Bryan Stevenson’s memoir, Just Mercy, chronicles his work in criminal justice reform and advocating for wrongly convicted people on death row. Stevenson’s journey begins with a feeling of disconnect between the arcane law school classes and the race and poverty issues he seeks to address, but he reaches a turning point after an internship with the Southern Prisoners Defense Committee. Direct interaction with the incarcerated leads him to a renewed sense of purpose: “Proximity to the condemned and incarcerated made the question of each person’s humanity more urgent and meaningful, including my own...Law school had seemed abstract and disconnected before, but after meeting the desperate and imprisoned, it all became relevant and critically important...”
Stevenson goes on to detail how his work at the Southern Prisoners Defense Committee shaped the rest of his experience in law school and led him on a path towards representing clients on death row in the deep south. In his memoir, Stevenson gives a voice to those clients, following a narrative format to share the stories of Walter McMillan, Jimmy Dill, Herbert Richardson, Marsha Colbey, and many more, who, “were judged and condemned by people whose commitment to fairness had been broken by cynicism, hopelessness, and prejudice.” In particular, Stevenson highlights the case of Walter McMillan, a man falsely convicted of murder and sentenced to execution in Monroeville, Alabama. Stevenson recounts the years-long efforts to exonerate Walter amidst rampant corruption and lack of accountability in the Alabama courts and ultimately cites the profound impact Walter had on him: “Walter had taught me that mercy is just when it is rooted in hopefulness and freely given. Mercy is most empowering, liberating, and transformative when it is directed at the undeserving. The people who haven’t earned it, who haven’t even sought it, are the most meaningful recipients of our compassion…”
The most prominent theme throughout the work is Stevenson’s ability to connect with his clients and his unwavering commitment to each and every case on his docket. Brian Stevenson’s story serves as an example to aspiring changemakers and reformers of the importance of humanity in an increasingly broken criminal justice system.
Post-reading questions: (Comment your thoughts and answers, and Reply to other comments you like!)
How do you apply abstract concepts in the classroom to tangible change-making?
Do you believe capital punishment is warranted in our criminal justice system, and if so, when is it justified?
Are compassion and empathy learned traits or innate, and how do they allow us to approach criminal justice reform in a more effective and understanding way?
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