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The Perils Of Injustice In Bryan Stevenson's Just Mercy

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Bryan Stevenson knew the perils of injustice and inequality just as well as his clients on death row. He grew up in a poor, racially segregated area in Delaware and his great-grandparents had been slaves. While he was a law student, he had interned working for clients on death row. He realized that some people were treated unfairly in the judicial system and created the Equal Justice Institute where he began to take on prisoners sentenced to death as clients since many death row prisoners had no legal representation of any kind. In Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson focuses on some of these true stories of injustice, mainly the case of his client, Walter McMillian. When Ronda Morrison was murdered, Walter McMillian was at a church fish fry where dozens could confirm his presence. Prosecutors suppressed evidence and found informants that could testify against McMillian for them. Walter Myers, one of informants, created a wildly unbelievable story that connected McMillian to the murder which law enforcement officers knew would be …show more content…

Even though it’s nonfiction, it reads much like a fiction novel would, getting comparisons to ¬To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. What makes it even more compelling than the fictional novel is that these are the stories of real people, of those wrongly convicted or unfairly sentenced. Stevenson’s memoir truly shows the power of mercy and what it can do for those wronged by judiciaries. This book’s story of justice and redemption and Stevenson’s struggle to free convicts from unjust or excessive punishment is deeply moving and powerful. The reader will root for him as he struggles to do as much as he can for the accused. Just Mercy really makes the reader think as they read and makes them sympathize with the plights of both Stevenson and his clients. Stevenson’s novel definitely deserves to belong on the bestseller

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Just Mercy is a memoir that amasses and distinguishes the legal accounts of an activist lawyer’s [Bryan Stevenson] struggle against legal injustice. Stevenson was born into a low-income family living in a racially segregated community in Delaware. He made it to Harvard Law School after successfully graduating from Eastern College that is present day Eastern University. In his legal practice, Bryan Stevenson started representing poor clients in Georgia and later in Alabama, where he became a co-founder of the Equal Justice Initiative.

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Her book will go down in history as a means to educate students about the appalling tale of the atrocities committed by John Wilson. Simmie aimed to create a book that would repair Polly Wilson’s,also known as Mary Hutchinson’s, reputation. With each book sold, Simmie continues to accomplish the task of amending the memory of Polly as well as spreading the truth of John Wilson. “In a story carefully reconstructed from letters, police files, and court documents author Lois Simmie creates a book that is a compelling mix of true-crime, history and the vagaries of human nature” (back cover). Simmie proves to reader that though someone may be a person of the law, they may still be capable of horrendous actions and they are not above the persecution of the justice system.

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In Bryan Stevenson’s “Just Mercy,” there is an underlying sense of hope that is seen in spurts through the constant stories of injustice and unfairness that take place. Throughout the book there are multiple people that are wrongly condemned and have to suffer on the dreaded death row. All of the inmates of the row know they will eventually be executed, but only a select few stay positive and give the reader a sense of hope in such a negative situation. Mr. Jenkins is one of those men. The mentally ill man was in and out of foster care as a child, and his terrible experiences lead to more serious brain damage.

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Currently, the United States holds 5% of the world’s population, but 25% of the world’s prisoners (eji.org), which comes out to around 2.3 million inmates. 10,000 of these prisoners are children housed in adult facilities. 20,000 of these prisoners are wrongly convicted of crimes they did not commit (huff post). 356,000 are seriously mentally ill (treatment advocacy). One million of these convicts are African Americans (NAACP).

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Consider the following, staying a devoted fan to the patriots or staying allegiant to your best friend. When he gets down to the despicable core of tough times one can see who 's truly loyal. Justice works the same way. For instance, one can be guilty and be granted freedom or vise versa. In the novel, Montana 1948, Larry Watson reveals conflict between two necessary values loyalty and justice which is exemplified throughout.

