everyone should read this enlightening book. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Crime Fictions is a hard but necessary read. Very well written but the information within is just difficult to digest. Police coercion is something that I knew existed but not at the level described within this book - in addition to the population most impacted. The author does a great job of presenting the information and the impacts of this type of behavior. It is a compelling read. Should probably be required reading.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I received a free copy of, Crime Fictions, by Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Chicago's cook county has always been crime ridden, and politicians go to jail more then regular people it seems. I live by Cook county so am aware of whats wrong with it, and why its called crook county. Many male blacks were charged with crimes they did not commit, as mentioned in this book. This was an eye opening read.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Crime Fictions is really well-written but difficult to read at times. It details the issue of mass incarceration and false confessions of Black youth. She discusses specific cases, and these narratives really broke my heart. It's a sobering read and very important book. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.
June 2, 2026
This book will break your heart and make you so, so, so angry. Absolute must read.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews