Criminal Justice In Just Mercy By Bryan Scinvenson

Throughout the book, Just Mercy, the encounters Bryan Stevenson had with inmates was eye-opening to me. When one looks at the criminal justice system as a whole, every person convicted of their crime is looked upon as rightfully guilty. After reading, Just Mercy, that is clearly not the case. There are many people put into jail or even death row for crimes they did not even commit. The case with Walter McMillian is a perfect example of this. He was convicted of a murder that he did not commit and put on death row. The conversations Bryan had with Walter and the bond they made throughout the trials and hearings really surprised me. Especially how Walter was always hopeful and upbeat even though he was on death row. Each chapter brought along …show more content…
He was put on death row for murdering Ronda Morrison. Fingers were pointed at Walter for a few reasons. His race definitely played a part in it. Because this takes place in the south many people still have strong feelings against African Americans. State officials pressured Ralph Myers to lie in court so that Walter would be found guilty. Another reason why he was convicted was because people wanted answers and someone to be held accountable. Walter just so happened to be that person. He also was having somewhat of a relationship with Karen Kelly, who was white. Having an interracial relationship in the south wasn’t looked upon as a good thing. Walter also grew up poor, so if all these aspects are added together it makes him an easy target to get convicted of the murder. Walter was in prison for six years before he was released. After he was released, he received no compensation for being innocent. If I were in his position, I would be incredibly angry at the state for taking six years of my life away and not compensating me for it. This isn’t an odd occurrence either. At the time, very few states offered compensation for those wrongfully accused. Those states that did compensate had caps on how much money the victim would …show more content…
She was very poor and became pregnant with her seventh child at the age of 43. The baby was a stillborn child and was dead at birth. She was distraught. The baby was buried near their trailer home. Some neighbors noticed she wasn’t taking care of the baby and was no longer pregnant. They became suspicious. When police talked to her she told them the baby was stillborn. They dug up the body and Kathleen Enstice, Pathologist, observed the body and said it drowned. She has been known to make false accusations about the bodies she examines. Colbey was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her baby, which she didn’t do. Finally after 10 years she was released. I find it crazy that someone can be convicted of something they didn’t do and after years in prison getting