Equality and Justice for All

     My beautiful readers, this is the second to last section that I will be writing about for you all in response to Just Mercy. Even though I have hinted at Bryan Stevenson's argument throughout my previous blog posts, this section has provided the perfect summary to the question, "why is he writing this book." Throughout the text, it has been quite clear that Stevenson wrote this novel to encapture and bring a spotlight to the great injustices within the United States Criminal Justice System.

     To make his argument more effective, Stevenson gave examples of how other people were treated in different circumstances. In conjunction with Walter's story, Stevenson tells the stories of minorities, and what their experiences with the criminal justice system have been. Yet, all seem to have one thing in common;  exploitation of power by police officers, judges, and those with any sort of influence.

     For example, one story that was told was the one of Charlie. If you refer to previous blog posts, I write his experience with the judicial system and just how helpless he was and felt. In summary, Charlie, a 14-year-old boy was tried for murder as an adult and was then sexually assaulted by adult criminals and exploited within the men's prison. In this case, Stevenson supported his argument that there are issues within the criminal justice system, but it was given as through the story of a child.

     The story of George Daniel displayed how the mentally ill are treated by the Criminal Justice System. George suffered severe head trauma after a car accident and was not able to get the treatment he needed. After no longer being able to recognize his loved ones or the places around him any longer, he ended up becoming a danger to himself and others.

     Yet, after wandering into another family's home, and forcefully dragged and put to gunpoint by an ignorant police officer, he was not treated as if he had a mental illness.


     So when the police officer fired his gun and killed himself from his own backfire, George was accused of faking his symptoms, which were clearly there, and was sent to prison on charges for capital murder.

     By including this story, Stevenson followed the same pattern by showing how minorities are mistreated by those with power. After every section, he followed with the point that this is just one example of the hundreds, maybe even thousands that are incarcerated for things they did not do, or things they could not help.

     This idea continues as Stevenson tells the stories of people who have experienced great suffering due to the corruptness of the system.

     Moving into this current section of reading, within the chapter "Mother Mother", Stevenson gives examples of two middle aged women, whose stories are quite similar. Marsha Colbey and Bridget Lee were both accused of murdering their own children after having a stillbirth and were imprisoned.

     Moving into Walter's case, Stevenson also continued to make his argument on page 225, after Walter was granted his freedom back. This short speech made by the author happened during a "new trial", in front of a new judge, who happened to be very understanding, humanly, and a woman.

     "Your Honor, I just want to say this before we adjourn. It was far too easy to convict this wrongly accused man of murder and send him to death row for something he didn't do and much too hard to win his freedom after proving his innocence. We have serious problems and important work that must be done in this state."

   
      The last sentence felt of deeper importance to me because it was the first time, that he was heard by a person of the Criminal Justice System, and was really understood. This passage is a great example of what Stevenson's novel is trying to convey;

equality and justice for all.