“Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” by Bryan Stevenson
It is great detriment to society when a system, that is supposed to hold no bias, and bring fair judgment and justice, fails. Bryan Stevenson’s book “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” is his account as a young lawyer fighting for the rights of convicted felons, the poor, and discriminated masses, and is written in a fashion that reveals a harsh world unfamiliar to many, yet far too familiar for others. Mr. Stevenson became passionate for helping convicted individuals whose punishment exceeded the crimes they committed after working as a law school intern for the Southern Prisoners Defense Committee. Of particular interest to Bryan was those on death row, and upon graduation from Harvard he moved to Montgomery, Alabama to form a non-profit organization, which became known as the Equal Justice Initiative.
The book follows a primary case, referred to as that of Walter McMillian, a middle-age black male, convicted of murdering a white female from a prominent family in Monroeville, Alabama. The account of the case, and trial, read as if a description from a movie: withheld evidence, forced testimonies, lying witnesses, failed judicial system, and racial bias. When Mr. Stevenson accepted the case, the death row inmate, Mr. McMillian, adamantly denied any involvement in the murder, and insisted on his innocence. The occurrences told throughout the book evoke images of the early 1920s or 1930s, so it is necessary to constantly remember that this trial and events surrounding it took place in 1988, and were not concluded until 1993, relatively recent in judicial history.
‘Just Mercy’ not only follows Mr. Stevenson through the trials and tribulations that accompanied taking on a controversial case such as Mr. McMillian’s, but also his pursuit to aid others whom the justice system failed. Not surprisingly, those people who needed the most assistance are categorized in the United States as minorities. The ratio of incarcerated minorities to the white population remains, disproportionate. Another area examined by this book is that of life imprisonment teenage and child criminals. Many states do not have a minimum age to be tried as an adult, so children as young as thirteen are tried and sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole.
This book reveals more than injustices; it reveals raw emotion and pain that so often is overlooked, or ignored because it is uncomfortable. This book forces the reader to confront these issues headon—that for many are never faced—such as the realities of racism in the criminal justice system. The topics written about force an introspective conversation that is too often overlooked, and examines policies encouraged as being “tough on crime”. It encourages discussions to question why being reasonable with the criminal and instituting alternative remedies than prison is viewed as weak on crime. Recently (on July 15, 2015), former President Bill Clinton publicly admitted that he made the mistake of encouraging mass incarceration by signing the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. Public representatives admitting to these problems gives hope to those who believe they have been forgotten, and gives hope to the public that we can show mercy as a nation. In the end, ‘Just Mercy’ is not a book to be recommended, and forgotten; rather, it is a book that should be pushed to the American public, so the conversation about what is ‘just’ can begin.
If you are interested in the Equal Justice Initiative visit its website (http://www.eji.org).
Stevenson, B. (2014). Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. N.p.: Spiegel & Grau.
