The Similarities Between Just Mercy And The Movie 13th

In America, criminal justice has been an issue for generations. People are convicted of crimes and their convictions are oftentimes based on their race and/or social status. Unfortunately, it is a reality that the criminal justice system privileges those who are “rich and guilty rather than if they are poor and innocent. Many African American men and women have suffered due to this. In the book Just Mercy and the movie 13th, both sources give great examples of how the criminal justice system continues to overlook the truth to keep black Americans incarcerated.

In the book Just Mercy, the author, Bryan Stevenson, worked on a case for a Black man named Walter McMillian. He was convicted of murdering a white woman and put on death row. Stevenson started going over his case and realized the evidence was inconsistent. Ralph Myers, the man who accused Walter of the murder, was compelled to give false testimonies against Walter. This is an example of racial bias impacting access to justice and the overlook of incarcerated black americans

The documentary talked about how the country has incriminated Black Americans for years and incarceration rates continue to go up. There was a story about a teenage boy named Kalief Browder. He was accused of second degree robbery, and was put into prison. He was offered a plea bargain of three years in jail if he pleaded guilty, but he was innocent and they still kept him in prison for three years. With the help of the neighbors, his family was able to collect the $3,000 to post his bail but were denied because he was on probation from his prior felony conviction and Browder’s probation officer put a hold on him, so either way, he wouldn’t be released. This example was perfect showing how the poor and innocent get the short end of the stick. Whether Browder pleaded innocent or guilty he would still be