When Truth Is All You Have: A Memoir of Faith, Justice, and Freedom for the Wrongly Convicted
- Downloads：6179
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-14 19:30:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jim McCloskey
- ISBN：0525566821
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
"A riveting and infuriating examination of criminal prosecutions， revealing how easy it is to convict the wrong person and how nearly impossible it is to undo the error。" --Washington Post
No one has illuminated this problem more thoughtfully and persistently。 --Bryan Stevenson， author of Just Mercy
Jim McCloskey was at a midlife crossroads when he met the man who would change his life。 A former management consultant， McCloskey had grown disenchanted with the business world; he enrolled at Princeton Theological Seminary at the age of 37。 His first assignment， in 1980， was as a chaplain at Trenton State Prison。 Among the inmates was Jorge de los Santos， a heroin addict who'd been convicted of murder years earlier。 He swore to McCloskey that he was innocent--and， over time， McCloskey came to believe him。 With no legal or investigative training to speak of， McCloskey threw himself into the case。 Two years later， thanks to those efforts， Jorge de los Santos walked free， fully exonerated。
McCloskey had found his calling。 He established Centurion Ministries， the first group in America devoted to overturning wrongful convictions。 Together with his staff and a team of forensic experts， lawyers， and volunteers--through tireless investigation and an unflagging dedication to justice--Centurion has freed 65 innocent prisoners who had been sentenced to life or death。
When Truth Is All You Have is McCloskey's inspirational story， as well as those of the unjustly imprisoned for whom he has fought。 Spanning the nation， it is a chronicle of faith and doubt; of triumphant success and shattering failure。 It candidly exposes a life of searching and struggle， uplifted by McCloskey's certainty that he had found what he was put on earth to do。
Filled with generosity， humor， and compassion， it is the soul-bearing account of a man who has redeemed innumerable lives--and incited a movement--with nothing more than his unshakeable belief in the truth。
No one has illuminated this problem more thoughtfully and persistently。 --Bryan Stevenson， author of Just Mercy
Jim McCloskey was at a midlife crossroads when he met the man who would change his life。 A former management consultant， McCloskey had grown disenchanted with the business world; he enrolled at Princeton Theological Seminary at the age of 37。 His first assignment， in 1980， was as a chaplain at Trenton State Prison。 Among the inmates was Jorge de los Santos， a heroin addict who'd been convicted of murder years earlier。 He swore to McCloskey that he was innocent--and， over time， McCloskey came to believe him。 With no legal or investigative training to speak of， McCloskey threw himself into the case。 Two years later， thanks to those efforts， Jorge de los Santos walked free， fully exonerated。
McCloskey had found his calling。 He established Centurion Ministries， the first group in America devoted to overturning wrongful convictions。 Together with his staff and a team of forensic experts， lawyers， and volunteers--through tireless investigation and an unflagging dedication to justice--Centurion has freed 65 innocent prisoners who had been sentenced to life or death。
When Truth Is All You Have is McCloskey's inspirational story， as well as those of the unjustly imprisoned for whom he has fought。 Spanning the nation， it is a chronicle of faith and doubt; of triumphant success and shattering failure。 It candidly exposes a life of searching and struggle， uplifted by McCloskey's certainty that he had found what he was put on earth to do。
Filled with generosity， humor， and compassion， it is the soul-bearing account of a man who has redeemed innumerable lives--and incited a movement--with nothing more than his unshakeable belief in the truth。
Reviews
Bevlaudie
，
An amazing insight into the justice system that has flaws 。 。 。
Mari
，
I found it disheartening and somewhat hopeful。 I appreciated know the outcomes of those who were exonerated。 I can’t even imagine with over 20 years of your life stolen and the inhumane behavior that is allowed to go on behind prison walls， how you wouldn’t be profoundly traumatized and bitter。 Every training program for law enforcement through law school should be required to read and DISCUSS this book。 Darryl Burton is one of the pastors of my church and the most humble man ever。 We support hi I found it disheartening and somewhat hopeful。 I appreciated know the outcomes of those who were exonerated。 I can’t even imagine with over 20 years of your life stolen and the inhumane behavior that is allowed to go on behind prison walls， how you wouldn’t be profoundly traumatized and bitter。 Every training program for law enforcement through law school should be required to read and DISCUSS this book。 Darryl Burton is one of the pastors of my church and the most humble man ever。 We support his Miracle of Innocence project。 I didn’t have any problem with the author’s biographical information and found it humble， honest and meaningful as well as a needed distraction from the horrors of the rest of the book。 。。。more
Elaine
，