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There were a few rare sympathizers, however, who identified with Jodi Arias’ anger at being used and lied to by a man and truly believed she murdered him in a fit of rage (Keifer, 2015). This would make the proper ruling manslaughter, and not premeditated murder, as the law dictates different punishments based on the premeditation, or lack thereof, of the killer. These sympathizers could argue that there was not enough mercy awarded by the court due to Jodi’s apparently sympathetic situation. What is the proper balance between mercy and justice? Should justice overrule mercy?

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“There is a strength, a power even, in understanding brokenness, because embracing our brokenness creates a need and desire for mercy, and perhaps a corresponding need to show mercy (Stevenson 109) .” This bold statement is one of many as Bryan Stevenson sets the tone for his renowned award winning novel Just Mercy. As a young lawyer from Georgia, built the foundation for his company, SPDC (Southern Prisoners Defense Committee) to help convicts that are on death row or in need a second chance. Bryan Stevenson, a young lawyer from Georgia who fought for justice on the behalf of inmates on death row, showed tremendous intelligence in becoming a successful lawyer, demanding for not backing down in moments of refusal, and was an overall advocate

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In Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy, he writes to illustrate the injustices of the judicial system to its readers. To do so, Stevenson utilizes multiple writing styles that provide variety and helps keep the reader engaged in the topic. Such methods of his include the use of anecdotes from his personal experiences, statistics, and specific facts that apply to cases Stevenson had worked on as well as specific facts that pertain to particular states. The most prominent writing tool that Stevenson included in Just Mercy is the incorporation of anecdotes from cases that he himself had worked on as a nonprofit lawyer defending those who were unrightfully sentenced to die in prison.

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Injustice is found in the town of Maycomb during Tom’s court case. He is brought before court accused of committing an appalling crime, even though clear evidence and facts have been

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In Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson concludes “the opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice,” and by this he means that when there is no justice, most people will live in poverty, despair, and fear. Despair is the complete loss of all hope, and each of these characters felt that feeling. Bryan Stevenson was stopped and searched by the police, and he was full of fear because one officer had pulled a gun on him. Fear, Police rely on fear to break the law and do as they wish, because they know a majority of people are scared to go against the police. In chapter 3, Walter McMillian was in jail awaiting his trial and eventual execution, this alone drove him into a pit of despair.

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Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. By Bryan Stevenson. Spiegel & Grau, 2015. Pp. 368.

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To avoid feeling guilty from slavery whites said blacks were bad and began to oppress them. They did this through segregating them, watching their every move, and putting them in positions to commit crimes. Bigger is frustrated because he is not allowed to do anything because he is black. " When Bigger goes out onto the street he sees a poster for Buckley's campaign: “IF YOU BREAK THE LAW, YOU CAN'T WIN!” And, as Bigger knows, if you don’t break it, you keep losing.

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I believe the purpose of “Just Mercy” is to show the reader that the legal system can make mistakes that can lead to the wrongful convictions of innocent people and to encourage people to change that. Stevenson works on cases with great dedication and a clear goal in mind; to show these people who have lost hope in clearing their names mercy. The way Stevenson dedicates countless hours to helping those in need is inspirational and compelling. Stevenson uses vivid and heartwrenching examples of what happens to inmates on death row right before execution. This makes you want to anything possible to help.

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“Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done,” wrote Bryan Stevenson. Bryan Stevenson is the author of the nonfiction novel Just Mercy, a true story about the wrongfully imprisoned Walter McMillian. McMillian was put away for murder but did not commit the crime. This is about how McMillian was freed from this accusation. In the novel Just Mercy, Stevenson proves that one bad action does not define a person, and that mercy is important to show when a mistake is made through his use of pathos, logos, and ethos.

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In In Cold Blood, the issue over the death penalty is prominent. Did Perry and Dick deserve to die? Should the severity of one’s crime determine one’s fate? Although Truman Capote writes the novel in a straightforward, “from a distance” way, he conveys, through his characters, theme, and plot development, that the death penalty is an issue that should be looked at from all sides and that the legal system itself is the real issue at hand, and that the death penalty is used as a means to suppress the distress and indignation of the citizens surrounding the case, instead of suppressing the victim himself.

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