...This event was a common reading and the speaker was Bryan Stevenson discussing his book Just Mercy. One of Bryan’s main points was that we do not talk about how we can change the world and it is important that we do because there are a lot of problems and we need people to change that. However, in order to change the world, we has to be proximate because without it we do not understand and in order to, we have to get closer to the issue. We have to do things we are not supposed to because proximity is power and that power can encourage someone to help another person. The problem that causes people not to be proximate is behind narration and we need to change that because if we do not, people will continue to be angry and have fear. In the US...
Words: 370 - Pages: 2
...Just Mercy Essay Mental illness has been a big issue in the United States, over the past century or maybe a little less than a century. Some believe that we use mental illness as excuse to put people in prison to keep us, while some people believe the opposite of that. Bryan Stevenson tackles this issue in his book of Just Mercy. He also tackles what the contributing ideas or factors to the large numbers of mentally ill people in prison. Stevenson’s points support what he says, a story that supports his points is a case that happened recently in Michigan. Stevenson talks about mental illness and how big of issue it is when it comes to prisons. Stevenson addresses this issue by stating that, “fifty percent of prison and jail inmates in...
Words: 898 - Pages: 4
...In the book, Just Mercy author Bryan Stevenson uses logos to prove that the criminal justice system is in need of reform due to the outrageous number of mothers and women who are being incarcerated unjusticefully. Byran Stevenson talks about the outstanding increase in women being incarcerated each year. Bryan dedicates chapter 12 in his book to raise awareness and help achieve justice for all women and mothers whose children and families are waiting for them. In Chapter 12, Stevenson states “In the United States, the number of women sent to prison increased 646 percent between 1980 and 2010. Most incarcerated women – nearly 23 – are in prison for nonviolent low-level drug crimes or property crimes” (Stevenson 201). Bryan Stevenson provides...
Words: 328 - Pages: 2
...Bryan Stevenson, in his book, “Just Mercy”, repeatedly writes about the injustices that occur in the juvenile justice system. One of the injustices that he mentions throughout the second half of the book is the life without parole sentence for juveniles. Stevenson spends time talking about a few cases that had important impacts on himself and his fight against unfair sentencings. He also briefly talks about his court case in front of the US Supreme Court. I believe learning the history behind life without parole sentencing for juveniles will allow me to see what Bryan Stevenson was up against, when he argued his case in front of the US Supreme Court. The book had many different aspects about the justice system that interested me. However, it...
Words: 854 - Pages: 4
...The Acts of Mercy Mercy is kind forbearance shown towards an enemy or an offender. In the novel, “Mercy Among the Children”, by David Adams Richards, the beginning section is called “Mercy”. Throughout the novel, the main character Sydney Henderson lives his life based around mercy. Not only does Sydney experience mercy, but it's portrayed among others throughout the novel. During this essay my altercations will be based on, “Why this section is called Mercy”. Reason #1: Sydney shows Mercy towards everyone: Sydney's upbringing caused him to show mercy towards his enemies. At a young age Sydney experienced constant violence and negative public criticism. His father was sent to jail and the Henderson name was looked down upon harsh judgement and accusation ever since. In result of Sydney experiencing so much blame and accuse as a youth he promised himself that “he would never raise his hand or his voice to another soul.” (23-24, Adam Richards). Ever since he was the age of twelve, Sydney lived by his promise to show forgiveness towards the ones who betrayed or showed wrong against himself or his family. In Sydney's early years of marriage with Elly, Cynthia Pit accuses Sydney to be the father of her baby. Sydney shows mercy towards Cynthia by keeping quite and not taking a blood test after the child was born. When Diedre whyne approaches Sydney about the situation, he says, “I will not participate in the shame of one and the ridicule of another for my own welfare.”...