As a fan of Bryan Stevenson and “Just Mercy，” I was ripe for another book about working for freedom for innocent people on death row。 Equally excruciating and exhilarating， Jim McCloskey's "When Truth is all You Have" tells the stories of people who are wrongly convicted and the efforts of the Centurion Ministries to free them。 It is incomprehensible that people sit on death row for decades when they have been convicted in trials involving lying， made-up confessions， shoddy evidence， testimonies As a fan of Bryan Stevenson and “Just Mercy，” I was ripe for another book about working for freedom for innocent people on death row。 Equally excruciating and exhilarating， Jim McCloskey's "When Truth is all You Have" tells the stories of people who are wrongly convicted and the efforts of the Centurion Ministries to free them。 It is incomprehensible that people sit on death row for decades when they have been convicted in trials involving lying， made-up confessions， shoddy evidence， testimonies in exchange for leniency and other nefarious practices。 On the other hand， finally freeing--often after many years of research--these people is profound。 I was also impressed by the coping mechanisms that many of these men and women had developed as they lived day by day in the brutal prison system。 That the wrongly accused involve a large percentage of minority prisoners is a foregone conclusion。 McCloskey’s personal backstory--told in chapters sprinkled between cases--prior to doing this work is equally fascinating。 These triumphant （and failed） stories of Centurion Ministries will influence my thinking and my heart for a long time。 。。。more
Quratulain
，
Excellent
Donna
，
Essential reading。 If you enjoyed The Sun Does Shine you will want to read this book。 Did not know that Grisham based his novel The Guardians on the work of McCloskey。
Peg （Marianna） DeMott
，
When Jim McCloskey served as an intern at a New Jersey prison he had no idea that the relationships he began to build would lead to a life long calling。 Reverend McCloskey has valiantly beaten a path through the jungles of the flawed criminal justice system and been a trailblazer for the many Innocent projects to follow。 A worthy read for the many admirers of Bryan Stevenson。
Debby Lee
，
Heartbreaking， inspiring， and enlightening， all rolled into one。 Very few books have made me cry like this one。 Jim McCloskey opened my eyes to the injustices of the criminal justice system。 Filled with gritty honesty about his struggles with his faith and the embers of hope that still burn bright。 And the exonerees， they brim with courage， strength， hope， and resilience， their stories inspired me in ways few stories have。 This book will stay with me for a long， long while。 Eloquently written， a Heartbreaking， inspiring， and enlightening， all rolled into one。 Very few books have made me cry like this one。 Jim McCloskey opened my eyes to the injustices of the criminal justice system。 Filled with gritty honesty about his struggles with his faith and the embers of hope that still burn bright。 And the exonerees， they brim with courage， strength， hope， and resilience， their stories inspired me in ways few stories have。 This book will stay with me for a long， long while。 Eloquently written， and highly， highly recommended。 。。。more
Sandy
，
Inspirational - a man who has dedicated his life to freeing prisoners that were wrongly accused。
Jeremiah
，
After reading John Grisham's "The Guardians"， I read this real life book form Jim McCloskey。 Jim is a real person with real stories and has dedicated his life to helping those unrightfully imprisoned。 While Grisham's protoganist was created in his mind， McCloskey is telling about himself， his good points and less good points， which makes him that much more endearing。 What a great story and a great human。 After reading John Grisham's "The Guardians"， I read this real life book form Jim McCloskey。 Jim is a real person with real stories and has dedicated his life to helping those unrightfully imprisoned。 While Grisham's protoganist was created in his mind， McCloskey is telling about himself， his good points and less good points， which makes him that much more endearing。 What a great story and a great human。 。。。more
Adrian
，
from my uncle。 Enjoyed reading it very much; it's always a pleasure to hear about people righting wrongs。 I also appreciated his inclusion of cases that he was wrong on - that the person was actually guilty。 His honesty about his faith and its occasional shakiness was also refreshing。 from my uncle。 Enjoyed reading it very much; it's always a pleasure to hear about people righting wrongs。 I also appreciated his inclusion of cases that he was wrong on - that the person was actually guilty。 His honesty about his faith and its occasional shakiness was also refreshing。 。。。more
Tara Haskins
，
The sheer fact that I read this in a day to the detriment of my laundry stash and cleaning is a testimony to this writer and subject matter。 I was well aware of the shortcomings and injustices that our justice system imposed on our society。 But this author not only outlines case after case， the root of all the problems and provides solutions to make our justice system accountable。 This is a must read！
Chris
，
