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**
Are Prisons Obsolete? // Angela Davis
Bloody Lowndes // Hasan Jeffries
Free Cyntoia // Cyntoia Brown
Assata // Assata Shakur
The Sun Does Shine // Anthony Ray Hinton
to watch
True Justice // Peter Kunhardt
When They See Us // Ava DuVernay
Time: The Kalief Browder Story // Jenner Furst
13th // Ava DuVernay
Southwest of Salem // Deborah Esquenazi
to listen
Why is this happening? // Episode: Abolishing Prisons with Mariame Kaba
Serial // Season One: Adnan Syed
In the Dark // Season Two: Curtis Flowers
Reveal // Episode: Monumental Lies
Criminal // Episode: Just Mercy
To Support
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