Argument (Chapters 10-12)

     Welcome to my fourth blog post. In this post, I will be talking about the argument that author Bryan Stevenson develops in Just Mercy. Throughout these past chapters, we've read that Walter McMillian has been freed! I was so relieved to read this part of the book because Walter had been through so much, and it's a great feeling to know he was finally able to go home with his family. 

    The main argument Stevenson portrays throughout the book is that the criminal justice system is broken and prejudiced against Black people. He achieves his argument in these past few chapters by writing about the mentally ill and women in the criminal justice system.

    Stevenson develops his argument in the book by talking about the mentally ill in the criminal justice system. In chapter 10, Stevenson talks about George Daniel, a mentally ill man on death row. George had brain damage due to a car accident and never sought medical help for it. He ended up in Hurtsboro, Alabama where he knocked on a door to someone's house he did not know and then proceeded to walk in when it was opened. George was removed from that house and walked into another. The homeowner called the police, and the police officer who showed up had a physical confrontation with George. The two fell to the ground fighting and when the officer drew his weapon it shot him in the stomach, due to the wrestling. The officer died from the gunshot wound, and George was charged with capital murder. Stevenson writes,

"While in the Russell County jail, [George] became acutely psychotic. Officers reported that he wouldn't leave his cell. He was observed eating his own feces" (190).

    It may seem evident that George was mentally ill and not suited to be in county jail, but the judges during his trial thought otherwise and put him on death row. Luckily, Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative stepped in to help George. He was never retried because of his incompetence and was sent to a mental institution. George's case provides a clear example of what a lot of inmates suffer with, and how without the proper help and defense for their cases, they are sentenced to death rather than put in mental hospitals. The new topic of mental illness that Stevenson introduces helps him argue the point that the criminal justice system is broken. 

    Another way Stevenson portrays his argument is by writing about women in the book, who often suffer from disproportionate negative effects of prison compared to men. In chapter 12, Stevenson introduces Marsha Colbey, a poor white mother of six from rural Alabama. She had previously been "sentenced to life imprisonment without parole at the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women" (228), but was released five years later after being wrongfully convicted. Martha gave birth to a stillborn baby, meaning the baby was lost while giving birth. She and her husband buried their son in their yard, and after being investigated a forensic pathologist determined the baby was murdered. Martha was then charged with capital murder. Stevenson writes of how during this time mothers were often being criminalized for child deaths without any hard evidence. He writes, 

"The prosecution of Marsha Colbey eventually caught the attention of the press, which was titillated by another 'dangerous mother' story. The crime was sensationalized by the local media, which lauded the police and prosecutor for coming to the aid of a defenseless infant. Demonizing irresponsible mothers had become a media craze by the time Marsha's trial was scheduled...media interest in these kinds of stories grew into a national preoccupation" (Stevenson, 232).

Marsha with two of her children.

    Marsha had bad living conditions and past drug addiction which was used against her for evidence. This, however, should not be the case. Marsha did not kill her baby and was falsely accused based on her background and gender. Stevenson uses her story to argue that the criminal justice system is broken.

    Overall, these past few chapters have been really eye-opening, yet saddening. I'm sad to be finishing up the book but I have enjoyed it so far. Thank you for reading my post!

Works Cited

EJI Wins New Trial for Mother Illegally Sentenced to Life without Parole. EJI.org, 2021, eji.org/news/eji-wins-new-trial-marsha-colbey/. Accessed 8 June 2021.

Stevenson, Bryan. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. 2019 ed., New York, Spiegel & Grau, 2019.