just mercy a story of justice and redemption

Through the stories of Americans who were punished too harshly by a partial, broken system, Bryan Stevenson sheds light on a system lacking mercy and failing to see the humanity in others. Instead of spending money on public services, education, and welfare, state and federal governments have spent nearly $80 billion on jails and prisons to keep people there for extended periods of time. Individuals are being stripped from their families and communities and are being locked up to benefit executives in the prison industry. Private prison builders and prison service companies pay governments to create new crimes, impose longer and harsher sentences, and keep people in jail to increase their own profits. Privatizing prisons has led to increased spending only to keep people in prison and benefit private service companies while hurting individuals, stripping them of access to rehabilitation. In fact, one in every three black men born in the US can expect to spend time in prison. Unfortunately, the CJS is deeply intertwined with the US’s history of racism, leading to African Americans being incarcerated at more than 5 times the rate of white Americans. Despite making up just 5% of the world’s population, the US has nearly 25% of the world’s prison population, with 3 million people in jail or prison. Today, the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world.

Just Mercy is a book about the broken criminal justice system (CJS), arguing that the institution prioritizes criminalizing individuals over serving justice.

Just mercy a story of justice and redemption