Topic > Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson: A Look at the U.S. Criminal Defense System Through the Eyes of a Minority

Knowing the context of any experience is critical to dismissing it. You need to put yourself in another person's situation so that they can understand how they feel and how the issue in question affects them. This is absent in most criminal defense practices. Lawyers charged with investigating and defending death row inmates often do not understand the injustices suffered by inmates. This often leads to a failure to do everything possible to defend your customers. Bryan Stevenson's Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption shows how Stevenson was able to avoid the pitfalls of most of the legal profession by allowing him to experience the lives and perspectives of prisoners. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The book seems to me to be a revelation about what the criminal defense system is in the eyes of a minority. Minorities are disadvantaged from the start. They are put in difficult positions where there are no options because of the crimes that may or may not be committed and the color of their skin. The criminal justice system is biased against minorities. Modern Jim Crow thrives on mass incarceration and the overall treatment of minorities in the criminal justice system in the modern day. The disadvantage of minorities in the criminal justice system struck me, as there is such unfair handling of their cases from the start that it often turns into a years-long ordeal. Some clients represented by Bryan Stevenson were unable to get past the defense. Some were executed despite their efforts in their defense. Mentally ill criminals are often killed while there is a possibility that they could be rehabilitated and treated for their illness. Two of Bryan Stevenson's clients were executed due to their minority status and the nature of their crimes. An insanity and incompetence defense, if applied early, may have avoided a wrongful execution. Criminals who are unaware that they are committing a crime are not competent enough to stand trial. The best option for these criminals is commitment to a treatment facility. Rehabilitation is possible if implemented when compassion is implemented. The element of understanding the criminal and showing mercy to the inmates may be unfamiliar to some readers. Unfortunately, harmful vocabulary describing individuals in the criminal justice system is used interchangeably. Stevenson is able to humanize individuals and separate the person from crime and labels. He notes that these people are no different from him in many ways. He recognizes their background, which may have led them down the path of crime. The journey from disillusioned Harvard student to civil and criminal rights defense attorney is marked by moments of understanding how the system has been distorted to the detriment of minorities and understanding the people involved in the cases. It is important to recognize how different perceptions are in the South and North. The South tends towards conservatism while the North is more liberal. While at Harvard, Stevenson realizes that he doesn't fit into the system. He is among some individuals who are so galvanized by the reality of country life that they have developed the idea that there is no color difference. They feel part of an exclusive group. This utopian thinking leads people to believe that there is no modern racial discrimination. It also stops people from getting close. These people have no idea of ​​the extent of relationships.