Essay Questions: Please answer ONE of the following essay questions:
1. Many of the stories Bryan Stevenson tells in Just Mercy reveal the ubiquity and importance of
legal discretion. In this essay, explain how the exercise of legal discretion can produce unjust
outcomes even when legal actors do not overtly or clearly violate the law. What factors tend to encourage this? What kinds of reforms might help to alleviate it?

2. Much of Just Mercy is devoted to telling the story of how and why Walter Macmillian was
wrongly convicted. What were the main factors that led to his conviction despite his innocence?
Does the existence of these dynamics stem from the adversarial nature of the U.S. justice
system? If not, what led legal officials to utilize the practices that resulted in Macmillian’s
wrongful conviction?

3. Many of the stories told in Just Mercy involve children who are treated as adults in the criminal justice system. How does this pattern relate to the broader phenomenon of criminalization? On what grounds does Stevenson argue that children should not be treated as adults for legal purposes? Do you agree? Why or why not?

4. Stevenson undoubtedly entitled his book Just Mercy for a reason. What is the vision of justice
that Stevenson critiques in his book? What is the alternative vision of justice that he proposes,
and what is the role of mercy in it? What are some of the legal and policy implications of this
alternative vision of justice?

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