Words: 1564 - Pages: 7
...in his sentencing. I have known Jacob since he was 5 years old. During that time, I have always known Jacob to be a kind, giving and loving person. Jacob has always tried to do the right thing. How he ever got into this situation is so baffling to me, as this is not the young man I have known just about all of my life. Jacob is a defensive end on the football team and enjoys playing. He hopes to play football professionally one day, but unfortunately charges being brought up against him will put a halt on that. This is a terrible crime that has been committed and no one is trying to minimize the wrongdoing or hurt that Jacob has caused the victim, her family, and his own family and friends. This is the first crime Jacob has committed, and requiring him to register as a sex offender will destroy him and whatever future he has as a professional athlete. Jacob is only 17 years old and didn’t realize the seriousness of the crime. So please find it in your heart and take into consideration Jacobs age and the future he has ahead of him. You don't know me and you don't owe anything to me or Mr. Coldon. Yet, I am asking you to be as lenient as possible in delivering your sentence. May you find mercy in your heart. Thank you, Jennifer...
Words: 257 - Pages: 2
...Opposing Thoughts in a Coexisting World The foundation of life of this world, is coexisting with one another at the same time or in the same place in peace. In the story “Twelve Angry Men” written by Reginald Rose, he creates a theoretical question, if opposing ideas can coexist as well. Justice verses mercy and certainty versus doubt is the underlying conflict throughout the story displayed by each juror with their personal backgrounds either leading to condemning or saving a teen’s life. After act one, we see the struggle between each juror going from certainty and pushing for justice only to be later filled with doubt and demanding mercy. These opposing ideas disrupt the vary balance of peace leading for any coexisting out the door. The Idea of justice versus mercy is constantly questioned and played out by juror number eight and juror number three. The struggle for justice by juror number three using laws to fairly judge and punish the teen for his father’s murder is contradicted by juror number eight as he seeks for merciful truth. In act one, juror number three says, “I never saw a guiltier man in my life. You sat right in court and heard the same thing I did. The man’s a dangerous killer…”(Rose 3) followed by juror number eight explaining his not guilty vote saying, “… this boy’s been kicked around all his life. You know, living in a slum, his mother dead since he was nine … I think maybe we owe him a few words, that’s all” (3). Juror number three is an extremely opinionated...
Words: 622 - Pages: 3
...This week’s reading of Just Mercy reinforces just how corrupt our legal system is. In chapter 8 of Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson makes it apparent that officials mute adolescence voices, as well as people who try and help them. So many children are wrongly convicted because officers know that most children will not stand up for their rights, either because they do not know them or because they see no point in doing so. More importantly, if children do try and question why they are being arrested the officers know that their words will be dismissed because most people do not believe that police officers will arrests children for no reason, however, this happens more than one would like to admit. This wrongful act can specifically be seen through...
Words: 527 - Pages: 3
...book called Just Mercy, it opened my eyes to what could happen within our unjust world. I grew up thinking that people always got what they deserved, if they were guilty for something they would get properly punished and vice versa. Within the readings I had been proven wrong. The book was an amazing source of gaining knowledge about justice, then I got dig into the topic further when I had the opportunity to see what I read in action. I got to see a personal view of someone who had been a part of this unjust system, living a life as if he committed a crime that he knew nothing about. It was astonishing to see someone who is so full of faith and grace being put through a terrible life that he had done nothing to deserve. The whole thing made me initially wonder why would the God that I personally believe in put someone, as this man, through such torture? My mind initially went to a verse in the Bible called Jeremiah 29:11. It states, “” For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”” This verse got jumbled in my mind. I kept thinking of how could something as the death sentence provide this man with “hope and a future”? As...
Words: 469 - Pages: 2
...Have you ever thought about how harmful and damaging the influence of our justice system can be across the United States? How damaging is it to a community when someone is wrongfully convicted? In society, the system and law enforcement choose the incarcerees who are at risk of being punished if the incarcerees meet the requirements of being punished. This is done by the US’s justice system, called the retributive system. This system punishes and imprisons people without learning the whole story. In the book Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson talks about how the retributive justice system attempts to portray that it is fair for all, yet we are far from having a fair system as the current legal work is short of being fair. To begin, the criminal justice...
