Just Mercy Syllabus

Bryan Stevenson’s memoir, Just Mercy, has been transformed into a film set to hit theaters Friday, January 10th. Select cities received advanced screenings of the memoir-turned-movie which has ignited interest in Alabama’s criminal (in)justice system. Watched Just Mercy and want to learn more about the criminal punishment* system? The resources below—centered on the narratives of directly-impacted people and communities in Alabama and across the country—can help #JustMercy viewers contextualize our country’s historical obsession with systems of punitive violence.

to read**

  1. Are Prisons Obsolete? // Angela Davis

  2. Bloody Lowndes // Hasan Jeffries

  3. Free Cyntoia // Cyntoia Brown

  4. Assata // Assata Shakur

  5. The Sun Does Shine // Anthony Ray Hinton

to watch

  1. True Justice // Peter Kunhardt

  2. When They See Us // Ava DuVernay

  3. Time: The Kalief Browder Story // Jenner Furst

  4. 13th // Ava DuVernay

  5. Southwest of Salem // Deborah Esquenazi

to listen

  1. Why is this happening? // Episode: Abolishing Prisons with Mariame Kaba

  2. Serial // Season One: Adnan Syed

  3. In the Dark // Season Two: Curtis Flowers

  4. Reveal // Episode: Monumental Lies

  5. Criminal // Episode: Just Mercy

To Support

  1. Alabamians for Fair Justice Coalition***

  2. The Ordinary People Society (TOPS)

  3. Offender Alumni Association (OAA)

  4. Survived & Punished

  5. Critical Resistance

Notes

*Criminal Punishment System is a term used to more accurately reflect the reality of the carceral state. I first learned this term from abolitionist and organizer, Mariame Kaba.

**All book links are sourced to the publisher but are available locally in Montgomery, Alabama at 1977 Books.

***If you want to plug into Alabamians for Fair Justice organizing, email me: sbernal-martinez@aclualabama.org