Table of Contents
Summary of Book
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson is a compelling story expressing the injustice of legal practices predominantly in southern states. Throughout the novel Stevenson exposes his audience to a handful of death row cases he worked on first hand. One of the most controversial cases Stevenson worked on was that of Walter McMillian, a man sentenced to death for a murder he had no relation to. By working with condemned men, Stevenson’s views of mercy changed drastically by the end of the novel. These cases demonstrate how both racism and external forces impact the incarcerated and their families.
Experiences of Racism
Racism plays a very strong role in the imprisonment and treatment of the condemned men we are exposed to in this novel. Even though Walter McMillian had “an unquestionable alibi with close to a dozen witnesses,” the predominantly white jury pronounced him guilty of the murder of Ronda Morrison. (62) Because the murder took place in Alabama, the convict could not be identified, and the recently appointed sheriff was anxious to convict someone, it was easy to place the blame on an “African American man involved in an adulterous interracial affair”. (34) The arrest of McMillan was unjust and occurred based on the possibility that he was dangerous to society and not his past criminal history and reputation. It was a benefit to Sheriff Tate that Ralph Myers, a white man, was willing to falsely testify in court against McMillian. The conviction of an innocent man based on convenience and societal discrimination is morally wrong and substantially racist.
Another heartbreaking example of misconduct is presented in the case of “George Stinney, a fourteen-year-old black boy [who] was executed by the State of South Carolina on June 16, 1944.” (152) Stinney was accused and arrested for the murder of two white girls solely because he had admitted to having interacted with them the day of their death, when they asked George and his sister where they could find flowers to pick. Since George was a black male and had the last reported interaction with the girls, as soon as their bodies were found lifeless in a ditch he was immediately convicted, no questions asked. During his trial, “no African Americans were allowed inside the courthouse.” (158)
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Furthermore, “George’s white court-appointed attorney… called no witnesses,” and “the prosecution’s only evidence was the sheriff’s testimony regarding Georges alleged confession.” (158) Years after Stinney’s execution, a white man was allegedly reported to having confessed to having killed the two girls. The murder of George Stinney was uncalled for and was executed under an insignificant amount of evidence. It is evident that Stinney was convicted primarily based on his race and not his actions.
The occurrence of an African American teenager getting shot by a cop after getting pulled over for a minor traffic violation can be defined as a racist act. The teen was said to have “reached down to the floor where he kept his gym bag to retrieve his newly issued driver’s license,” the officer on duty claimed that the new driver was reaching for a weapon and shot the teen, resulting in the death of a minor. (38) However, upon investigation, no weapon was found in the car. There have been numerous cases similar to this one in recent times. One of the most popular cases was the death of Trayvon Martin, a seventeen-year-old African American teenager, who was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a white man, while walking home after purchasing skittles and a drink at a local store. Both these cases demonstrate how deadly stereotyping individuals can be. Believing that one’s race is more dangerous and threatening than other races is morally unjust. A person should not be defined by their looks, but rather their actions.
Racism did not just occur to the condemned men, Stevenson, also addresses a time in which he experiences an inessential encounter with the police. Stevenson informes readers that he “had been parked on the street for about fifteen minutes listening to Sly,” when a SWAT car pulled up in front of his car and directed their spotlight at him. (39) Unaware of what he could have possibly done wrong, the author admits to feeling terrified during the futile interrogation. After an intense examination of both Stevenson and his car, the officers stated that “‘someone called about a suspected burglar.’” and that “‘there have been a lot of burglaries in [that] neighborhood.’” (42) The audacity of the community to call the police because they believed a black man, who was sitting in his car listening to music, was a suspected burglar and the SWAT team to illegally search Stevenson’s car and mistreat him, is horrific. The color of a person’s skin should not determine their future actions. Furthermore the assumption of associating someone with a crime based on their ethnicity is unethical.
Examples of External Forces Impact on Individuals and Families
The false conviction of George Stinney had a major impact on both him and his family. Once word got around that Stinney was being charged for the murder of the two white girls from across the tracks, his “father was … fired from his job; [and] his family was told to leave town or else they would be lynched.” (158) In a drastic measure to save their lives, Stinney’s family left town and George. With no family, help, or support, George faced his execution alone. Because George was so young, facing charges of murder alone with no family support must have been beyond terrifying.
Many children look to their parents, siblings and other family members for guidance during challenging times and the absence of this guidance can leave someone feeling overwhelmingly scared and alone. In addition to the negative impacts George was facing after his conviction, his family was also negatively affected. Threats of being lynched and the loss of Stinney’s father’s job are two external factors that impact families negatively. These events cause families to have to make quick and critical decisions that can drastically alter the lives of everyone in the family. The family decision to pack up and move in the middle of the night, leaving George behind, is a defining factor in future development of the family.
Another external force that impacts families are mental health issues. Avery Jenkins suffered from severe mental health problems, problems of which were not always seen and often overlooked or dismissed by multiple foster families. Avery was “frequently locked in a closet, denied food, and subject to beatings and other physical abuse” due to his inability to perform all the tasks presented to him in the correct manner or time. (197) The lack of proper care and support from these families left Avert homeless at the age of seventeen. It is hard living with a mental illness, let alone, living with one that a slim number of people acknowledge exists. In addition to the challenges mental health issues present to the person suffering from them, they also impact families. Having a child who is experiencing psychotic episodes, seizures, addiction problems, etc is challenging to handle, especially when the issue is not solely visible to the naked eye.
Furthermore, the incarceration of condemned men also has a negative impact on family life. Although in prison, some parents still want to protect their children from the cruelty of humanity. Henry, the first condemned man Stevenson met, kept putting off having his wife and kids visit him in prison because he feared he would have to give them the date of his execution. This impacts the family because it presents a severe disconnect between the inmate and his family. Not being able to see his children or wife for over two years demolishes the role Henry had in his family. Being a single parent is very challenging, especially when your partner is on death row, awaiting an execution date. Henry’s wife having to take on both his role and her role and his children having to grow and develop without a strong father figure in their life can have a very negative and stressful impact on the family as a whole.
External forces can also significantly impact minors being tried as adults in the federal court system. Charlie, a five foot tall, fourteen-year-old boy, weighing under 100 pounds, was convicted and placed in an adult prison for the murder of his mother’s boyfriend. Because Charlie was small for his age and in a prison with predominantly older men, he was an easy target. Charlie reported being beaten and sexually assaulted by the other inmates. These encounters terrified and annihilated the young boy. Although Charlie was moved into a protected single cell and his case was eventually transferred to a juvenile court, the encounters he faced with the other prisoners his first few nights in jail have the power to impact him the rest of his life. Sexual assault is a very serious crime and can be challenging to fully recover from, especially if it happened at such a young age.
Conclusion
Taking everything into account, external forces and racism impact families and individuals in a wide variety of ways. It is hard to escape challenges and obstacles that life tends to throw at us, especially if you, or someone in your family, is being incarcerated. The novel Just Mercy, explores how different families and individuals deal with these challenges presented to them and how Bryan Stevenson works with them to help them receive proper legal representation. Mercy is defined as showing compassion towards someone who it is within your capability to punish or harm. In his novel, Stevenson shows mercy to clients other members of the legal system would rather harm. The stories told in this novel shape the way individuals see the legal system and the treatment of prisoners in a extremely unique way.
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