Words: 1009 - Pages: 5
...1) Teddy’s Supplies’ CEO has asked you to advise him on the facts of the case and your opinion of their potential liability. He wants to settle the case. Write a memo to him which states your view of whether the company is exposed to liability on all issues you feel are in play. Include in your memo any laws which apply and any precedential cases either for or against Teddy’s case which impact liability. Include in the memo your suggested “offer of settlement” to Virginia. Back up your offer using your analysis of the case against Teddy’s. Ms. Pollard was involuntarily transferred to a different environment, working in a warehouse surrounded by all men. Although she was transferred because she needed to be in an environment in which she would not be making so many personal calls, she never asked to be relocated to the warehouse. Being that Ms. Pollard could not report the events to her direct supervisor because he was involved in the incidents, she attempted to file an anonymous complaint online but the website was not working. Teddy’s needs to ensure that their website is working properly at all times in order to avoid this type of situation. The case states that Ms. Pollard’s supervisor (Steve King) rarely enforced any of Teddy’s rules to include smoking, horseplay, foul language and sexual harassment. This does not vie well for Teddy’s because he is already known for being a lenient boss. It does not mention that Steve King’s supervisor ever had a conversation with him regarding...
Words: 277 - Pages: 2
...In Bryan Stevenson’s novel, Just Mercy, injustice and racial profiling frequently occurs. Stevenson outlines the great mass incarceration industrial complex and the extreme punishment so often delivered without fairness. Stevenson says that: “The prison population has increased from 300,000 people in the early 1970s to 2.3 million people today. There are nearly six million people on probation or on parole. One in every fifteen people born in the United States in 2001 is expected to go to jail or prison; one in every three black male babies born in this century is expected to be incarcerated. We have been shot, hanged, gassed, electrocuted, and lethally injected hundreds of people to carry out legally sanctioned executions” (page 20). This...
Words: 1168 - Pages: 5
...Chapter six of the book Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson begins with Stevenson working late one night in his law office in Birmingham, Alabama. He received a call from a woman whose teenaged grandson had been incarcerated for murder and sentenced to die. Several of Stevenson’s other clients were on death row for crimes they had committed when they were sixteen or seventeen years old. At that time, Alabama held the record for the highest number of juveniles sentenced to death, more than any other state in America and more than any other country in the world. Stevenson couldn’t represent the boy due to his many cases but he agreed to visit him in jail so he drove to the county courthouse and read the boy’s case file. Charlie, a young boy with...
Words: 359 - Pages: 2
...It takes a hard working, compassionate lawyer with a talented team to make progress in delivering justice; In the novel Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, justice is a critical theme and important to understanding the novel. Equality is a major theme along with broken people deserve justice, and constantly working towards justice. Stevenson describes corruption, racism, cruelty, and the way they greatly affected American society at the time. These factors allowed the court systems to abuse people and accuse them solely because of their race or their financial status. Stevenson placed a great amount of emphasis throughout his novel on the importance of equality. Without equality, many of Stevenson’s clients would have still been sitting in jail...
Words: 352 - Pages: 2
...Bellum iustum or the Just War Theory is a military ethics doctrine derived from Episcopal philosophy of the Roman Catholic Church. As studied today, the Just War Theory is considered hugely informed by the Christian understanding of the justifications of wars of invasion. In ethicist literature as in moral theology and policy making, the Just War Theory is associated with the belief that conflicts can be justified under certain philosophical, political and religious criteria. This paradigm dates back to the times of Marcus Tullius Cicero, a Roman statesman, philosopher, lawyer, theorist and constitutionalist. The connection of the theory to medieval Christian theory and particularly, contemporary Catholicism is in the works of Thomas Aquinas and Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis (Gutman & Rieff, 2000). The former, also called Thomas of Aquin was an Italian Dominican priest, a theologian and a philosopher. The latter, also called St. Augustine, Blessed Augustine or Augustine of Hippo, was a onetime Bishop of Hippo Regius, a philosopher and theologian. This paper describes the tenets of the just war theory derived from the works of these philosophers and the utility of the theory within contemporary warfare. Specific focus is on the justification of the US invasion of Iraq and the consequences thereof. In the works of these three philosophers, the Just War Theory took a Christian connotation of the Roman Empire’s view of warfare. The Christian understanding of provocation to war...
Words: 979 - Pages: 4
