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By: Marissa Valentine
“Capital punishment means, them without the capital, get the punishment.” – Bryan Stevenson
As I continue to examine the theme of banned books, the motifs that were common in the books banned or challenged covered topics of race, gender, and sexuality. These particular topics constantly seem to be a subject of debate. January is the start of the new year and, for me, a time for transformation. In Bryan Stevenson’s book “Just Mercy”, the transformation so dearly needed is that of the American prison system and its unjust, and inhumane treatment of the inmates.
The beginning of “Just Mercy” reels you in as a reader as it describes the landscape of the American prison system that will willingly jail children as young as 14 years old, not taking into account the atrocities of their childhood or the lack of parental support that landed them in the hands of law enforcement.
Author Bryan Stevenson, through his illuminating first-person descriptions of his experience as a young and inexperienced lawyer, helps you feel as though you are in the room with every inmate.
“The more I reflected on the experience, the more I recognized that I had been struggling my whole life with the question of how and why people are judged unfairly,” said Stevenson.
Stevenson’s journey for justice began with his law school internship at the Southern Prisoners’ Defense Committee in Atlanta in the late 1980s. There, he was instructed on behalf of his superior to go down to the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Center, a prison in rural Georgia, to inform an inmate named Henry who was condemned to death row, that he would not be executed this year.
Black Americans make up approximately 13.7% of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, yet we comprise approximately 38% of the inmates in America’s prisons. Many prosecutors unjustly and ignorantly argue an affinity for violence among Black youth as noted in Stevenson’s book. However, the real culprit for the large population of Blacks and poor white Americans in the prison system is a lack of proper and adequate legal representation, lack of financial assistance, and the poverty and circumstances that create environments that trap adolescents in bad situations.
As we discuss the implications of unfair treatment of youth, particularly Black youth, in the 88 counties in Ohio, Cuyahoga County sends more children through the adult court system than any other county in Ohio, according to the Greater Cleveland Youth Justice Collective. Although Black people only account for 17% of the populace in Ohio, Black youth represent 72% of detainees in the Department of Youth Services (DYS) youth systems prisons in Ohio.
In his book, Stevenson’s advocacy for prison youth and other marginalized groups reaches the Supreme Court as he presents research studies that highlight the way adolescent brains function. Stevenson and his team at the EJI aim to sway the court’s decisions regarding how they sentence teenagers in a way that is compassionate but also understanding of the lack of life experience, resources, and guidance as part of the consideration when deciding a just sentence for crimes.
Reflecting on the implicit biases placed on children of color, I am grateful to author/lawyer Bryan Stevenson and groups like the Greater Cleveland Youth Justice Collective, both of which work tirelessly to shine the light on the oppressive, cruel, and prejudicial treatment of youth offenders.
This book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys reading autobiographical stories of redemption, social justice, and fearless compassion.
