48 pages • 1 hour read
The Innocent Man
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Chapters 10-12Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 10 Summary
The chapter begins with a history of execution in the state of Oklahoma, which is carried out by lethal injection, since "chemicals were considered to be more merciful" than the electric chair, and "thus, less likely to attract constitutional attacks of cruel and unusual punishment; thus, more likely to speed along executions" (133). The author notes that "Since 1990, Oklahoma has executed more convicts on a per capita basis than any other state" (133). Grisham describes the standard procedures for executions in Oklahoma, from the secret contractors who prepare the chemicals, to the removal of the body after the procedure is complete.
When Ron is sent to prison, the soon-to-be-infamous "H Unit" has yet to be built, so he is placed in F Cellhouse, where he has his own cell on a noisy corridor. Grisham describes the daily routine of life on Death Row. Mealtimes are highlights of the day, though the food is cold and the portions "ridiculously small" (137). The prisoners get one hour a day in the exercise yard, and they can buy snacks and toiletries from the canteen. As it happens, Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot are also housed on the row when Ron arrives.
Soon, Ron becomes a target of taunts from the prison guards and other inmates, who call out, "Ron, this is Debbie Carter. Why did you kill me?" (138). The guards are amused by Ron's helpless yelling in response. Tommy is alarmed when prison officials inform him that his execution has been scheduled, but it turns out to be a mistake, and he is returned to his cell. After about a week in prison, Ron starts talking to Greg Wilhoit, the man in the cell across from his, and the two become friends. Greg is also innocent, having been wrongly convicted of the murder of his estranged wife as a result of ineffective and haphazard legal defense on the part of his lawyer. Because of his pro-death-penalty views and his habit of disrupting other inmates' sleep with loud television viewing, Greg is disliked, and is even rumored to be marked for murder; thus, he is happy to have a friend "to watch his back" (142).
Ron's sister, Annette, visits him in prison. Ron calls Annette and his other sister Renee frequently, always demanding money to buy food and cigarettes, and they send as much as they can, which isn't much. In prison, Ron finds out that Ricky Joe Simmons had confessed to the murder of Debbie Carter, which enrages and obsesses Ron, giving him a new topic to yell about. Ron becomes increasingly unstable in prison and occasionally has violent outbursts, including one incident in which he smashes his television, radio, and guitar. He is assigned a new lawyer, Mark Barrett, to handle his appeal. And as Mark learns the details of Ron's case, he comes to believe in his innocence.
Chapter 11 Summary
Dennis Fritz, assigned to the medium-security Conner Correctional Center, keeps his head down and tries to stay away from trouble. He takes a job teaching GED classes to other inmates and becomes a regular at the prison law library, where he studies all he can to support his own defense. Back at McAlester, Ron continues to have mental-health issues. Though diagnosed by the prison doctor with depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, he is only intermittently treated or given medication, although when the guards want to quiet him down, they freely sedate him.
As winter arrives, the prison goes unheated. Tommy and Karl are granted new trials due to constitutional problems with the first round, but they are both again found guilty and sentenced to death. Mark Barrett passes Ron's case to Bill Luker, who also believes in Ron's innocence, but Ron's mental condition deteriorates and he becomes suicidal, making several attempts to kill himself. Finally, he is sent to a state mental hospital for a few months of treatment, then returned to prison with several more prescriptions that are only sometimes dispensed to him. Ron’s mental health deteriorates again, and he is again sent back to the state hospital, and then discharged to prison once again.
Chapter 12 Summary
Two years after Ron is sent to Death Row, Oklahoma conducts its first execution since capital punishment was legalized by the Supreme Court in 1976. The execution of Charles Troy Coleman deeply distresses Greg Wilhoit, who completely reverses his previously-held, pro-death-penalty position. Ron and Dennis both lose their first appeal, with the court deciding that though there were "several mistakes" in the men's trials, the "overwhelming evidence" against the defendants compelled the judges to let the verdicts stand. Greg Wilhoit, however, is granted a new trial, and he is freed from prison on bail.
The prisoners on Death Row are moved to the newly constructed H Unit, a subterranean prison wing with concrete bunks, no sunlight, and horrible food. Prisoners are crammed together in cells that are much too small. Ron cannot eat the food in the new unit and loses ninety pounds during his time there. His hair turns completely gray, and when his sister Annette visits him, she does not recognize him. Ron's mental condition worsens dramatically, and it is "no secret among the guards that he [has] lost contact with reality" (157). Prison psychiatrist Ken Foster takes note of Ron's extreme suffering and attempts to arrange treatment for him, but the prison administration repeatedly denies his requests, citing a policy that the Special Care Unit is off limits to Death Row prisoners. It takes four years of insistent appeals before Foster's request is granted and Ron is given treatment. In the meantime, "the correctional staff was having great fun at his expense" (159), with guards often calling Ron on the intercom and pretending to be the voice of Debbie Carter, or of God. Kim Marks, an investigator with the Indigent Defense System, is assigned Ron's case and begins researching the history. She becomes another advocate for Ron's treatment, but her recommendations are also blocked.
Greg Wilhoit's new trial commences, and when expert testimony shows huge discrepancies between a bite mark left on the victim and the defendant's dental records, the case is dismissed, and Greg is declared a free man. Ron, by contrast, is notified that a date has been set for his execution.
Chapters 10-12 Analysis
This section focuses mainly on Ron's and Dennis' years in prison, with Dennis serving a life sentence and Ron on Death Row. Throughout these chapters, the author continues to build the case that once a person (innocent or guilty) is caught up in the justice system, and especially once a verdict has been reached, that person is powerless to defend themselves from whatever the state chooses to do to them, no matter how cruel, unfair, or harmful. Grisham portrays the grind of life behind bars, the ways people survive (or don't), and the particular subcultures that develop among inmates in different types of prison settings.
Death Row fosters an attitude of distrust, as it's known that people already sentenced to death are sometimes willing to kill again, for any reason or none at all. But deep friendships can also form between Death Row prisoners who are able to find a common bond, and such relationships are one of the main things that make life bearable.For Ron, sheer survival requires most of his attention and effort. In this severely-restricted and often-cruel environment, his mental health issues worsen dramatically and cause him great suffering. He does not have the emotional stamina required to maintain his sanity over the long term, and he declines quickly.
There is a pervasive sense that prisoner welfare is valued only insofar as prisoners must be kept healthy enough to appear at their trials (and, eventually, at their executions). Policies are set based on the whims, fears, and prejudices of the staff. The prison where Ron is housed is presented as dangerously unhealthy, not because of the presence of so many convicted criminals, but for much more mundane reasons: a non-functional heating system, toxic concrete dust, inedible meals. In Grisham's portrayal of the prison, once a person is "in," they cease to have any human rights at all, and they are permitted to continue living only as long as it is convenient for the state.
Even legal advocates whose job it is to ensure that prisoners like Ron receive the medical care they need find the way blocked. If the prison administration says no to any request, that answer is final and unshakeable. Ron's advocate, Kim Marks, despite her position as an investigator with the State of Oklahoma, is unable to get Ron access to psychiatric care (provided by the prison just a short distance away from the Death Row unit where Ron is housed) for four years, despite constant petitioning. When Ron is finally allowed to receive treatment, it's clear that the decisions around his care are politically motivated: the prison officials want to ensure that Ron seems stable enough to appear in court. However, it would be hard to argue that an inpatient in a psych ward was "competent" to be executed, so Ron's treatment is cut short and he is sent back to his cell so that he can be on hand when it comes time for the lethal injection.
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