The other day as I was scrolling through the NYT, I came upon NJ Senator Cory Booker's book recommendations. He recommended Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson as a book that deeply inspired him. I decided to pick it up and I am glad I did. It exposed me to the flaws and callousness in the U.S Criminal Justice system and the pressing need for reform. For a while, I have been reading and hearing about mass incarcerations in the U.S. Over 2 million people in the U.S are in prison. Just Mercy is loaded with real cases of innocents sentenced to death, mentally ill sentenced to death, juveniles tried as adults, life w/o parole for non-homicide cases, life imprisonment for drug offenders etc.
"Mercy is most empowering, liberating and transformative when it is directed at the undeserving. People who haven't earned it, who haven't even sought it, are the most meaningful recipients of our compassion."- Bryan Stevenson. He made it his life's mission to represent innocents given the death penalty. These are real stories, not fiction. I hope the next presidential candidate takes up the issue of mass incarceration in a serious manner.
