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Examples Of Poverty In Just Mercy

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Poverty in Just Mercy “The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, and the accused” (Stevenson 18). Thousands of people live in poverty and struggle every day with many of their basic needs. They struggle with being able to buy food, shelter, clothing, and access to medical care. People in poverty don’t have access to good legal support because they simply can’t afford it. Poverty affects many people in Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson as shown through their lack of education, their poor access to legal support, and their vulnerability to being targeted. Poverty can lead to a lack of education which affects many people in Just Mercy. Lack of education is shown when Marsha Colbey, a mother of six children, was pregnant with her seventh child. She couldn’t afford prenatal care and the baby was stillborn. Marsha had no intention of killing the baby and due to her lack of prenatal care and education had no idea that there was a problem with the pregnancy. To her, burying the baby seemed logical and she didn’t consider that she could be convicted of a crime as a result. If Marsha had access to better resources the baby may have survived. A common …show more content…

“The opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice” (Stevenson 18). Justice is about treating all people equally and giving everyone the same opportunities. All children should be able to get a good education and be treated fairly regardless of how much money they have. The lack of legal support for those living in poverty does not allow them to have access to the best legal representation. Good representation is important to those going through legal challenges. “For the first time I realized that my life was just full of brokenness” (Stevenson 288). Stevenson realized that his clients struggle with racism, mental illness, and poverty and that they are not getting good legal support because of these

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