Just Mercy Week One Questions // 07-15-2021

Did Just Mercy make you want to explore an aspect of the U.S. criminal justice system more closely? If so, what part and why?  

In Just Mercy, Stevenson tells us his story of growth and discovery in relation to his understanding of the U.S. criminal justice system. Have you had a similar journey in your own life?

Post your comments below and let's get the conversation started!

Just Mercy Week One Questions // 07-15-2021

Did Just Mercy make you want to explore an aspect of the U.S. criminal justice system more closely? If so, what part and why?  

In Just Mercy, Stevenson tells us his story of growth and discovery in relation to his understanding of the U.S. criminal justice system. Have you had a similar journey in your own life?

Post your comments below and let's get the conversation started!

I think one of my biggest reasons to oppose the death penalty is that an innocent person could be put to death.  I remember participating in a debate in high school and making that the cornerstone of my argument.  Reading Just Mercy has me thinking about how many other people have been incarcerated unjustly or even punished far too harshly and how we can change things throughout the U.S. Criminal Justice system so that all parties involved can experience justice.  In some ways even a prison sentence can end up being a "death sentence" for someone, completely derailing their life, costing them more money that their entire family has, and imposed on innocent people. Is it possible to create a system that provides everyone involved with justice without the risk of hurting an innocent individual?  

Brian Moore , the life stories shared throughout the book are so heart-wrenching. So many of the incarcerated were robbed of their voice and humanity. Too many people are too quick to judge in their quest for justice or closure.  We have a lot of work to do in building a system that is both just and compassionate.

I'm excited to learn from you all in this book discussion. The part of the U.S. criminal justice system I want to learn more about is the incarceration of youth. When young kids are condemned at such an early age, the whole trajectory of their lives and the lives of their families changes. Why aren't we using the brain science we understand about teens  to help them grow instead of just punishing them?

Hajra Saeed , I love that you add the word compassionate. I was heartbroken reading Just Mercy, and am greatly concerned that our justice system is a reflection of our society. If it is, than the scale of this repair is much larger. My emotions reading Just Mercy went from anger to heart break. I am heartbroken we have a system that treats human beings in such an inhumane way, and angry that we have allowed it to continue. We should strive to help those who are have been dealt so many disadvantages in life, rather than punish, especially children. The question is, can we make these changes on a large scale? The criminal justice system is  a start, but we clearly need to go bigger.

I was also thinking along those lines. That our system is a reflection of our society. There is corruption at so many levels our system. I want to think that I can impact the thinking of students in my classes, but with so many other forces beyond my control, it is an uphill battle.

Because we are a society resistant to making necessary changes when they are too expensive (we could gather a long list of this in schools like start times, mental health options, etc.) or when they conflict with deeply engrained (but often false) core beliefs (i.e. our legal system is fair, it's in the bible, etc.). This book and the reality it's based on is the clearest example of systemic racism, and yet still many resist its clear and fact-based glimpse into the mirror that is American society and history. I am hoping to start a conversation on how we here on OER can help educators who invariably get into trouble teaching actual history. See also:

Stevenson's stories about the families of incarcerated people are so emotional for me to read. For so many, the legal system seems shrouded in distrust and inaccessibility. Stevenson's mention of how a group of women and children, who were relatives of the victim of a crime, lingered after the court session to ask Stevenson for help. I wouldn't have been so struck by this if Stevenson were the prosecutor, but he was the defense attorney. The fact that these folks thought Stevenson was their best chance for assistance was a glaring indicator of shortcomings in our legal system. These stories make me wonder how I can make changes in my classroom to support students whose families have experienced stress and trauma associated with the legal system?

In addition to incarceration of youth, I’d like to know more about the relationship between mental illness and incarceration. @Hajra Saeed, I know you’re an AP Psych teacher as well. Are you able to explore that topic in your class?

Thanks for that article Joe Baginski . I've been trying to explain this to others a lot lately, "Critical race theory is a college-level discipline that, at core, shows people how racism, bigotry, and sexism are endemic to the institutions and social structures in use right now. It’s just a different way of thinking about why things that we can objectively see happening are happening." Unfortunately, too many people just grab sound bites and viral social media images instead of really trying to understand things. I guess that's our job as teachers, and would be an important OER conversation!

Anne Koschmider , that's something I would like to learn more about. I didn't teach AP Psych last year and think I need to revisit how I teach some topics this upcoming school year. It's hard getting extra content in beyond the AP, but I think that I could start bringing social relevancy to the curriculum in the form of bellringer activities. Do you have any research studies or projects along these lines?