In 1991, Isaac Wright Jr. was wrongfully convicted of being a drug kingpin in New Jersey and sentenced to life imprisonment. While behind bars, Wright educated himself on the law and became a prison paralegal; he assisted numerous inmates with their appeals. During his own appeal process, Wright served as his own lawyer. While conducting a cross-examination, Wright was able to extract a confession of police misconduct from veteran police detective, James Dugan, who confessed to a wide and systematic misconduct and cover-up.
Wright was subsequently released from prison. He obtained an undergraduate degree, graduated from St. Thomas University School of Law, passed the New Jersey Bar and was then granted admission to the bar. With his new status as a lawyer, Wright went after the men involved in the misconduct and cover-up. Dugan pleaded guilty to official misconduct and evaded prison time. The judge, Michael Imbriani was removed from the bench and sentenced to prison on theft charges. Somerset County Prosecutor committed suicide after authorities attempted to arrest him.