Justice is the foundation of our society, but it is not always simple. We face tough questions about fairness and how to make things right. Through this story and real-life examples, we explore what justice means and how we can make our world better for everyone. In the book Just Mercy, there is a lot from Bryan Stevenson about fairness and justice. He shows that the legal system is not fair, especially to black people such as Walter McMillan. Stevenson's experiences in court and his fight against racism in the legal system. Just Mercy Mercy by Bryan Stevenson Stevenson effectively persuades readers of the importance of being kind and giving people a chance to change through his experience in court, his clients being wrongly convicted, and the numerous times he has faced racism. Bryan …show more content…
His stepfather was a law enforcement officer who, at the time, was just his mom’s boyfriend. “The prosecutor insisted that Charlie be tried as an adult; he announced that he intended to seek the maximum punishment permitted by law.” (Prosecutor 98) Such a case as that of Stevenson took up for black young people like Charlie to bring about changes in a system that saw black minors receiving long prison sentences for a crime that a white kid could be left off as a less harsh punishment. During the days Charlie has been staying in an adult prison, he has been sexually assaulted by three men in prison. "There were three men who hurt me on the first night; they touched me and made me do things. They came back the next night and hurt me a lot." There were many last nights. I don't remember how many, but they hurt me." (Charlie 102) This case is evidence enough to illustrate just how far a prosecutor would be willing to bend the rules to secure a conviction of black defendants without considering the others, how they would feel, and what they
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
North Carolina Laws for Imprisoned People In the United States, one in twenty-five people on death row are innocent (Ferner). This is true because people are wrongly convicted of crimes they did not commit. Our judicial system is not as perfect as it seems. There are many factors that tie into this, sometimes information is withheld, or racism between citizens and the police becomes a conflict, and much more. In the book Just Mercy, a story of justice and redemption, written by Bryan Stevenson, it has many different stories about wrongly imprisoned people and their stories.
In the book, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, shame and repentance are necessary for rectifying the wrong done to people whether that wrong occurs intentionally or not within our neighborhood communities, and church communities and our families. With regards to Stevenson’s remarks about this theme I agree with him and identify with the moral consequences and Christian applications of the philosophy. Personal experience varies according to environment, morality, and behavioral choices and plays a crucial role in an individual’s interpretation of Stevenson’s premise. Everyone opinions may differ from mine, even if they agree with the statement. I’m intertest here in the many ways that individuals and communities alike interpret
Throughout Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson, a young lawyer who opened his own nonprofit law office in Montgomery, Alabama, was determined that he would be the one to help those that needed and couldn’t get it, to help those who were wrongly condemned. Throughout the memoir, he mainly focuses on one falsely accused death row prisoner, Walter McMillian. He was falsely accused of committing murder and mistreated, though all evidence supported that he was innocent. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the only falsely accused or mistreated case. Throughout Just Mercy we see other victims like Charlie who was sent to death row for killing their abusive stepfather at the age of 14 after witnessing his mother being abused by him to the point of nearly dying.
Bryan Stevenson reveals the horror truth of mass incarceration, which has been viewed as the modern day Jim Crow, through his memoir Just Mercy. For a majority of the book, Stevenson elaborates on the case of Walter Mcmillian, a black male, who took pride in his work as a successful entrepreneur with his lumber business. He earned the respect and admiration of strangers; but, was seen as “pleasant, respectful, generous, and accommodating” by those who knew him well and appreciated his presence (pg. 25). Although, he did have his flaws, as he was known to frequently cheat his wife, and his current mistress at the time was white, Karen Kelly― which, unfortunately, this makes him a perfect target for a false accusation. On June 7, 1987, Walter was
Acclaimed author and lawyer Bryan Stevenson depicts his crusade against an unjust and unlawful criminal justice system in his story Just Mercy. Throughout the book, Bryan depicts his progression from a confused freshman at Harvard law, into a criminal defense lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative. Unfortunately, his journey would unveil the truth America’s justice system: a system plagued by corruption and racism. Bryan Stevenson is an African American lawyer, who began his career after law school working for the SPDC, an organization that attempts to provide legal aid to prison inmates throughout southern states. While returning home from work one night, Bryan notices a SWAT car park near him. Soon he is held at gunpoint by a
Stevenson’s principal focus as an attorney is death penalty cases. He aims to get falsely accused inmates off of death row. The case at hand is that of Walter McMillian, a male that was charged for the murder of a woman named Ronda Morrison. As the case unfolds, it is evident that the evidence presented did not help to validate Walter McMillian as guilty. Due to the local police being pressured to convict a murder for the victim, they were hasty in their investigation of the evidence and quickly pinned it on a practical target. There is also an underlying racial aspect of McMillian’s conviction since he is a black male and had been with interracial, adulterous relationship with a married white woman and that had made people suspicious of him.
