Just Mercy Reading #3: The Why Behind Stevenson's Just Mercy

Blog Post #3: Author's Purpose Analysis

At the beginning of Just Mercy, we saw how Walter was burdened by inequality and sentenced to die for a crime he didn't commit. Then, we witnessed how racism and discrimination affected Walter's community - and the black community as a whole.

But in these last few chapters, Stevenson changed gears. He introduced a lot of new characters, like Walter, Trina or Ian, who were his former clients and takes a look at Ralph Myer's highly anticipated testimony in Walters's trial.

At first glimpse - all of these people and ideas in this reading seem unrelated. What is Stevenson trying to do by introducing so many different topics in this last reading? What are these last chapters leading us, the readers, to? I think, more than anything, in these last few chapters, Stevenson is giving us a glimpse into why he wrote Just Mercy.

The first part of the reading focused mainly on the trials of many of Stevenson's former clients (who were all childhood criminals and are all serving life sentences). Stevenson discusses the implications of being a childhood criminal:

"Children who commit serious crimes long have been vulnerable to adult prosecution and punishment in many states, but the development of juvenile justice systems has meant that most child offenders were sent to juvenile detention facilities. Juvenile systems vary across the United States, but most states would have kept Trina, Ian or Antonia [his clients] in juvenile custody until they turned eighteen or twenty-one. AT most they might have stayed in custody until age twenty-five or odder...  In an earlier era, if you were thirteen or fourteen when you committed a crime, you would find yourself in the adult system with a lengthy sentence only if the crime was unusually high-profile." (157)

This passage really resonated with me. It just underlined an underlying idea Stevenson has been trying to point out the whole time: that we do live in a criminal justice system that is unfair.
All of the people Stevenson mentions here: Trina, Ian or Antonia: they all are sentenced to die. To die in a cell. To die for a crime they only committed as a teenager. To die for a reason that wouldn't have mattered if their judge hadn't been discriminatory, their background hadn't had been ruthless, or they had lived just miles away in a different state.


(A quick look into the very interesting and sad problem of youth confinement. Note that 10% of juvenile youth are locked in adult prisons - likely to life sentences)

This led me to what I got from this last reading. To me, what Stevenson is trying to do in Just Mercy is simple: he is trying to prove that inequality in the courts is real, it has been covertly done for many decades, and that fighting against inequality can make a difference.

There are two big parts to Stevenson's argument in Just Mercy. He exposes a faulty criminal justice system that does discriminate and treat people poorly. He also does encourage us to fight injustice ourselves, and that doing this does cause change.

The first part of Stevenson's argument is clear. He recalls stories like Walter's, Trina, or Ian's to show that we do live in a criminal justice system that isn't fair.

The second part of Stevenson's argument can be seen in Ralph's testimony in court. When Ralph testifies, everything is against him. He is uneducated and bullied by the legal system. Nevertheless, he prevails. Walter's case is much better off as a result. Through Stevenson's perseverance, he is able to put up a fight for Walter - and to beat the system.

This second part of Stevenson's argument is also exemplified at the end of the reading. In a surprising reveal at the end of the final chapter, a prison guard, who was previously mean to Stevenson, cries in front of him. The man is touched by Stevenson's work and sympathizes with and is passionate about helping a mentally ill patient Stevenson helped defend. Due to mental illness, this patient, Avery, has an obsession with having a chocolate milkshake.  Stevenson is excited to hear when he enters Avery's cell that this guard did, in fact, bring him to Wendy's for his special treat.

"You know, I [The guard] guess what I'm trying to say is that I think it's good what you're doing. I got so angry coming up that there were plenty of times when I really wanted to hurt somebody, just because I was angry. I made it to eighteen, joined the military, and you know, I've been okay. But sitting in that courtroom brought back memories and I think I realized how I'm still kind of angry." (201)

We really do witness the effects of Stevenson's work in this chapter. He makes a difference, not only for his clients but also for the people who stand by them and watch them at a distance. Stevenson inspires these people to do right on their own. His argument, that injustice is real and that we can fight it very much from a patriotic sense rings true. 

But actually how much can we do on our own to combat injustice? I think, surprisingly a lot. With more and more social media outreach for rallies and protests, we are entering an age where fighting injustice has become very real and very accessible. Stevenson's argument does resonate with me, and his perspective is well supported.

Works Cited

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. First edition. 

     New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2014. 

Sawyer, Wendy. Youth Confinement Pie Chart. Prison Policy Initiative, 19 Dec. 2019, 

     www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/youth2019.html. Accessed 24 Mar. 2020. Map.