Just Mercy (Gov Stiegler)

When the police accosted Stevenson outside of his home in Atlanta, in what way did they break the law?

-He had no probable cause to enter Stevenson's vehicle and was conducting an illegal search

How did Stevenson and the EJI's goals differ from the ABI's?

-EJI just wanted to free Walter, ABI was focused on finding the real killer

Which absurd events occurred to one of EJI's clients, George Daniel?

-False competency examination, -Given death penalty, -Brain damage in a car accident, -Arrested and charged for capital murder

In chapter 12 Stevenson, what were the cases of women charged with capital murder for the death of their children?

-"All five women on Alabama's death row were condemned for the unexplained deaths of their young children or the deaths of abusive spouses or boyfriends all of them. -In fact, nationwide, most women on death row are awaiting execution for a family crime involving an allegation of child abuse or domestic violence involving a male partner." -The woman was charged with murder of her child because she gave birth to a still born baby, A law passed made it illegal to put a child in a bad environment making it possible for many low income mothers to be prosecuted

What did Stevenson mean when he said Judge Norton was "locked into a maintenance role"?

-"He was a custodian for the system who was unlikely to overturn the previous judgment, even if there was compelling evidence of innocence."

Describe what is meant by a "superpredator"?

-"Influential criminologists predicted a coming wave of "superpredators" with whom the juvenile justice system would be unable to cope", -Focused on black and brown children, expected to have guns instead of lunches in their elementary schools

What issues have contributed to the claim that America's prisons have become "warehouses for the mentally ill"?

-"Mass incarceration has been largely fueled by misguided drug policy and excessive sentencing, but the internment of hundreds of thousands of poor and mentally ill people", -Avery Jenkins story

What are the "collateral consequences of incarcerating women"?

-"Nearly 65 percent had minor children living with them at the time of their arrest children who have become more vulnerable and at risk as a result of their mother's incarceration and will remain so for the rest of their lives, even after their mothers come home." -"These women and their children can no longer live in public housing, receive food stamps, or access basic services. In the last twenty years, we've created a new class of "untouchables" in American society, made up of our most vulnerable mothers and their children."

Paul Farmer, the renowned physician who has spent his life trying to cure the world's sickest and poorest people, one quoted writer Thomas Merton to Stevenson. Dr. Farmer said, "We are bodies of broken bones." In what ways are we all broken?

-"Sometimes we're fractured by the choices we make; sometimes we're shattered by things we would never have chosen. But our brokenness is also the source of our common humanity, the basis for our shared search for comfort, meaning, and healing. Our shared vulnerability and imperfection nurtures and sustains our capacity for compassion." -"We have a choice. We can embrace our humanness, which means embracing our broken natures and the compassion that remains our best hope for healing. Or we can deny our brokenness, forswear compassion, and, as a result, deny our own humanity."

What is the "prison industrial complex"?

-"prison industrial complex" the business interests that capitalize on prison construction made imprisonment so profitable that millions of dollars were spent lobbying state legislators to keep expanding the use of incarceration to respond to just about any problem -became the answer to everything health care problems like drug addiction, poverty that had led someone to write a bad check, child behavioral disorders, managing the mentally disabled poor, even immigration issues generated responses from legislators that involved sending people to prison

What media event changed the way people of Monroeville and everyone else viewed Walther's case led to the Alabama Bureau of Investigation to reopen the case?

-60 minutes coverage of the case (tv show)

Explain a "mitigation narrative".

-A client's lawyer creates a mitigation narrative that contextualizes his poor decisions or violent behavior. -It uncovers things about someone's background that no one has previously discovered. -Things that are hard to discuss but are critically important; require trust.

According to Bryan Stevenson, what was the most likely reason Walter McMillian was accused of the murder of Ronda Morrison?

-ABI Agents desperately needed an arrest. No evidence for a connection between Myers(the guy framing McMillian) and McMillian, but McMillian's affair with Karen Kelly was infamous. -Walter McMillian was stereotyped to be an African American man involved in an adulterous interracial affair. -He was reckless and possibly dangerous, despite him having no criminal history and a good reputation.

