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Just Mercy Sparknotes

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Could you imagine a family member convicted of a felony you know they didn't commit? This happens in the book Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson which is also a memoir of Bryan Stevenson's life as a criminal justice lawyer. This book takes place in the 1980s in small Monroe County in Alabama where Walter McMillan, an African American man lives with his family. Monroe County is a poor community in a predominantly African American community. Stevenson at that time lived in Virginia. As a new criminal justice lawyer, Stevenson defends McMillan. McMillan was framed and put on death row for a crime he did not commit. McMillan has gone through many illegal circumstances throughout the justice system mostly because he is an African American man. He was …show more content…

Another African American who was also on death row named Micheal Lindsey was set to be executed in May of 1989. Lindsey had a lawyer named David Bagwell who had said a few words that had showed his true feelings about defending criminals. Bagwell did not support them. Bagwell said, ¨I generally favor the death penalty because mad dogs ought to die.¨ He did not want to help the prisoners. That particular line had prisoners getting angry. It was not shared who Bagwell had said that to. The prisoners now felt they couldn't trust anyone. Especially lawyers who were supposed to help them. Stevenson had tried to stop Lindsey's execution from happening but sadly failed. Even though Stevenson didn't directly take the case, but he still tried to help Lindsey. However, his efforts were lost ,so on May 26, 1989, Lindsey was executed. Stevensons shows the prisoners' feelings about Bagwell's statement by writing, "Many Prisoners were appalled by this attitude, from someone who was supposedly an advocate for them ''(Stevenson 67). Many people in the prison did not agree with the execution. Just because he was African American he had no choice or even help. The lawyer seemed to think that Lindsey deserved to be on death row. All because of one crime. Bagwell did not help; neither did the state because of his race and because he was a convicted criminal. Bagwell did not do his job. No …show more content…

A family member is being dragged away from you by the police without any reason. All you can do is stand there and watch knowing you can't do anything or you might be next. It would be scary and traumatizing to say the least. Even though this book was written about how African Americans were treated in the 80s doesn't mean this unfair treatment doesn't occur in 2023. The police, lawyers, and the people who are supposed to protect every citizen and treat everyone equally are still racially profiling and discriminating against others. It may not directly apply to you but it could be your friend, coworker, or even your family member. The justice system still contains racist workers who negatively impact a lot of people's lives. Even society still has problems with people that are different from them. It was not that long ago that an African American teenager was shot and killed for just walking down the street. It was three years ago that another African American named George Floyd was murdered by a police officer just because of his race. This unfair treatment towards African Americans happens everyday. Many cops as well as lawyers or judges still go unpunished. They get to live their lives and move one even if they have ruined entire families based on their choices. Imagine being

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