Lawful Conviction

A Lawful Conviction is a quickly paced story that finds sixteen year old Jamaal Compton lawfully convicted and sentenced as an adult for the accidental death of his mother's abusive boyfriend. He is ushered into an adult prison system where he is preyed upon and eventually sexually assaulted by a powerfully influential prisoner who wields a lot of control. During this assault Jamaal did not fight his assailant off, yell for help, or do anything to discourage this attack from happening. Jamaal is left physically and emotionally traumatized while questioning his own sexual identity, in addition to how he is now being viewed by other prisoners. He is quickly labeled a homosexual; however, when his assailant returns for more sex, Jamaal kills him with a homemade knife that he gets from the only real friend he has. This violent incident all but seals Jamaal's fate in prison and presents him with the possibility of spending the rest of his life incarcerated. He is charged with murder and appointed an attorney who is determined to convince him to plead guilty and accept a plea bargain. But in a strange twist, a streetwise black attorney who is related to one of the prisoners incarcerated at the facility where Jamaal is, reluctantly decides to meet Jamaal during an impromptu visit to the prison while visiting his own relative. The attorney gasp at the sight of Jamaal when he is brought in for a conference, not realizing that he would be interviewing a young kid as all of his preconceived notions and stereotypes that he had built up over the years instantly vanished. He agrees to represent Jamaal for the murder of his assailant. In court the case has loser written all over it when they are confronted with an all-white jury and an arrogant, special appointed prosecutor. But in an unprecedented legal maneuver Jamaal's attorney motions the court to allow the jury to view the crime scene. The prison.