Just Mercy

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2014

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Introduction - Chapter 3

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-10

Chapters 11-13

Chapter 14 - Epilogue

Key Figures

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Themes

Institutionalized Racism

Stevenson, a black man, uses Walter McMillian’s story, other cases, and his own experiences to paint a vivid picture of what institutionalized racism looks like in modern America. Walter’s case involves clear instances of racism. He is first targeted by law enforcement due to his affair with a white woman. During interrogation, Sherriff Tate spews racial slurs at Walter and alludes to a horrifyingly recent lynching of a black man in Mobile, Alabama. This has the desired effect—“Walter was terrified” (48). Walter’s trial is moved from a diverse area to a much whiter county so that there will be fewer available black jurors. As Stevenson mentions, “nearly everyone on death row had been tried by an all-white or nearly all-white jury” (60). The actions of white people involved in Walter’s case—the sheriff, the judges, and the jury—were informed by racial prejudices. This racism institutionalized within the criminal justice system contributed to Walter’s wrongful conviction.

The majority of Stevenson’s mentioned clients are black. One client is convicted based on the testimony of a white witness who cannot tell three different black boys apart. Many have similar stories of being found guilty by all-white juries—juries that were hand-picked to be all-white. In one case, the available jurors were sorted into several categories—strong, medium, weak, and black. “All twenty-six black jurors could be found on the ‘black’ list, and the prosecutors excluded them all” (60). These machinations are clear examples of racism at an institutional level.

As a black man, Stevenson experiences racism and appalling prejudice, as well. He recalls in Chapter 2 being held at gunpoint by the police outside his own apartment building. He was simply listening to music in his car, but they assumed, based on his age and skin color, that he was there for nefarious purposes. At Walter’s hearing, when black visitors are excluded from the courtroom, the court deputy tries to bar Stevenson as well. He sheepishly lets Stevenson in when it becomes clear he is Walter’s lawyer. Stevenson recalls multiple incidents in which he is assumed to be a prisoner or defendant by white guards or judges. Based on his skin color, they automatically pigeonhole him as a criminal, rather than a lawyer. “The accumulated insults and indignations caused by racial presumptions,” Stevenson writes, “are destructive in ways that are hard to measure” (300).

Justice

The first part of the book’s title refers to the nebulous idea of “justice.” In Just Mercy, Stevenson explores what justice truly means and what it looks like. In the Introduction, he places great importance on the idea of justice—rather than wealth, he says, “the opposite of poverty is justice” (17). As the book progresses, he shows with painful clarity how the most marginalized people in America—the poor, the young, the mentally ill, and racial minorities—are denied justice at every justice. Certainly, Walter McMillian’s case is an obvious example of justice deferred. He is wrongfully convicted on a crime and spends years on death row due to a local sheriff’s racism and pride. With Stevenson’s help, he is eventually freed. But he has suffered for years. He has lost part of his life. Stevenson notes that “this miscarriage of justice had created permanent injuries” (222). Lack of justice, Stevenson argues, hurts more than the individual wronged person. In his closing statements at Walter’s hearing, he feels a “simmering anger” at “how much pain and suffering had been inflicted on Walter and his family, the entire community” (224). This leaves open the question of whether Walter and the community received true justice. None of the men responsible for Walter’s sham trial faced consequences. No amount of money could replace the years Walter lost. No verdict can heal the community-wide trauma.

Important to note is how differently the word “justice” is used by different players within the book. Prosecutors, sheriffs, and judges use the word to condemn people to lifelong prison terms and even death. For the larger criminal justice system, the word “justice” is something punitive. It refers to consequences placed on an individual for their crimes, real or fabricated. This is almost never what Stevenson uses the word to mean. When he speaks of justice, he refers to something positive given to an individual. As a criminal defense attorney, perhaps this is inevitable, but he also speaks of justice in a larger, systemic sense. When he speaks of “justice” for black Americans, he asks for equal protection under the law. When he speaks of “justice” for poor mothers or the mentally ill, he is referring to greater institutional support and care for these vulnerable populations. Justice means very different things depending on the speaker’s perspective.

Mercy

The second half of the book’s title refers to the less nebulous but no less important concept of mercy. As Stevenson notes early on in Just Mercy, “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done” (17). One could read Just Mercy as a 300-page plea for mercy within the criminal justice system. While Walter McMillian is entirely innocent and therefore does not require mercy, only justice, many of Stevenson’s clients are forthcoming about their guilt. They committed the crimes of which they were accused, but the courts were harsh and punitive, rather than merciful. Stevenson is quick to show mercy to his clients, not simply because he is their lawyer, but because they are human beings. “If you take something that doesn’t belong to you, you are not just a thief. Even if you kill someone, you’re not just a killer” (290). He continues, “When you experience mercy, you learn things that are hard to learn otherwise…You begin to recognize the humanity that resides in each of us” (290).

Each time Stevenson presents the reader with a new client and new case, he is careful to include the often horrifying details of the client’s early life. Many clients were abused as children, or lost in the foster care system, or mentally disabled. Stevenson notes that frequently, juries were not permitted to hear this information, which may well have changed the outcome of the trials. While he asks for mercy for his clients, arguing that the tragedy in their lives stand as mitigating circumstances for their crimes, he also presents these circumstances as key to justice, as well. There is no justice is hiding a person’s circumstances from the jury. Mercy and justice are inextricably tied.

In his eulogy at Walter’s funeral, Stevenson speaks of Walter’s ability to be merciful towards all those who had so wronged him. “And in the end, it was just mercy toward others that allowed him to recover a life worth celebrating” (313). In context, the phrase “just mercy” is purposefully ambiguous. Is it that mercy coupled with justice allowed Walter to move on? Or was simply—just—the act of mercy? Stevenson leaves the reader to determine that for themselves, but it is clear that Walter’s tremendous capacity for mercy led to his remarkable life and continuing legacy.