How does the U.S. compare to other nations as far as the rate of incarceration?

-According to Stevenson, as of today, we have the highest rate of incarceration in the world. -There are nearly six million people on probation or on parole.

How was Charlie's story resolved?

-Agreed to send him to a nearby juvenile facility, -He wouldn't be sent to adult prison, -He was adopted by the Jennings family

What was the significance of Antonio Nunez of South Central LA?

-At 14, Antonio became the youngest person in the US condemned to die in prison for a crime in which no one was physically injured

What is the concept of proximity?

-Being in proximity to the condemned and incarcerated made the question of each person's humanity more urgent and meaningful, including his own humanity. -The book is about getting in close proximity to the people unfairly judged, mass incarceration, and extreme punishment. -How easily we condemn people in this country and the injustices we create when we allow fear, anger, and distance to shape the way we treat the most vulnerable.

Why is Bryan cautious about swimming in the water? Was his wariness metaphorical or foreshadowing?

-Brian was concerned about the sharks in the water, metaphorical for white jurors, -"They've threatened us, lied to us, there are people who have told us that some folks in the county are so unnerved by what we're doing that they're going to kill us. What do you think they're going to do now that they know how much evidence we have to prove Walter's innocence?"

What were the impressions that Henry made on Bryan?

-Bryan said Henry seemed familiar, like the people he'd grown up with. -He noticed that Henry was as nervous as he was, maybe even more. -Bryan saw human redemption, potential, and hopefulness in him.

What happened after Stevenson got an affidavit with Houston's testimony

-Darnell Houston was arrested with a charge of perjury with no investigation

How did Stevenson react to his interaction with the police in Atlanta

-Disappointed that they never apologized. Believed there was no point in fighting back.

Describe the significance of the witnesses on the first day of Walter's new evidentiary hearing.

-He states that the previous testimony that was given wasn't true and that all allegations against Walter were not true, -Ralph Myers admits to his lies, -All the witnesses corroborate Ralph's statement

What surprised Stevenson about the correctional officer with the truck that contained pro Confederate bumper stickers?

-He was an orphan and eventually supported Stevenson when he saw the work he was doing, -There was still the same issues that his grandmother faced

Why did Ian desire the photographs from his photoshoot?

-He was in solitary confinement for 14.5 years, didn't have much else, so the photos meant a lot to him, -He wanted to show the world that he was alive, -He wanted to look at the photos and feel alive

How did the issues change or not change from Day 1 to Day 2 of Walter's new evidentiary hearing?

-Issues did not change, Stevenson got mental health professionals to testify that Myers was being coerced to tell lies, -On the first day, Walter's family and neighbors were allowed in court, while on the second day, they were denied entry until no more seats were available

In 2005, the Supreme Court made a significant ruling regarding the death penalty. What was it?

-It is unconstitutional to impose capital punishment, including the death penalty on someone under 18 (Roper v Simmons)

Stevenson makes a convincing argument about the arrested development of a young teen sentenced to life in prison who is permanently damaged by the trauma of a terrible childhood and a violent prison experience. In fact, when he visits Joe, he cuts short his update on Joe's case in front of the US Supreme Court. Instead, what did they talk about?

-Joe wrote a poem, Permanently scarred from childhood, Stevenson argued that Joe was too young and his brain wasn't developed enough -"Roses are red, violets are blue. Soon I'll come home to live with you. My life will be better, happy I'll be, You'll be like my Dad and my family. We'll have fun with our friends and others will see, I'm a good person ... uh ... I'm a good person ... I'm ... a ... good ... person ... uh ...", -Cartoons and favorite color

Why is the name of Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women ironic?

-Julia Tutwiler spent her life advocating for women's rights, specifically prison reform.

What kind of writing is Bryan Stevenson's Just Mercy?

-Memoir, Biography, every other chapter is personal reflections

Was Walter McMillian able to sue and seek compensation for being wrongfully charged and imprisoned on death row?

-No, the sheriff was not able to be sued for damages, as ruled by the Supreme Court

What were the human rights abuses that the Attica prison riots of the 1970s revealed?