Bryan Stevenson is a public-interest lawyer who has spent his life committed to help those in need – primarily focusing on mass incarceration, racial issues, death penalty, and child incarceration. Stevenson has won court cases for many clients whether they were children, mentally ill, or wrongly convicted – and has even battled cases in front of the United States Supreme Court. His most recent, and monumental, win was a ruling that life-without-parole is unconstitutional for children who are seventeen years old and younger. Stevenson is a professor Law at the New York University School of Law and also a public speaker who hopes to bring knowledge about racial inequalities, past and present, to communities everywhere (“EJI” 2016).
Like I said, there were plenty of emotional moments in just Mercy. But this one really sums up the book nicely. This is what Brayn Stevonson does to make the reader agree with him and believe that death row is unfair. Stevenson argues that the legal system is unfair and flawed. He makes extensive use of quotes, info, and, of course, Ethos, Pathos, and Logos to support this claim.
Bryan Stevenson’s purpose of writing about his grandfather’s death in his book Just Mercy is to explain how hard it is to deal with children’s crime without knowing or understanding their lives. Many children who commit crimes have grown up in hard situations. Children at the age of twelve to eighteen are going through many changes during that time, like puberty. They are also still very immature and their brains are not fully developed yet. Stevenson also explains, “Young adolescents lack life experiences and background knowledge to inform their choices,” unlike adults teenagers do not have the best judgment for issues and do not necessarily understand the consequences that come from their actions. This is why Stevenson fights against the death row put against children.
Bryan Stevenson's in Just Mercy spends most of his time in prison with incarcerated and those who are in death roll which taught him that people are more than the worst thing they’ve done. He believes that the opposite of poverty isn't wealth; its Justice. I agree with Stevensons society should be judged and how it treats its most vulnerable members.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, law is represented by various people and limited by many factors. The children see the injustice of the case. In addition, insensitivity has a profound effect on the outcome of the case. Ultimately, the justice of the legal system is tarnished by prejudicial hearts.
Nehemiah Dolman Mrs. Murray AP Lang & Comp, 1st Block March 26, 2024. Just Mercy The death penalty for people with severe mental illness, like Herbert Richardson in Bryan Stevenson’s “Just Mercy,” shows cruel and unusual punishment due to the psychological torment it inflicts when they are treated in court, serving as vengeance disguised as justice. The Herbert Richardson case is about a Black Vietnam War veteran who experienced heavy combat resulting in him developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Furthermore, due to his involvement in Vietnam, Richardson suffers from recurring nightmares, constant mental breakdowns, and severe headaches from trauma which makes him shout “Incoming!”
In the story of “Just Mercy”, Bryan Stevenson recalls pursuing law and the need to help those who were wrongfully convicted. However, during Bryan’s quest to do the undoing of those wrongfully sentenced to death row, he faces obstacles in getting funded, rejection from judges and discrimination from the community and the Alabama law system. Bryan, recounts the cases he won and the cases he will never forget in his book. I believe Bryan Stevenson saw the good in every prisoner he met with. He believed in justice and helping the people who were pushed on the rug and forgotten.
Stevenson backdrop is the first-hand story of his client named Walter McMillian who was wrongfully convicted of a murder that he did not commit. McMillian was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death despite the fact that there were at least twenty people with him at his home that could corroborate his whereabouts at the time of the murder. Stevenson leads us through the events surrounding McMillians profoundly unjust incarceration, the fight to vindicate his client, his subsequent exoneration, and his tormented life after exoneration through his eventual death in 2013. Woven between the chapters of Walter McMillians story, we learn the stories of other men, women, and children who have been failed by our justice system. Men, women and children