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WorksheetsJust Mercy Vocabulary
Total questions: 80
Worksheet time: 44mins
an action that goes against a law, rule, or code
marginalized
incompetent
vindicate
transgression
Who is the author of Just Mercy?
Walter McMillian
Bryan Stevenson
Tom Chapman
Brian McMillian
What type of book is Just Mercy
non-fiction
fiction
serious
reference
The legally authorized killing of someone as punishment for a crime
2nd degree murder
1st degree murder
manslaughter
capital punishment
The process of taking legal action; lawsuit.
mercy
litigation
coerced
recant
Interracial marriage or cohabitation
coerced
recant
culpability
miscegenation
A system in which people or groups are ranked according to status.
Condemned
Hierarchy
Capital Punishment
Census
Depriving someone of the right to vote
Appeals Process
Hierarchy
Disenfranchisement
Litigation
sentenced to a particular punishment, especially death
Condemned
Disparities
Litigation
Appeals Process
an official count or survey of a population
Hierarchy
Condemned
Capital Punishment
Census
a great difference or gap in something
Condemned
Disparities
Appeals Process
Census
the process in which cases are reviewed by a higher authority
Litigation
Disenfranchisement
Appeals Process
Hierachy
Due to anti- (a) laws, interracial relationships were illegal in Alabama until 2000.
After the sentencing trial, the criminal was (a) to life in prison.
In the United States, (a) or sentenced to death by injection or eletrocution.
Due to the ruling on the case, the defendant requested that his case go through the (a) in court.
Stevenson says that he did not realize how complex the death penalty (a) was for those on trial.
After the election, both sides were accused of (a) of the voters.
In the Criminal Justice system, there is a (a) that determines the status of individuals and must be followed closely.
run down, in ruins, badly maintained
indignant
dilapidated
mitigate
incompetent
not having the necessary skills, lacking ability
ambivalence
transgression
mitigate
incompetent
indictment
support or active pleading on behalf of someone or something
a formal charge or accusation of a serious crime
legal action or a lawsuit
outward behavior or bearing
litigation
believability
a formal charge or accusation of a serious crime
legal action or lawsuit
outward bearing or behavior
advocacy
compassion or forgiveness for someone whom it is in your power to punish or harm
outward bearing or behavior
a formal charge or accusation of a serious crime
support or active pleading on behalf of someone or something
prosecutor
the state or federal government attorney in a criminal case
a formal charge or accusation of a serious crime
support or active pleading on behalf of someone or something
compassion or forgiveness for someone who it is within one's power to punish or harm
law
statute
capital punishment
culpability
mitigation
putting in prison
incarceration
marginalized
adjudicate
mitigation
On page 49, Stevenson gives Myers’s account of his and McMillian’s supposed involvement in the murder of Ronda Morrison. Why was the story about McMillian making Myers drive him to murder Ronda Morrison suspicious?
McMillian didn’t own a vehicle.
Myers claims McMillian made him drive because he had an injured arm, yet McMillian supposedly drove the truck to where he picked up Myers.
Myers didn’t know how to drive.
It was well known that McMillian wouldn’t let anyone else drive his own vehicle.
McMillian knew Myers and didn’t trust him. It doesn’t make sense that he would have involved Myers in a crime.
Why was McMillian and Myers’s initial placement on death row (while they were waiting for the trial) especially shocking?
No one believed that either of them had actually killed anyone.
It is illegal to hold pretrial detainees in a way that constitutes punishment because they have not been convicted of a crime yet.
It was unclear how the prosecutors were able to find them spots on death row because death row is so overcrowded.
Both McMillian and Myers were fully cooperating with the police investigation.
McMillian and Myers weren’t going to be tried for a crime that was eligible for a death row sentence.
How does jury selection impact the trials of black defendants?
It is impossible to create a jury in the South that is not mostly white because most counties are majority white. For the same reason, these majority white juries rarely sit for black defendants.
It is difficult to create juries that weren’t mostly white because minorities notoriously don’t show up for jury duty. The racial make-up of these juries doesn’t seem to impact the trials of black defendants, as the racist jurors, even the white ones, are sent home.
Juries generally mirror the racial make-up of the counties the trials are housed in, providing a mostly fair trial for the defendant regardless of race.
