1. According to your text, who is Bryan Stevenson, where is he from, and how did he become involved with the work he describes in Just Mercy? According to Just Mercy, what did Stevenson earn for the work he performed?
2.According to Just Mercy, who was Walter and what crimes was he accused of committing? Who were the witnesses against him and who was eager to testify on his behalf?
3. Who was Charlie and what crime did he commit? What punishment did he receive for his crime? What chilling experience did he disclose to Bryan Stevenson? How old was Charlie when Stevenson first met him? How was he physically described?
4.According to Stevenson, who was Herbert Richardson and in what way was his story like so many others like him? What crime did he commit and why? What injustice did Stevenson feel Richardson may have experienced?
5. What startling experience experienced and described by Stevenson is also disclosed by Michelle Alexander in her YouTube video addressed delivered at The University of Chicago? Do Alexander and others believe Stevenson’s personal experience which happened outside his rented apartment was rare or uncommon for those who look like Stevenson?
6. Who is Michelle Alexander and what organization did she work for in California when she experienced what she describes as her “awakening”?
7. How does Alexander explain the problem of mass incarceration? How did it occur? Where did it come from and on whom was its impact most keenly felt, in her view?
8. Describe the unique features of the US criminal justice system. What are its unique characteristics according to Stevenson and class lectures? How many people are trapped in the US criminal justice system according to Stevenson and class lectures and what other countries around the world have similarly sized prison populations?
9. Based on your reading and video viewing, what is the strongest argument you can make in support of maintaining the death penalty in the US? Based on your reading and video viewing, what are the strongest arguments you can make against maintaining the death penalty in the US?
10. Who was Darnell Houston? What crucial role did he play? How was he intimidated? Who in Stevenson’s opinion sought to intimidate him? Get Literature help today
