The Concept of Mercy in Byran Stevenson’s Just Mercy

“Mercy,” as defined by Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, is “compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one’s power” (“mercy” def 1). In Byran Stevenson’s Just Mercy, Walter McMillian was a man though put through injustice, still extended mercy to the people who accused him. In the text, Byran Stevenson focuses on the case of Walter McMillian. Walter McMillian was put falsely on death row for 6 years after being accused of murdering Ronda Morrison when it was impossible for him to be at the scene of the crime. McMillian had many people who were paid or bribed to commit perjury against him in his trial, which was one of the main factors that lead to his sentencing of the murder of Ronda Morrison. In his memoir, Just Mercy, Byran Stevenson uses the forgiveness of Walter McMillian towards those who incarcerated him to show that all individuals deserve mercy.

In the text, Byran Stevenson uses the empathy Walter McMillian shows towards the individuals who judged him unworthy of mercy to show that all individuals deserve to be forgiven. After being released from prison, Walter McMillian was said to have extended himself out to those who wronged him when Byran Stevenson says “Walter genuinely forgave the people who unfairly accuse him, the people who convicted him, and the people who had judged him unworthy of mercy. And in the end, it was just mercy towards others that allowed him to recover a life worth celebrating” (Stevenson 314). In this passage, Bryan Stevenson shows us a man who was willing to extend forgiveness to those who didn’t deserve it. Through Stevenson’s words, it is shown that Walter McMillian was genuine about his forgiveness. As a side-effect, McMillian was able to live without regretting and was able to recover as McMillian saw others grow as well. Ultimately, Stevenson shows that extending mercy is helpful, not just for the party that receives it but helps show that it has a positive effect on both parties. Thus, through the forgiveness of Walter McMillian, Byran Stevenson conveys his belief that everyone deserves mercy.