The US Criminal Justice System Disadvantages (Essay Sample)

The US Criminal Justice System Disadvantages

Other countries perceive the United States as a country with stable systems that should be emulated. Most outsiders would cringe to hear anyone suggesting that some institutions harbor inequality and injustice against some social groups. However, Bryan Stevenson in Just Mercy sheds light on the other side that most either do not know or choose to ignore about the US. The author writes about the injustices and harshness that most minority groups in the US endure. Some of the most victimized groups include people of color, women, and those from low-income households. The injustices are reflected by the high number of African-American men in prison compared to the dominant white groups. Stevenson discusses several themes in the book, including poverty, homelessness, childhood issues, and legal representation, but the US criminal justice system is the most compelling. The author uses sarcasm, simile, metaphors, and understatements to show that the US criminal justice system disadvantages people based on their class or racial background and that the problem is prevalently systemic.
Summary
Stevenson discusses the various issues that affect the US justice system and uses examples to affirm the argument. The story of Walter McMillan occupies a significant portion of the book. In the story, the author explains how Walter suffers for being a black person as police officers concentrate on victimizing than exonerating him despite his innocence in the murder crime. This book is Stevenson’s decades-long account of the events occurring in the justice system, and credibility arises from the cases that caught the media’s attention and culminated in retrials. The book also illustrates instances when Stevenson contemplated quitting his advocacy work with marginalized groups as the work became intense.
Analysis
Stevenson uses sarcasm to appeal to the readers and demonstrate the sheer injustice that characterizes the US justice system. While security agents are tasked with conducting fair investigations, the author shows the extent to which some of the officers go to frame or casually charge an innocent black person based purely on imagination and bias. Stevenson uses a sarcastic language to convey this message. For example, police officers knew that Walter had never met the prime suspect in the Ronda Morrison murder but used his adulterous interracial affair with Karen Kelly as an excuse to investigate him. Stevenson says that “maybe that was evidence enough” (37). The sarcasm in this text is meant to show the ridiculous and irresponsible nature of police investigations when an African-American person is perceived to be involved in a crime without convincing evidence.
Additionally, the author utilizes similes and metaphors to show injustices within the US justice system. In one portion, the author compares Ralph Myers’ face with his psychological state, noting that the suspected murderer was “psychologically complicated as he was physically scarred” (35). In an encounter with police officers himself, Stevenson narrates how one of the security agents threatened to blow his head off, which means the said officer could have shot him. More similes occur in another scene where officer Tate and his fellow agents threaten to lynch Walter like they had done to Michael Donald. Using this simile, Stevenson shows the systemic nature of unfairness and victimization in the US justice system.