In the book Just Mercy, by Bryon Stevenson, he shares the story of his upbringing as a lawyer and company Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama. Through his career, he was able to understand the full extent of mercy and its ability to bring out people’s humanity. Additionally, Stevenson argues how people who act upon prejudiced beliefs are just as broken as those who have been condemned to life in prison without parole and on death row, because they have all been defeated by a sense of hopelessness and animosity within their own lives. In my critique, I describe my new found understanding of the cruelty behind the death penalty. Moreso, the trauma and brutality it brings to all the players involved, especially to those who are placed on death row. …show more content…
However, I think this is completely false. In a situation where the fate of an individual is decided by a person who obtains immense amounts of power, it ignites a new type of fear: uncertainty. American lawyer and social justice activist, Bryan Stevenson, shares similar values, as he believes mercy is one of the most empowering, transformative qualities for people who are undeserving of forgiveness. Stevenson is a well apprised public interest lawyer, as he is widely acclaimed for his organization, the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) were he dedicates his work to help “the poor, incarcerated, and the condemned” (). In addition, he has also won five cases at the United States Supreme Court, and has won over 135 wrongfully condemned prisoners who were on death row. In my case, Stevenson is the focus of this author’s critique of the infamous book, Just Mercy. In Steveson’s bibliography, he tells his story of the potential of redemption through mercy. After reading Stevenson’s book, I found that vulnerability allows people to see past their own biases in order to understand the struggles and hardships other’s