The Conviction Machine : Prosecutors, Politicians, and Police Violence in Chicago

In this captivating account of two of the most corrupt and blood-soaked chapters in Chicago law enforcement history, award-winning lawyer and author of The Torture Machine Flint Taylor draws on his vast experience to guide readers through the sordid world of prosecutorial misconduct and police violence

This compelling follow-up to his exposé of systemic police torture within the CPD looks at the roles of Cook County prosecutors and Democratic machine politicians in covering up both those widespread abuses, and the political assassination of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton. This story begins with a focus on then rising political star Edward V. Hanrahan, who, in his position as state’s attorney, authorized the notorious police raid on Hampton’s apartment and then vociferously orchestrated a cover-up that took more than a decade to completely unravel. Taylor shows how Hanrahan’s racist political strategy would ultimately lead to his own political downfall following the efforts of a Black-led movement.

Taylor traces the ways that Hanrahan’s legacy was continued and brought to bear on the case of Jackie Wilson, a victim of police torture wrongfully incarcerated for thirty-six years, thanks in large part to the same style of racist prosecutorial misconduct. Drawing on unique insights gained from his position as one of the leading lawyers in opposition, Taylor deftly guides readers through the numerous twists and turns of Wilson’s forty-year effort that not only won an innocent man his freedom but also resulted in the criminal indictment of a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney who played an important role in this shameful history.

Leading readers through this saga, Taylor asks whether there can be such a thing as effective progressive prosecutors dedicated to fair and equal justice in such an inherently unjust and systemically racist legal system.