-Prisoners were placed in a "sweatbox" forced to endure extreme heat for days or weeks, Tortured with electric cattle prods as punishment for violating prison rules, -Chained to "hitching posts" with their arms fastened above their head in painful positions while forced to stand, -Terrible food and living conditions

What was a "rule 32 petition" and what happened after Stevenson filed one on behalf of Walter?

-Put a case back in a trial court with the opportunity to present new evidence and obtain discovery, including access to the State's files, -Required to include claims that were not raised at trial or on appeal and could not have been raised at trial or on appeal, -Started receiving bomb threats

What was the most convincing evidence in Walter's new trial?

-Ralph's testimony that he lied the first time, -Stevenson retrieved tapes that had Tate, Benson, and Ikner coercing Myers

Bryan Stevenson certainly is a stone catcher. What does this mean?

-Someone who protects the innocent from the accusations and brutality of anyone who may work against them. -The opposite of "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone", meant to imply that one should stop harshness and inequality, not promote it.

What is the significance of W.E.B. Dubois's short story "Of the Coming of John"?

-Stevenson felt he was the hope of the community, like John...John was supported by his community to become a teacher for black students who weren't allowed in public schools

Why is it ironic that Stevenson frequently represented teens who had committed violent crimes?

-Stevenson's grandfather had been murdered by two teens, which caused a massive uprising within his family and community. -It was only after a few years that Stevenson would realize that there's always a reason behind an action, and he had to understand the teen to understand that reason.

What is Monroe County, home of Walter McMillian, famous for?

-The author of To Kill a Mockingbird is from there. She secluded herself in the county. Some parts of the movie were filmed there. Monroe county was developed by plantation owners in the nineteenth century.

In what ways did jury trials in the South fail to live up to the 6th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution?

-The judge called it a day and said the trial will be picked back up in the morning. -6th Amendment → the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial

Why was the use of the electric chair discontinued to carry out sentences of capital Punishment?

-The use of electric chairs was discontinued because of the significant amount of botched executions. -Botched executions resulted in the risk of prison/enforcement/government being subjected to cruel and unusual punishment.

Joe Sullivan was sentenced to life in prison in Florida at age 13 for sexual assault. Even after all that Bryan Stevenson has seen and experienced, how was his first visit with Joe shocking

-The wheelchair gets stuck in the cage near the door -It feels like he is talking to a young child

When Bryan Stevenson goes to Sweden to Receive the Olaf Palme International Human Rights Award for the EJI, he describes the Swedish criminal justice system. How is it compared to the US criminal justice system?

-Their punishments were humane, and their policymakers took rehabilitation of criminal offenders very seriously

After their arrest, where were Walter McMillian and Ralph Myers held as pretrial Detainees?

-They were both put on death row, therefore, they were placed in a prison reserved for convicted felons. -Pretrial detainees are generally housed in local jails with more privileges and more latitude than convicted criminals sent to prison.

Why do you think Stevenson included stories of children, like Charlie, who had been incarcerated in an adult prison?

-To show how unfair and cruel it was for a child to go to adult prison, -abuse and danger, -Show the crimes that put children in adult prison

What issues did Stevenson experience in Alabama while representing death row clients?

-Too many clients, Not enough time or resources to help everyone, -Didn't have computers, lawbooks, or any other lawyers on staff, -Richardson..." What's the point of all that other stuff if you're not going to help people like me?"(73)

What issues did Stevenson and Eva Ansley encounter when opening their nonprofit law center?

-University of Alabama School of Law where they had set up the office withdrew their support and promise of office space, -Difficult to find lawyers to come to Alabama to do full-time death penalty work for less than $25,000 a year, -Denied funding from state legislature

What is the tone captured in this passage at the end of Chapter 11: "As he walked to the car, Walter raised his arms and gently moved them up and down as if he meant to take flight. He looked at me and said, "I feel like a bird, I feel like a bird."

-Walter feels a great sense of relief, freedom, and joy.

When Walter supposedly committed the alleged murder at Jackson Cleaners, where was he?

-Walter was hosting a fish fry at his house, 11 miles away from Jackson Cleaners. -Walter, and his friend Jimmy, worked on his truck.