I thought that there was a lot of stuff going on in the movie, Just Mercy.  We see that racism was still alive and well in 1980s Alabama, despite the amazing gains of the Civil Rights Movement (1954 – 1968).  The town’s sheriff had it out for Johnnie D McMillan and used Ralph Myers to frame McMillan for murder.  We also see the broken criminal justice system that takes the poor and chews them up and spits them out.  We see that in the prisoners on death row.  And we also see a major critique of capital punishment.  Men are being executed who have mentall illnesses.  We also saw two men, Johnnie D and Ray, that were innocent and would have been executed if not for the intense work of Bryan Stephenson.  The men were also underrepresented by their lawyers which didn’t allow them to mount a sufficient defense.

Read over the link here about the problems with the death penalty.  This comes from Bryan Stephenson’s organization, Equal Justice Initiative.  It lists five areas to consider when thinking about the death penalty – innocence and error, inadequate counsel, racial bias, arbitrariness, and public safety.

After reading over the information about the death penalty, please answer the following questions:

1. Which of the five areas do you think is the biggest problem with the death penalty?  Why?
2. What was your opinion about the death penalty BEFORE watching the movie and reading the info on the EJI website?
3. Has your opinion on the death penalty changed AFTER seeing the movie and reading the info on the EJI website?  Why or why not?

Your total answer should be at least 350 words. 

Answers due by Friday, February 7 by the beginning of class.