Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson has had a profound impact and significant influence on readers, the justice system, and society at large. Through Stevenson's powerful storytelling and compelling arguments, the book has sparked important conversations about the flaws and injustices within the legal system, ultimately leading to positive changes and increased awareness. One of the most significant impacts of Just Mercy is its ability to humanize those who have been marginalized and dehumanized by the criminal justice system. Stevenson's vivid descriptions of his clients and their stories cultivate empathy and compassion in readers. By challenging prevailing narratives and stereotypes, the book encourages readers to question their preconceived notions …show more content…
The book has motivated individuals to become more actively involved in fighting for justice and equality. Many readers have been moved to volunteer their time or donate to organizations that work towards criminal justice reform. Stevenson himself founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing legal representation to prisoners who may have been wrongly convicted or unfairly sentenced. Through his organization, Stevenson continues to advocate for meaningful change and challenge the injustices depicted in Just Mercy. Furthermore, the impact of Just Mercy extends to the legal community and the justice system itself. The book has compelled lawyers, judges, and policymakers to reevaluate their practices and consider the consequences of their decisions on the lives of individuals. Stevenson's arguments have been cited in court cases, influencing legal discourse and shaping the way justice is administered. The book has also prompted reforms in areas such as the use of the death penalty, juvenile sentencing, and the treatment of individuals with mental health issues within the criminal justice
The non-fiction text I decided to read that led me to my topic of Capital Punishment is titled, Just Mercy by attorney-at-law Bryan Stevenson, and it provides stories of a lawyer who wanted to bring justice to the court system by helping men, women and children, sentenced to death row by helping them obtain their freedom. The book first begins with a back story of the Mr. Stevenson. Bryan Stevenson is a graduate from the law soon of Harvard. His interest in Death Row cases grew when the law office he was interning for sent him to talk to a man, Walter McMillian, who was sentenced to death row after wrongfully being accused of a murder he did not commit and was framed for. Mr. Bryan helped him, and Walter was eventually released about six years in death row. In the book, Mr. Stevenson goes through many cases that he has taken upon, some failures and some great success. The people Bryan helped were mostly minorities who faced racial bias at the time of their trial. He represented not only men, but also children. There’s stories about how a woman whose baby was born dead was sentenced to prison
The novel, Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson is an incredible read. In this book, Mr.
In Bryan Stevenson’s book Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, he uses methods of gothic language, partial language, biased facts and repetition to portray prisons in a negative light, allowing him to subtly persuade the reader, he often times does this through the negativity of prisons focusing on: prison guards, the structures themselves and the mistreatment of the prisoners. This method is a vital form in storytelling, but often times detracts from the overall message of Just Mercy and the injustices of the prison system.
By coming into the country, other races are denied of superiority and are exposed to an already “racialized society”. (pp.78) Oppression also comes into place with hierarchy, such as the “Bonds of Sisterhood” by Romero that portrays a difference between African American servants and housewives. It sets up an inequality between both women, showing inferiority over African American woman. One last reading that has emerged and captivated attention is Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. Stevenson expresses oppression in one of his own narratives when he was discriminated by two S.W.A.T officers. He describes his experience terrifying yet shocking since he had done nothing wrong. He was accused of a burglary based on the color of his skin because he lived in a white neighborhood. Not only that, but he was also investigated and searched which violated his rights. This unlawful act portrayed the ignorances for complex, multiple, and cross cutting relationships because Stevenson was an educated lawyer; yet, was seen different by the two officers in his own residence. Overall, Stevenson’s book has captured attention since it has given an experience of what he went
There were many innocent people that were punished for crimes they did not commit because they could not afford adequate counsel. Being poor and black can become a life or death situation. I believe that both books makes very valid points when it comes to mass incarceration and racial biases. The injustices have become so engrained in the system that many are blind to what is actually going on. More and more black men are becoming incarcerated and this is not because more blacks commit crime, so why then are so many being institutionalized? I believe it is to try to regain that power that was lost from the abolishment of slavery. The New Jim Crow highlighted the creation of the new racial caste system by revealing that the conception of this permanent segregation was implanted well before the Civil Rights Movement ended (Stevenson, 2014). While Just Mercy pinpoints the aftermath of a preconceived idea. It showed that America operated off of fear and anger, rather than truth and
As one grows older, certain trends begin to appear that are difficult not to notice. Naivety begins to fade and the harsh realities people are faced with every day present themselves. These realities shape how people perceive and treat others. A certain theme, or rather lack of theme, that is extremely pertinent in today’s society is the notion of humanity. Humanity is defined, by Merriam-Webster, as the quality or state of being humane or having a compassionate disposition. Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson, is a book that perfectly embodies the theme of humanity. In this book, the reader follows the author throughout his journey from an idealistic, young lawyer to a revered attorney in his quest for justice for those deemed unfavorable by our
...from completely liking the impact their condition has on their behavior. Mentally handicapped respondents, particularly the individuals who are not fiscally well-to-do, are regularly spoken to by inadequate direction. They say courts frequently choose trial lawyers who are "excessively unpracticed, exhausted, or uninterested" to legitimately shield their customersand left their defendant to make their own particular shutting contentions. At last, mentally retarded respondents face members in the criminal equity framework including barrier lawyers, prosecutors, judges, and juries—who are inconceivably uninformed of the nature and importance of mental handicap, are regularly more concerned with the political and expert results of acquiring a "triumphant" death penalty sentence than genuinely acknowledging the impact this condition has on the indivudual's perception.
