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Framing Innocence: A Mother's Photographs, a Prosecutor's Zeal, and a Small Town's Response Kindle Edition

by Lynn Powell (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 31 ratings
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The harrowing true story of a mother whose innocent photos of her daughter resulted in child pornography charges—“an enthralling book” (Robert Coles).

When Oberlin, Ohio, resident Cynthia Stewart dropped off eleven rolls of film at a drugstore near her home, she had no idea that two snapshots of her eight-year-old daughter would cause the county prosecutor to arrest her, take her away in handcuffs, threaten to remove her child from her home, and charge her with crimes that carried the possibility of sixteen years in prison. Thankfully, Cynthia’s community came to her defense and supported her through the long legal battle.

In Framing Innocence, poet and author Lynn Powell—who was one of Cynthia’s neighbors—brilliantly probes the many questions raised: when does a photograph of a naked child cross the line from innocent snapshot to child pornography? When does a prosecution cross the line from vigorous to overzealous? When does the parent, and when does the state, know best?

This “fascinating . . . immediate and compelling” story plumbs the perfect storm of events that put a loving family in a small American town at risk (Booklist).

“[A] well-written, absorbing book.” —The Plain Dealer
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Previous page
  1. ISBN-13
    978-1595587145
  2. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  3. Publisher
    The New Press
  4. Publication date
    August 10, 2010
  5. Language
    English
  6. File size
    1949 KB
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In 1999 Cynthia Stewart, a mother, respected member of the community, and amateur photographer, was arrested and accused of child pornography, based on snapshots she took of her daughter in the shower. The fact that she had no intention of publishing or distributing the photos—and had no prior record for this kind of activity—did not dissuade the aggressive prosecutor. Powell, who lived in the same community and had a passing acquaintance with Stewart, chronicles in month-by-month detail Stewart’s battles to prove her innocence, and keep custody of her daughter. The story that unfolds is a fascinating cautionary tale of a criminal justice system both intent on finding criminals where none may exist and weighted against the poor and the powerless. Especially terrifying is the evidence Powell reveals that other moms, many single mothers, many in middle or lower incomes, have been similarly charged, and, in some cases, convicted for similarly innocent family photos. Powell is a facile writer, and her closeness to the material adds a subjective element to the story that makes it more immediate and compelling. --Jack Helbig

Review

"Thoroughly and fairly reported." --The Wall Street Journal

A "well-written, absorbing book." --The Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Powell is a gifted writer, and her ability to convey the complex characters and emotions . . . raises Framing Innocence above other books of its kind. . . . [An] intelligent, beautifully written book." --Chapter 16, Humanities Tennessee

"An unsettling story bound to grip readers with its own quest for justice, understanding, and truth." --New York Journal of Books

A "gripping true story." --MORE magazine: Great Read, November 2010

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0042RU87W
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The New Press (August 10, 2010)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 10, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1949 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 303 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 31 ratings

About the author

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Lynn Powell

Lynn Powell

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Lynn Powell is the author of the nonfiction book Framing Innocence (2010) and three books of poetry: Season of the Second Thought (2017), winner of the Felix Pollak Prize in Poetry; The Zones of Paradise (2003); and Old & New Testaments (1995), winner of the Brittingham Prize in Poetry and the Great Lakes Colleges Association's New Writers Award. She has been awarded a Literature Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and four Individual Excellence Awards from the Ohio Arts Council. Powell teaches in the Creative Writing Program of Oberlin College, where she directs Oberlin WITS (the Writers-in-the-Schools program).

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
31 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

D_shrink
5.0 out of 5 stars This could have been you or I!
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2010
Verified Purchase
This is a rather simple story of an over-zealous county prosecutor versus an aging 50 year old hippie at the time of the story in 1999. It basically was a clash of cultures. It pitted the Oberlin College community which is liberal for even most of California, let alone Ohio, and the prosecutor who represented all of Lorain County and its county seat Elyria, which is generally considered to be conservative.

The story begins when the mother Cynthia Stewart, an amateur photographer dropped off eleven rolls of what she considered to be innocuous pictures of family and surroundings. Ten rolls were developed and returned by the drug store immediately while she kept getting the run-around on one roll. It turns out that an employee at the processing lab, Fuji Films in Mansfield, Ohio found several pictures of a little girl showering with the portable shower head pointed towards her private areas to be very disturbing and contacted the local police, who contacted the Oberlin police. The rest of the book merely explains the cultural divide between this middle aged hippie and the up-tight conservative prosecutor and the political ramifications that this had in splitting the town of Oberlin from the county of Lorain by forcing locals to pick which side to support.

