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Margot Roussel Blog Post 11/9

Being from Louisiana, the worlds prison capital, I had learned extensively about the United States’ criminal justice system and the many problems with it. I was the president of my community service club and we worked to try and break the stereotypes around previously incarcerated people. We also partnered with a local organization, First 72+, that helps people make the transition out of prison and back into society. Needless to say, this issue is very close to my heart. Through all my time learning about this issue I have always found the most powerful thing to be people’s personal stories.

That’s why when rewatching Just Mercy this weekend I was again touched by the struggles of Johnny D and Herbert Richardson. I constantly felt the frustration of Bryan and wanted to get up and help. These movies are good because it gives humanity to people on death row but also inspires others who do not know much about it to look into it more. Specifically the statistics in the end of the movie that point out how many people are wrongly put to death, and how for every 9 people executed 1 person is proven innocent. This is scarily high and needs to be corrected, and I think the first step is by raising awareness through things like this movie.

 

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One Comment

  1. Michael Childress Michael Childress

    It really is shocking to think about the statistics brought up at the end of the movie. I was so surprised to hear that 1 out of 9 people executed are innocent. It is bad enough to be wrongly convicted of a crime, and have your life drastically altered, but to have it be completely taken away is astonishing to me. I think that eliminating subconscious bias, or at least reducing its effects in the court system is an absolute necessity for our country moving forward.

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