The Corruption Of The Judicial System In Just Mercy By Bryan Stevenson

In a country like the United States the power of the government is divided among three branches; the legislature, the Judiciary and the executive. Out of the three, the Judiciary branch is responsible for interpreting and applying the laws made by the government. Our Judicial system comprises of courts that administer justice in the name of the state. The Judiciary is meant to ensure equal justice under the law, but the poor and minorities groups seem to suffer in our judicial system. As mentioned in the book, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, minorities mostly suffer due to injustices like racial profiling and flexible sentencing. Many people argue that injustice occurs due to corrupt police and dishonest judges, and they are the ones responsible …show more content…
Stevenson also claims that the people who faced these punishments were minorities. Most of these events occurred due to the corrupt government. The government is corrupt however, it is the people who are corrupting it. Most of these events occurred during the time when minority groups didn’t have the right to vote. For this the government and the justice system were in favor of the majority. “You see this scar on the top of my head?” He tilted his head to show me. “I got that scar in Greene County, Alabama trying to register to vote in 1964.”(Stevenson, 46), says an old African American man Stevenson met while giving a speech. All this happened due to the officials elected by the majority. So in a way it is the people who are responsible for corrupting the justice system. Citizens do not elect judges, make or interpret laws; however they have a very important role in the shape of the justice system. People play an indirect role in forming the justice system by electing members of legislature and executive branches who can check on the Judiciary. Hence, the people also have a huge impact on the Judiciary just like the other …show more content…
Judiciary also includes police, lawyers, and officials associated with law and order. One corrupt official can corrupt the entire justice system. In the book, Stevenson also talks about a lot of people falsely convicted due to corrupt police and lawyers. One of them is Walter McMillian. “His story was a counter narrative to the rhetoric of fairness and reliability offered by politicians and law enforcement officials who wanted more and faster executions. Walter’s case complicated the debate in very graphic ways”(Stevenson,243). Although Walter did not commit the crime, there were three witnesses against him for which he was sentenced to death. It is the police and lawyers who were responsible for the injustice Walter faced. Just like Walter, the other people mentioned in the book also faced injustice mostly due officials, other than the Judiciary being corrupt. For example, Marsha Colby and Diane Jones got convicted for crimes they didn’t commit . It is all due to the corrupt law enforcement. Just like judges, the also responsible for corrupt police and law enforcement. People can ensure justice by ensuring honest law-enforcement