Commentary On Just Mercy By Bryan Stevenson

Just Mercy Before reading the book, Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson, I had very staunch opinions about the criminal justice system, juvenile offenders, capital punishment, and race in America. Being raised in a religious household with strict conservative values, I acquired biased opinions on the way the United States’ justice system really worked and firmly believed that it was fair, balanced, and served its purpose for the good of society; However, after reading Stevenson’s novel, I became self-aware and realized I was completely obvious to the tragedies that innocent people faced, and continue to face, each day under the crooked criminal justice system. Two or three years ago, if someone asked me if I was interested in politics, I would …show more content…
Reading that quote, I recognized that capital punishment did not align with pro-life principles and that capital punishment was the equivalent of playing the role of God: it is the equivalent of murder. Since the criminal justice system is obviously corrupt, I can’t fathom how many innocent people were sent to death row and wrongly executed. Even if they were guilty, they shouldn’t be sent to die. From reading the book, I also learned that capital punishment is very costly and botched executions happen more frequently than one would believe. Based off these facts, my belief on capital punishment has completely …show more content…
I went from an ignorant, narrow-minded individual to one who is more informed and progressive about these polarizing topics. The first step to reforming America’s criminal justice system is to understand that it is corrupt, and the next step is using this information to be proactive in reforming it. After reading Stevenson’s novel, I now know I can positively be proactive by encouraging others to read Just Mercy in the hopes that they too will become informed on the issues that face our