Table of ContentsIntroductionJust Mercy: A Story of Justice and RedemptionAnalysisThe American Criminal Justice System and Racial InjusticeCivil Rights in AmericaConclusionIntroductionI have always been skeptical of the justice system criminal law in the United States, and the system is therefore anything but fair. The discontent concerns the treatment of African-Americans in the country and the increasing number of cases of discrimination and prejudice against people of color. The book Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption investigates the use of the death penalty and the increase in the number of prisoners in the United States since the 1980s. The book addresses the issue of American racism and terrorism of the South, with black communities in the South bearing the brunt of an unjust, corrupt and racist criminal justice system. In this essay, I will analyze the book to dissect the connection between the increasing prison population and racism in America. I agree with the author that the use of the word "criminal" has created a label directed at people of color that damningly reveals the complexities existing in American society's movement toward equality and equal rights. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayJust Mercy: A story of justice and redemptionThe book was written by Bryan Stevenson, an African-American lawyer and civil rights activist working in Alabama and Georgia. In this book, Stevenson investigates the introduction of the death penalty and why the American prison population saw a sharp increase in the 1980s. His decision to venture into the issue of the death penalty is came while he was representing Walter McMillian, an innocent man sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit. In the book, Stevenson argues that the American legal system has failed and continues to fail many people, especially people of color. Stevenson also argues that the lack of legal representation for those on death row is selective and systematically perpetrated by the high and mighty in the criminal justice system. Using case studies, the author believes that race and the death penalty go hand in hand and shows how prison policies discriminate against juveniles sentenced in American prisons. The US criminal justice system has come under heavy criticism for executing presumed innocent individuals in a case described as "judicial murder". The author also addresses the issue of civil rights and the need to end the segregation that continues to exist in the southern regions of the country. However, it is enough to note that discrimination is rife in the South and the civil rights movements of the 1960s and 1980s are not yet fully appreciated.AnalysisIn the book, the author uses individual case studies to document the suffering of people of color drawn from the African American and Latino community in the 1980s and 1990s. Stevenson is particularly marked by the poor decisions made by the criminal justice system and, in particular, by the presentation of evidence by the police and the prosecution (Stevenson 17). I agree with these sentiments given that in the United States the increase in the prison population was achieved through the imprisonment of the innocent and policies that saw even minors being searched in prisons for adults. According to Kallsen, the number of juveniles in the adult prison population has been facilitated by the inability of the police and thejuvenile court to benefit from special conditions for detaining minors who have committed serious crimes. In addition, this mainly affected minors from minority groups such as indigenous people. Americans, African-Americans and Latinos. The number of youth tried in adult courts in the United States continues to increase, with some as young as 14 years old being tried and sentenced in adult courts. Murray says criminal justice policies in the United States are controversial because they create pathways for children to be imprisoned alongside adults, which has led to increased cases of sexual abuse, injuries, and even deaths. The American criminal justice system has turned a blind eye to the issue of children being raped and abused in adult prisons. Yet the innocence of prisoners has also contributed to this problem.The American Criminal Justice System and Racial InjusticeIn his book, Stevenson argues that since the 1970s, American courts have been "forced" to sentence innocent people to death. prison and, surprisingly, condemn them to death row. . According to Stevenson, "prosecutors and police departments vigorously and viciously oppose" the release of innocent victims and ask the courts to sentence them to the death penalty. The author identifies 13 cases where the victims were innocent but sentenced to death, the most horrific being that of Carlos DeLuna. The case took place in the South, in Texas, to be specific, where the author accuses the court of “judicial murder” (Stevenson 156). The conviction of innocent men and their execution is nothing new in the United States, as demonstrated by past and present cases that also include extrajudicial killings. According to Berry III, many African Americans, Latinos and minority groups suffered under the watchful eye of people primarily supposed to protect the police. Race and class are prominent issues when it comes to cases of judicial brutality, where money and resources are devoted to protecting police officers who execute people of color with impunity. Stevenson implores that "racism and racism have been used as quick and cheap mechanisms that facilitate fallible beliefs." I share these sentiments given that the majority of prisons in the United States have been privatized. On the other hand, others are financed by private companies run by rich and white people with the aim of “stockpiling the poor”. America's wealthy and corporations have the resources, money and influence to reorient prison policies, as evidenced by the entry of more than 200,000 innocent minors from minority groups into adult prisons. Additionally, people of color, mostly men, receive harsh sentences and years in prison. In this case, I assert that the American criminal justice system is prone to racial and class influence in its pursuit of justice, as there is a distinct lack of mercy in all legal decisions affecting people of color. Stevenson uses two themes, justice and mercy. as being interrelated and influential in determining case outcomes. For example, the case of Miller v. Alabama involving juveniles sentenced to life without parole (LWOP) highlights the failure of the American criminal justice system to show mercy and uphold constitutional requirements. The Eighth Amendment calls for consideration of the characteristics of individuals or defendants before sentencing. However, CNP's decision regarding minors indicates a lack of effectiveness in the application of the constitution. AnotherA clear example of where individual characterization is not taken into account is the case of Herbert Richardson, a Vietnam veteran sentenced to death for detonating a small explosive in front of his girlfriend's house. It was evident that the culprit was suffering from psychological distress, as the court's decision to sentence him to death speaks to the lack of policies to address mental issues in the criminal justice system. I share this sentiment since, as of 2016, the number of mentally ill inmates in U.S. prisons has nearly doubled since the 1990s. The judiciary's reckless decisions to allow mentally ill inmates into the general population without treatment effective continue to plague American prisons and primarily affect people from minority groups. Additionally, the issue of veterans' mental health continues to affect society, as there are no clear guidelines on how veterans should be integrated into society. Civil Rights in AmericaCivil rights and liberties continue to shape American politics, 200 years after the first movements to end slavery and calls for inclusion. Police brutality against African Americans continues to spark debate about whether the country is democratic as many consider it to be. In the book, a typical example is when police officers ask Stevenson to get out of his car for a random search. However, Stevenson was located in his car which he had parked in front of his house and silently informed the officer. However, a police officer drew his gun and pointed at Stevenson while the neighbors watched (Berry III 339). Stevenson mirrored this problem with what is happening in Missouri, where white officers are intimidating and harassing black families living in the area. The same situation continues to affect various American neighborhoods and, unsurprisingly, the recent shootings involving black teenagers are not the result of chance. Stevenson states that “you never truly understand a person until you look at things from his point of view,” which highlights the ever-growing discontent between African Americans and white police officers (Stevenson 45). In today's America, being black is synonymous with being a criminal, which has led many black movements to call for a changing of the guard in all police departments. Random shootings involving innocent black teenagers have sent shockwaves through the country. Yet none have harmed the criminal justice system more than courts freeing rogue police officers. In the United States, it is important to first understand the dominant judicial culture where an in-group versus out-group culture dominates all aspects of the justice system. Stevenson alludes to the fact that “in any legal system there are two groups; those who respect and those who do not respect the law. I agree with the sentiment above because it basically means that the first group, the inside group, must provide concrete evidence before being found guilty. However, for the second group, the presumption of innocence is zero since they are immediately convicted. Currently, African Americans are denied various constitutionally protected rights, as they immediately lose almost all of their privileges once arrested. According to Kallsen, once arrested, outside groups become evil, and evil as soon as they commit a crime. In fact, this has led to increased stigmatization, dehumanization and inconsistency in legal proceedings. Inevitably, these problems have created a judicial culture that.