Just Mercy

“‘Capital punishment means ‘them without the capital get the punishment.’”

Early in the Introduction, Stevenson sets up one his central thesis statements for the book: that access to justice and the possibility of dying at the hands of the state are directly connected to a person’s access to wealth. As his many case studies show, the poor are disproportionately affected by the justice system and death penalty. Many executions—particularly those of innocent people—could have been avoided if the prisoner had the money to hire a better lawyer. 

“Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.”

Stevenson’s experiences bear this statement out. Each person contains multitudes. One act, perhaps committed due to poverty, mental illness, or bad decision-making, does not wholly define a person. As the book progresses, the reader can see how this statement refers not just to prisoners, but to all involved in the criminal justice system. Many people make mistakes—not just convicted criminals, but sheriffs and judges, as well. And all people, Stevenson argues, deserve mercy. 

“…the opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice.”

Here again, Stevenson draws a connection between class and justice. Wealth itself, he is arguing, is not the opposite of poverty. It is the access to real justice that poverty precludes that is key. Giving people fair trials and equal representation and treatment under the law will combat poverty far more than any monetary donation.