Although, Harr presents the story from one perspective, he gives the reader a great insight into our justice system. Throughout the book, the author presents a very detailed and thorough description of the characters and the events. The book is very engaging and explores various themes such as corporate social responsibility, civil lawsuits, and unfairness in the justice system.
In Twelve Angry Men, Reginald Rose presents a play on criminal justice that comments on modern justice as a whole. He suggests equality as a standard for justice. While equality is the minimum that a person deserves, the scenario that Rose illustrates in Twelve Angry Men shows that sometimes people do not receive that minimum. The lack of equality brings about other elements of justice to make up for and build upon. Equality seems to spur the pursuit of justice, while raising the ever perplexing question of: what is justice?
One of the core values that is exemplified in this case is responding to the victim’s needs. The current criminal justice system focuses solely on the offender, but the restorative justice model focuses more on the inherent needs of those affected by the crimes (Wallace, 2009, P. 152). As stated in the article, Justin said, “I never wanted to hurt anybody” and even offered to donate part of his eye to help. Jorel wanted to meet w...
We are family members and loved ones of murder victims. We desperately miss the parents, children, siblings, and spouses we have lost. We live with the pain and heartbreak of their absence every day and would do anything to have them back. We have been touched by the criminal justice system in ways we never imagined and would never wish on anyone. Our experience compels us to speak out for the change. Though we share different perspectives on the death penalty, every one of us agrees that New Jersey’s capital punishment system does not work, and that our state is better off without it (Cromie and Zott
Access to justice and the right to a fair hearing are fundamental to the rule of law and any just society which values dignity and fairness. access to justice is for the most part understood as access to the kind of life and the kinds of communities in which people would like to live. It is about accessing equality, understanding, education, food, housing, security, happiness, et cetera. It is about the good life; that is ultimately the point. The more researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners understand this, the more their efforts to reform access to justice will yield fruit. Good laws, rules, judges, educators, lawyers, and courtrooms are all important. As the Honourable David Johnston commented in the context of the legal profession, “We enjoy a monopoly to practise law. In return, we are duty bound to serve our clients competently, to improve justice and to continuously create the good. That’s the deal” (Farrow, 2014, p, 983). The same can largely be said for all who work in the justice
In an argument between prosecuting attorneys in “Scorched Earth,” the first episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’s thirteenth season, a pessimistic critique of the American legal system’s power to protect the weak from the strong, the unspoken but nonetheless manifest presupposition of said attorneys regarding the ends of the justice system, appears in contrast to an implied legal idealism, but this critique is ultimately rendered tepid by a partial triumph later on in the episode for the side of justice through the work of dedicated legal agents sensitive to the rights of the powerless.
Stevenson’s constant use of anecdotes creates a personal atmosphere for an audience that will likely not be able to relate to African American society or imprisoned individuals so that they can sympathetically approach the situation. These anecdotal “depictions vivify problems that are difficult to quantify,” especially to an audience that may have difficulty connecting to the speaker (Gring-Pemble 360). Sympathy arises from the situation that excites it, so listeners must use their imagination to ignite internal passions and put themselves in the perspectives of others (Smith 87). It is much easier to employ one’s imagination if the speaker delivers stories that the audience can picture and observe in their minds; Stevenson can thus disburden
Dr. Slesaransky-Poe also summarized the four points from Bryan Stevenson’s guest presentation at Arcadia University. As the author of Just Mercy, he stated four points that can impact the world.