Response to Just Mercy

This book reads simultaneously as an indictment of a culture that systematically marginalizes, punishes, manipulates and degrades one of the neediest subsets of its population and a sign of hope that people do care, that things are changing (albeit incredibly slowly . . .), and that when people recognize the humanity of the other they tend to treat them humanely. Stevenson's stories of mostly unsuccessful attempts to overturn Death Penalty cases highlights egregious miscarriages of justice and convoluted ethical and moral trespasses that are both accepted and even valorized in the criminal justice system as well as in society itself in the name of being "tough on crime". Stevenson makes little judgement of the people he represents, less concerned with whether they did the crime or were innocent, and instead asks why compassion, empathy and understanding seem so completely lacking for marginalized (because of race, mental ability or class) individuals accused of a violent crime (let alone convicted). The desire to punish and punish harshly seems so much stronger than the desire to help, rehabilitate or forgive. Stevenson's seeming compassion, commitment and hopefulness combined with society's slowly increasing rejection of the acceptance of harsh criminal penalties seems to suggest that justice and mercy may be making small inroads in our criminal justice system even if it is too late for many of the people Stevenson represents.