The unfairness of today’s justice systems has become a major theme today, as trusted DNA analyses expose false convictions each week. The majority of the racial minorities in jails and prisons also suggest the systemic bias with the war on drugs bringing along draconian sentencing guidelines. The Equal Justice Initiative cast doubt on the accuracy of witness testimony with states that kill people forgetting how executions have been botched by their horrific effect (“Judicial Selection” 1). The news, which reaches citizens through articles and television spots concerning the mistreated individuals led to the memoir on “Just Mercy” to personalize the struggles against injustice. The progress towards addressing wrongful incarcerations is based on the inspirations to have many people involved in confronting systemic justice. The intention of this text is to bring attention to the poor and the condemned prisoners and their trials which bear marks of racial bias and prosecutorial conduct.
According to the Equal Justice Initiative, the efforts to merge justice and mercy are a courageous step intended to accomplish meaningful criminal justice reform (“Unreliable Convictions” 1). The unwillingness by the majority to do justice to parts of the community such as the marginalized groups, those in jails and those living with disabilities has contributed to the prevailing trends in poverty. Just Mercy focuses on the narrative of Walter McMillian, a client whom Stevenson represented in the 1980s while on death row for killing a white young woman in Monroeville, Alabama. Walter Miller was vulnerable to prosecution because of his affair with a white woman at the time of his conviction. The authorities concocted a case against McMillian, ignored the numerous eyewitness accounts from church members who were at his home attending a fundraiser when the murder took place. He was sent to death row in the state penitentiary even before trial. The nearly all-white jury returned with a sentence of life imprisonment while the Judge, Robert E. Lee Key, converted it to a death penalty. The story of the miscarriage of justice shows the strain of racial injustice in American life (Stevenson 14). The case set the foundation for questioning the pain visited families and communities based on wrong convictions that do not attract the death penalty but are less likely to attract the voices of activist lawyers.
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Criminal justice in the United States is more criminal than just. The system is replete with errors, maleficence, racism, and cruel punishments embedded with a stubborn resistance to reform and the inability to learn from mistakes (Stevenson 37). The problem of injustice is traced to the election of trial judges who behave like politicians. The judicial candidates benefit from campaign contributions from business interests that favor tort reforms or civil lawyers who are against tort reform. The financiers of the campaign do not have a vested stake in criminal justice but set to present a united front on being tough on crime. The judges do not want to be attached to grisly details of murder cases and claims that they did not impose the severest of punishments (“Judicial Selection” 1). The judicial override is restricted by case laws in other states such as Florida but remains unbridled in states such as Alabama.
The Equal Justice Initiative has sought to vindicate the innocent and add mercy to justice (“Innocence” 1). The context of justice needs to be considered to identify the value of mercy in the initiative. For example, where a drunk driver kills an innocent motorist, a question may arise on whether he should be sentenced to death. On the other hand, where the drunk driver has a close relationship such as being a son, a daughter, a husband, or a wife, the situation becomes more complicated. They are viewed as good persons who made mistakes. Anybody who considers the accused to be their son would have a similar feeling. However, the only thing that has changed is the close distance between the accuser and the accused. Where people are far enough from crime and the person is anonymous, it is easy to pass judgment. However, where their names, faces, history, and the joy they bring into other people’s lives are known, accusation becomes complicated. The good and bad are now visible even though it is always there even where the person is an anonymous criminal. This context makes a strong case to apply mercy to mistaken loved ones and every other person.
In sum, America tells itself that its system is great, reliable and fair. However, its systems are unreliable and often unfair where people get close enough to seeing the reality and their need for a blend of justice and mercy. The case of McMillian, who was convicted and sentenced to death, makes it hard to believe the willful ignoring of evidence given the facts of the case. The case shows that the system, which is constantly, defended functions poorly. The perversity of bias shows the need for transitional justice that many people have shown indifference. Many people ignore the plight of injustice, yet the mistakes require mercy and understanding of others. Getting close to the problem shows the deep need for reform and a solution. Moreover, getting close to the problem is the first step to understanding why the system is unjust to motivate the fight or resistance towards justice that may not be achieved by remaining distant. Working with the poor, the incarcerated and the condemned is essential to changing the resolve to correct the system. The suffering and inequality characterizing the criminal justice system have to inspire a conviction to stand for up for justice and mercy, speak up against the silence, and resolve to make a difference.
- Equal Justice Initiative. “Innocence.” 2016. eji.org. Web. 7 December 2016.
- Equal Justice Initiative. “Judicial Selection.” 2016. eji.org. Web. 7 December 2016.
- Equal Justice Initiative. “Unreliable Convictions.” 2016. eji.org. Web. 7 December 2016.
- Stevenson, Bryan. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. Australia: Scribe Publications, 2015. Print.
