“The Cockfight” is a gripping parable about the human cost of a broken justice system. Through visceral storytelling and a haunting central metaphor, author and attorney Frank Abrams sheds light on the lives of those ensnared by incarceration — and the brutal reality that punishment too often outlives the prison sentence.
“It’s more than a story, it’s a message,” Abrams said. “After 38 years of being part of a system that isn’t getting any better — it’s only getting worse — I could not live with myself if I did not write this book.”
In “The Cockfight,” DNA evidence becomes the nail in the coffin for a teacher falsely accused of sexual assault. But as readers will learn, DNA tests can be contaminated and results can be wrong — sometimes intentionally.
“When someone’s life and someone’s freedom are at stake, we can’t rely solely on DNA test results without thorough investigation and scrutiny,” Abrams said.
“The Cockfight” introduces readers to William Bradford, an educator recently named teacher of the year who was arrested and charged for the attempted rape of a 14-year-old student during a class trip to Washington, D.C. Married with two kids, Bradford would spend time in a hellhole of a jail in South Georgia and eventually take up residence under a bridge — all because of a lie.
Although fiction, many of the facts concerning the law and its application are or were authentic at the time the story is set, and are still factual, Abrams said.
“There are many victims of our unjust and unforgiving ‘justice’ system,” Abrams said. “Once they are caught in its web, it is difficult if not impossible to extricate oneself.
“Cockfighting is a system that treats animals in the same brutal way that the justice system treats people. It makes them mean and angry toward each other and generates money at the same time.
“I wrote The Cockfight to emphasize what can happen when things go wrong,” Abrams added. “It is my hope that the message in this book leads to both a change in attitude and action, that injustice will no longer be tolerated and that a fair, honest and just system will take its place.”
Abrams is a criminal defense attorney who has practiced federal and state criminal law in North Carolina and Florida during his 38-year career.
“The Cockfight” is available in paperback at amazon.com.
