This will ensure a dangerous multiple killer, never has a chance to kill again outside of gaol and serves as an example to others who may consider committing a similar offence. This sentence may also serve as some reassurance to remaining family victims and the general community that this crime is considered abhorrent by the state and that justice has been served. The R v. Gonzales case is a lucid example of the legal system effectively balancing the rights of the individual and the society as evidently justice, equity and fairness have been…
Cases that can relate to the doctrine of fairness is Cardinal and Oswald v. Director of Kent Institution. This case was involved inmates in Matsqui Institution. In Cardinal and Oswald v. Director of Kent Institution (1985), the appellants were prisoners who reportedly participated in a hostage-taking incident of one of the guards. After the incident, the director made an oral order to remove the inmates from the general prison population and put into segregation. The director was given a recommendation by The Segregation Review Board to release the inmates back into the general prison with the rest of the inmates, before any major issue arises within that population.…
Summary Just Mercy is a book written by Bryan Stevenson. The book tells stories of justice and redemption in America. People are often wrongly-convicted; some spend years in jail while others get put on death row for crimes they did not commit. People on death row usually are given lawyers that do not care about proving them innocent. The American justice system’s unfairness has affected many people, especially those whom are part of the African-American society as well as high poverty areas.…
Stephen Bright takes a clear stance when discussing capital punishment. He associates the death penalty with the many other practices which have long been abandoned. These practices include whipping, branding, cutting off appendages, maiming, and other primitive forms of punishment. It is clear that Stephen Bright believes the United States should abandon the death penalty. In fact, his essay is written in a way which assumes that the United States will inevitable abandon capital punishment.…
Bryan Stevenson’s novel, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, focuses on the narrative of one of his first cases as a young lawyer. He shares the story of Walter McMillian, a young man sentenced to death for a murder that he did not commit. Stevenson’s primary objective with this novel is to draw attention to broken criminal justice system. The utilization of a primarily logos argument can only be justified if their is equality within the given system. However, when issues such as systemic inequities in punishment are being discussed, pathos is an important additional strategy.…
In 2003, Andre Thomas viciously attacked and killed his ex-wife and her two children, and was sentenced to death row. His defense argued that he was not eligible for death row because of his mental state. The court ignored the argument and passed it off, saying that they were using his illness as an excuse to “get out of” maximum punishment. As demonstrated in this case, mental illness is not given the attention it deserves when determining a sentence. Cases such as these have aroused concern how fair the criminal court is towards the mentally ill.…
Bryan Stevenson, an established lawyer with a degree from Harvard Law School and an author of his own personal memoir titled Just Mercy, constantly battles the problems within the criminal justice system. In Stevenson’s memoir, he makes multiple arguments about the unfairness and the need for change within the criminal justice system. One such argument is that of individuals with mental health problems not being properly diagnosed during their trials, therefore receiving lengthy prison sentences such as life in prison. In order to convey his message about the neglect of the mentally ill in American prisons, Stevenson uses numbers, as well as stories that pull at the heartstrings of his readers. Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson’s memoir was written…
Just Mercy: A Harsh Reality Author Bryan Stevenson walks us through the timeline of his career in the novel, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. He has ultimately taken on the task of defending the poor, people of color, and inmates sentenced on death row, condemned children, the mentally ill and gives a voice to those who ultimately become unheard in the court of law. Just Mercy sheds light on the treatment of minorities within our justice system, demonstrating the cruel and overly excessive punishment that defenseless minorities are faced in our society, ignoring the amount of guilt. As a nation and a society, we have become accustom to being obviously towards inequalities involving other who we simply do not identify with. Bryan…
Death is something all humans have in common. Everyone dies, some sooner than others, some naturally, some by accident, and others have their lives taken from them. Death is a subject that permeates Bryan Stevenson’s memoir ¬Just Mercy completely. In the book, Stevenson recounts his early days as a lawyer in the southern United States. He becomes intrigued with the cases that involve death sentences and makes it his goal to fight for those who are wrongly accused and sentenced to death.…
In the last chapter of Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the boys learn the true meaning of no mercy and see their chaotic world collide with the reality of civilization. Golding brings the two worlds together and produces a satisfying shift in mood as the boys realize what has come of them. The war suddenly stops, and conflicts emerge that had been avoided while others are resolved. Golding finishes the book with the future of the boys unwritten. William Golding develops a satisfying conclusion to his novel Lord of the Flies by altering his intonation, introducing emotional appeal, bringing an authoritative figure into the scene, and leaving the story open-ended while leaving several conflicts unresolved.…
In the words of Abraham Lincoln, “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.” But what is justice? And what is mercy? How do these seemingly opposite counterparts work together? When does one take precedence over the other?…
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, written by the brilliant Bryan Stevenson is a book that focuses on the controversial topic of the death penalty and racial injustice while weaving in themes of Freedom, Justice, Forgiveness and most importantly Mercy. Bryan Stevenson is an attorney that fights for the freedom of wrongdoing in the American justice system by taking on cases such as wrongly convicted, youth convictions and racial injustices. With Stevenson being an expert in the field, he is very well written with moving and addicting his audience to read his story of the hardships he has faced within the legal system, all while tying in lightheartedness being something he has throughout the book. Just Mercy opens up to Bryan Stevenson,…
Finally, the criminal justice should treat everyone equal despite their morality beliefs. Even though the crimes may look like they were committed for the greater good, it doesn 't stop from being a crime. Taking an innocent life will never be good. A good act should be helping people, not killing them. Killing people should never be counted as a “compassion” act, it should never have a lenient law.…
This awareness is the root of mercy. Criminals are just like everyone else in the way they make mistakes. What’s different about criminals who are held accountable for their crimes (and there are many criminals – especially on Wall Street – who are not held accountable) is that society defines criminals by their worst mistakes. Our worst actions should not define who we are. Although it makes sense for safety reasons that violent offenders are incarcerated, we should make incarceration more humane.…
In Act II, Scene 2 of Measure for Measure, the circumstance is that Angelo and Isabella are negotiating about the death penalty that Isabella’s brother is going to receive the next. They are having this conversation because Isabella is pleading for Claudio’s life on his behalf. If her pleas fail to change Angelo’s mind, then her brother will perish. Isabella’s position on mercy in the secular justice system is that Isabella is for mercy. While, Angelo’s view is against mercy in the secular justice system The following statement present mercy in the Vienna secular justice system: “It is the law, not I [who] condemn your brother:/Were he my kinsman, brother, or my son, /It should be thus with him: he must die tomorrow”…