I felt the author did a great job of telling the story even with her bias towards her friend Cynthia. If the book bogged down at all, it was in the numerous pages of direct trial quotes.

Having lived in Ohio for over 20 years and being familiar with this geographical local and also having worked forensically with battered and abused women myself, I found the story to be an accurate representation of how the legal system actually works, as opposed to how it should work ideally. After reading this account, it is hard NOT to come down in favor of both the mother and the daughter, who were each traumatized by all the events transpiring over what they both felt were a couple of playful pictures. I read the book in three evenings and honestly found it hard to put down. Kudos to the author on her first book of published prose, with her previous works being poetry; a very nice transition!
6 people found this helpful
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William R. Todd-Mancillas (Name includes hyphen and capitalized M).
5.0 out of 5 stars An object study of puritanical offishness.
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2019
Verified Purchase
Horrible true story about a working mother persecuted (Comstocked) for taking an artistic, inoffensive photo of her daughter. Just a terrible and unjustified experience. Oh but the harm done by puritanical busy bodies. An object lesson. I discouraged my brother from taking cute photos of his children because I feared he might encounter difficulties such as what this unfortunate woman experienced. What a shame. In their appropriate context, nude photos and art are perfectly acceptable and even desirable (it seems to me). Pornographer hunters will take exception even with photos of children in their underwear. Moreover, it only takes one anonymous complaint, as this unfortunate mother discovered to ruin not your day, but weeks, months, and at least a year of one's life.
4 people found this helpful
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Jody Strickling
4.0 out of 5 stars Riveted
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2013
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When I started reading this book I felt a little anxious and nervous because I kept thinking this could have happened to someone I know. The unfolding of the story was riveting and since it was written as journal entries it made for easy reading.
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SL
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book about flaws in the legal system
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2010
Verified Purchase
Lynn Powell does a splendid job of describing the tragic prosecution of Cynthia Stewart on charges of child pornography. She shows how dogged prosecutors can jump to unwarranted conclusions, and how community support can help rescue an unfortunate defendant.

As she makes clear throughout the book, Powell is Stewart's friend and she was the treasurer of Stewart's defense committee. Those ties provided her with important insights into the case, and of course they provided her with important access to the defense team. If there is a weakness in the book, it is Powell's reluctance to criticize Stewart or to give much credit to the other side.

Thus, the book is unbalanced, but that is also part of its strength. We see the case almost -- but not quite -- through the defendant's eyes, which really drives home the disaster that can befall a family that has been wrongly accused. (Yes, Powell convinces me that Stewart was wrongly prosecuted, although I think there was more sincerity on the other side than she allows.)

Highly recommended.
6 people found this helpful
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awirtz
5.0 out of 5 stars Great discussion of prosecutorial discreation
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2010
Verified Purchase
This book is a wonderful account of how much the one prosecutor's discretion over an issue can change a family. Most citizens are not aware of how much discretion each county prosecutor has. The prosecutor decides what set of facts are presented to the grand jury and in what manner. This discretion changes lives in an instant. Please read this story to learn about this power and to enjoy a good book. I picked this book up at 10:00pm and put it down at 1:30 am. You will cheer for the little guys and feel like you can also make a difference in the world.
5 people found this helpful
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Teresa Lee Fowler
5.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Book for out Times
Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2010
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Powell's newest book is not only riveting, it is important. She sweeps us up into a frightening scenario in which powerful, originally well-meaning prosecutors use their power with such little discernment that an entire community asks itself, "My God, could they come after my children next?" In this enthralling book, we see how liberals and conservatives, professors and working-class come together, put away their political and social differences, and unite to fight "the man." And HOW they succeed in this fight is a blue-print for all of us in these divisive times. A MUST READ!
6 people found this helpful
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William Linsenmeyer
5.0 out of 5 stars Full Access View into the Struggle of an Accused Mother
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2016
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In depth coverage of a small town witch hunt of a mother accused of taking pornographic photographs of her daughter. The author has a personal connection to the accused mother and this allows the reader a full access to the plight and struggle of the family at the center of the prosecutors crosshairs.
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