Real Justice: Young, Innocent and in Prison: The Story of Robert Baltovich (Lorimer Real Justice)

Mitchell, Jeff

3.3

23 ratings by Goodreads

9781459400795: Real Justice: Young, Innocent and in Prison: The Story of Robert Baltovich (Lorimer Real Justice)

ISBN 10: 1459400798 ISBN 13: 9781459400795

Publisher: James Lorimer, 2012

At twenty-five, Rob Baltovich lost the love of his life, Elizabeth Bain. That was bad enough. Then he was arrested, jailed, sent to trial for murder, convicted and sent to prison—for life.

Throughout his years in prison, Rob maintained that he was innocent, refusing to admit to a crime he didn't commit. The result was he was never granted parole. Finally, his luck began to turn when he hired new lawyers who believed in him. Not only did they get Rob acquitted, they also made a strong case that the real murderer was the infamous serial killer Paul Bernardo.

Author Jeff Mitchell tells much of the story in Baltovich's own words. In this book, young readers will discover how this tragic miscarriage of justice happened—and how the legal system can right its own wrongs when lawyers and judges are willing to re-examine a case with fresh eyes.

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About the Author:

JEFF MITCHELL is an award-winning journalist with more than twenty-five years experience covering crime and justice issues. His honours include being named Reporter of the Year for 2005 by the Ontario Community Newspaper Association and runner-up for Journalist of the Year in 2010 by the Suburban Newspapers Association of America. He lives in the village of Bethany, Ontario with his family.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 6-10-Baltovich was wrongfully convicted of killing his girlfriend and jailed for eight years. He is one of several high profile cases of wrongful conviction in Canada, and this book looks at the justice system and how this occurred. His case is detailed along with his time inside, including some of the losses he suffered by being incarcerated. Teens will empathize with him being unable to be with his mother while she was sick and dying. Truscott is one of Canada's most famous victims of a wrongful conviction. At 14, he was sentenced to die by hanging for the rape and murder of 12-year-old Lynne Harper. It took more than 47 years for his complete exoneration. The book does a decent job of telling the story, but gets bogged down in the details of who said what and when something happened. Such details are necessary in a courtroom and to accurately tell what happened, but don't make for the most interesting reading. On the plus side, these books are accessible and easy to read. However, the covers are a mishmash of colors and typefaces, and the grainy, out-of-focus, black-and-white snapshots that appear throughout are not likely to capture the interest of contemporary teens.-Amy Cheney, Alameda County Library, Oakland, CAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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