I picked this one to read cuz of Grisham's "Guardians" This Summary/Review was copied from other sources and is used only as a reminder of what the book was about for my personal interest。 Any Personal Notations are for my recollection only。 This book is fascinating for a variety of reasons。 I had never heard of most of these cases of people wrongly accused and convicted。 McCloskey came to his mission via a very circuitous route which he describes in alternating chapters。 That was an effectiv I picked this one to read cuz of Grisham's "Guardians" This Summary/Review was copied from other sources and is used only as a reminder of what the book was about for my personal interest。 Any Personal Notations are for my recollection only。 This book is fascinating for a variety of reasons。 I had never heard of most of these cases of people wrongly accused and convicted。 McCloskey came to his mission via a very circuitous route which he describes in alternating chapters。 That was an effective method rather than chronologically。 Usually I have read about death penalty cases。 These were not for the most part， although one of the people who doesn't get save does get executed。 McCloskey is still working on that case so he can be cleared posthumously。 At the end of the book McCloskey give a list of what needs to be done to lessen if not stop the wrong convictions。 。。。more
Pam Pulizzi
，
Thank you to Jim （the author） for this wonderful book and for his amazing work。 Very well written stories of hard work， heartache and finding your life’s work。 I ran the entire range of emotions in this book。
Carl
，
Enlightening。
Nara Hays
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book shows Jim McCloskey， a real and imperfect human being doing amazing work for wrongly convicted prisoners。 The book highlights both his successes and failures both personally and professionally。 Jim shares vignettes about innocent prisoners and their search for justice; he reports on the crimes， individuals involved， his investigation， how he worked to get their convictions overturned， and the outcomes。
Edward Sullivan
，
McCloskey tells the inspiring story of founding Centurion Ministries， the first group in America devoted to overturning wrongful convictions。 Working with a team of forensic experts， lawyers， and volunteers and through tireless investigation， Centurion has freed has freed over sixty wrongfully convicted prisoners。
Louise
，
Another shatteringly stark and disturbing peer into the criminal justice system and its systemic corruption。 I listened to the audiobook， which always conveys more meaning and feeling than written words。 The narrator was very good。 The writing was clear and heartfelt。 The organization of the book， with its alternating “current day” stories and flashbacks added impact to the overall message。 This should be required reading for every high school student - especially those in states with the death Another shatteringly stark and disturbing peer into the criminal justice system and its systemic corruption。 I listened to the audiobook， which always conveys more meaning and feeling than written words。 The narrator was very good。 The writing was clear and heartfelt。 The organization of the book， with its alternating “current day” stories and flashbacks added impact to the overall message。 This should be required reading for every high school student - especially those in states with the death penalty。 。。。more
Diane
，
EXCEPTIONAL。 Heart wrenching， unbelievable。 A book EVERYONE should read。
Stephanie
，
There are no words to describe how excited I was when I found this book。 Over the last few years， I have read many books regarding innocence cases but this was the first one that dealt with a layman getting the ball rolling for so many prisoners。 For that reason alone， this book was intriguing。There was a bit of skepticism on my part because McCloskey mentioned that he had trained as a minister and I was afraid that the overall tone would be rather religious。 While there were some tones of Chris There are no words to describe how excited I was when I found this book。 Over the last few years， I have read many books regarding innocence cases but this was the first one that dealt with a layman getting the ball rolling for so many prisoners。 For that reason alone， this book was intriguing。There was a bit of skepticism on my part because McCloskey mentioned that he had trained as a minister and I was afraid that the overall tone would be rather religious。 While there were some tones of Christianity， the author is completely honest of how his faith was challenged， and in many ways still is， by facing prisoners that have been wrongly accused and their trying path to freedom。McCloskey presents various stories of him helping people gain justice。 I appreciated that he had the courage to discuss a few cases where he was not successful， as well as， at least one case that the prisoner may have been lying about said innocence。 The reason I rated this four stars was because part of the book （mostly rotating chapters） McCloskey gets descriptive about his personal life。 Much of his personal life I found as a bit of a distraction and not completely relevant。 The only interpretation I have was to maybe show the reader that he was not always a do-gooder and how he was able to turn his life around and find the true meaning of his life。Solid 4 stars， well worth the read！！ 。。。more
Norjak
，
Similar to the Just Mercy book， but a little more on the story （recounting life and case events） end。
Deep Frey
，
A very engrossing read。 The repeated stories of injustice tug at your heart。 I enjoyed the format of this book。。。。 part-autobiography part-retelling of the history of his non-profit part-retelling of a dozen or more miscarriages of justice。Be sure to read the epilogue。 There are some great concluding remarks about police and legal reform。
Mary Moran
，
Really well written story。 Heartbreaking as I am sure it only addresses the tip of the iceberg。
Joann
，
McCloskey and his Centurion Ministries have worked tirelessly to exonerate people who were wrongfully imprisoned。 He brings his passion of this mission to this book， relating cases and all the work that went into freeing those he was able to help。
Nancy
，
I first heard of Jim McCloskey and Centurion Ministries after reading John Grisham's The Guardians。 Grisham's protagonist was based on Jim and his work。This memoir is the story of McCloskey's life and life's work。 His youth and adulthood experiences would not lead you to imagine he'd follow a call to the ministry。 Once there it would be unimagineable that he'd give that up to free convicted prisoners he believed were innocent。 His work predates many well known organizations involved in this work I first heard of Jim McCloskey and Centurion Ministries after reading John Grisham's The Guardians。 Grisham's protagonist was based on Jim and his work。This memoir is the story of McCloskey's life and life's work。 His youth and adulthood experiences would not lead you to imagine he'd follow a call to the ministry。 Once there it would be unimagineable that he'd give that up to free convicted prisoners he believed were innocent。 His work predates many well known organizations involved in this work such as The Innocence Project and Equal Rights Initiative （Just Mercy）。 Over decades he and his organization freed dozens of innocent men and women。 Many cases are illustrated in this book。I highly recommend this to anyone interested in learning more about the incarcerated， the accused， police work， and law。 It should be mandatory for people working in those fields。 。。。more
Sherry Brown
，
This is a book about trying to found justice for wrongly accused people。 Where one man of faith has made a difference in helping these people。 This is very powerful book！ It’s one I could not stop reading。 I highly recommend this book for all to read！
Eleanor
，
A great book detailing the first-hand experience of innocent people and the years they spend in prison because of the injustice of the criminal justice system in America。
Lynne
，
Jim McCloskey finds his calling when he begins an organization to free prisoners who have been wrongly convicted。 After serving in the military and earning a master of divinity degree he is searching for a meaningful life。 This is a memoir， so it details some of his earlier life， but the meat of the story describes how he and the organization he founds work to get freedom for innocent victims of miscarriages of justice。 I knew that innocent people are sent to prison， but detailed here are some o Jim McCloskey finds his calling when he begins an organization to free prisoners who have been wrongly convicted。 After serving in the military and earning a master of divinity degree he is searching for a meaningful life。 This is a memoir， so it details some of his earlier life， but the meat of the story describes how he and the organization he founds work to get freedom for innocent victims of miscarriages of justice。 I knew that innocent people are sent to prison， but detailed here are some of the ways it can happen。 There are police， investigators and prosecutors who overlook or deliberately threaten witnesses to give false testimony。 There are judges who are averse to upending an earlier decision。 There are fellow prisoners who tell of "confessions" in order to get time reduced。 It takes months and sometimes years for the dedicated people of Centurion Ministries to track down all of the people who were involved in the wrongful conviction。 Jim McCloskey and a very small staff began their project， and it has now continued for many years and has only grown through support and determination of many dedicated people。 。。。more
Patti
，
Excellent book！ Thought provoking and shocking to learn about how our justice system truly works。
Sherry
，
My greatest wish is that EVERYONE READ THIS BOOK。 I know that's not a realistic goal， so if at least those people who are entering law enforcement or looking to become an attorney read it， that would be a wonderful step in the right direction。I cannot， in my wildest dreams， imagine what it must be like to be unjustly imprisoned。 Especially if you are on death row。 Then throw into the mix the idea that law enforcement and/or districtattorneys lied or suborned perjury to "solve" their case， and it My greatest wish is that EVERYONE READ THIS BOOK。 I know that's not a realistic goal， so if at least those people who are entering law enforcement or looking to become an attorney read it， that would be a wonderful step in the right direction。I cannot， in my wildest dreams， imagine what it must be like to be unjustly imprisoned。 Especially if you are on death row。 Then throw into the mix the idea that law enforcement and/or districtattorneys lied or suborned perjury to "solve" their case， and it seems like hell on Earth。 As far as I'm concerned Jim McCloskey should be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize。 What he and Centurion Ministries have done for people wrongfully imprisoned is incredible。 I beg you to read this book， and then if you can， send a little money their way。 。。。more
David King
，