Juries are generally mostly black because the white people in the south believe that they are too good for jury service. Ironically, majority black juries are even harder on black defendants than majority white juries are.
Juries are generally mostly white because of the techniques prosecutors use to exclude back jurors. Majority white juries make a conviction more likely for black defendants.
In Walter’s pretrial hearing in 1987, his attorneys Chestnut and Boynton asked for the trial to be held in another county. Although such requests are not often granted, it was this time. What is significant about where the trial was moved to, and why can we infer the judge allowed it?
Baldwin County was far enough away from Monroe County to escape the press coverage. The judge knew that there was heightened press awareness of this case and wanted to make sure everyone knew he was a fair judge.
Baldwin County was a wealthy community that bribed the judge to move it there. They thought the press and spectators of the trial would boost their economy even more.
Baldwin County was a black majority county. The judge was concerned that the prosecutors would attempt to load the jury with white jurors and wanted to preempt that possibility.
Baldwin County was the only county outside of Monroe County that was able to accept a new trial. The judge wanted the verdict to stay, and Chestnut and Boynton had threatened a mistrial if the trial wasn’t moved.
Baldwin County was an affluent community with a significantly lower black population than the other counties. This racial make-up would make it easier to justify excluding black jurors
Eva Ansley and Stevenson encounter all of the following obstacles when they opened their nonprofit law center serving Alabama death row inmates EXCEPT:
They lose the funding from the state that they had expected.
The community protests and doesn’t want them to be there.
They lose the office space the University of Alabama had promised them.
They have difficulty recruiting lawyers who are willing to do this type of work for so little pay.
They are overwhelmed with the number of inmates asking for their help
Stevenson and his nonprofit take on the case of Michael Lindsey, whose execution date was impending. What is odd about the sentencing in this case, which Stevenson uses to try to get Lindsey a stay of execution?
There was evidence that the jury was tampered with, but even knowing this, the judge had refused to declare a mistrial.
The jury had declared Lindsey innocent, but the judge overrode this and declared him guilty, thereby sentencing him to death.
Lindsey was the first person sentenced to death in Alabama in over a decade.
Lindsey was mentally handicapped, and the Supreme Court had already ruled that it was a constitutional violation to execute the mentally handicapped.
The jury had actually sentenced him to life in prison, but the judge overrode this and sentenced him to death instead.
Which topics played a significant role in developing Chapter 1
Economic disadvantages living as a Black American in the South and Interracial relationships
Racism and Rape
Criminal Justice system and Jim Crow
Jim Crow and Poor Whites
Why is Walter McMillan on death row?
He is accused of raping a white woman
He is being framed for the murder of two white women
He had an affair with a white woman
What type of lawyer is Bryan Stevenson?
Criminal defense
Public defense
Civil Rights Attorney
True or False: To Kill a Mockingbird was based on a true story?
True
False
Walter's plight impacted his entire community.
joy
work ethic
unfortunate situation
accusations
The funeral was a somber event.
joyful
entertaining
boisterous
serious
The country with the highest incarceration rate is
North Korea
Russia
United States
Mexico
When Bryan was listening to his car radio near his Atlanta apartment...
he was arrested for disturbing the peace.
his car stopped, and he had to walk home.
Atlanta SWAT pulled him over and told him about a robbery.
police pulled their guns on him
What did the man at church tell Bryan he was beating the drum for?
the system
man
justice
prisoners
Why was Walter McMillian arrested?
He killed Ronda Morrison
Ralph Myers lied and gave false witness
He had an affair with a white woman
Bill Hooks said he robbed the store.
Walter McMillian would NOT be described as
decent
honest
mean-spirited
kind
What percentage of prisoners have a diagnosed mental illness?
over 25%
over 50%
over 70%
over 90%
Which is not an external conflict that Bryan faced?
Walter's appeal denied
feeling disappointed
bomb threats
being harassed by the police
Which is not an internal conflict that either Bryan or Walter felt?
Walter feeling guilty for leaving the other death row inmates behind
media crowding them when Walter was released from prison
Bryan feeling "strangely agitated."
Bryan struggling with disappointment when he can't help Herbert.
Which of these is NOT a purpose of the criminal justice system
prevent crimes
rehabilitate offenders
put people in prison
support victims
Who said: "Each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done"?
Bryan Stevenson
Walter McMillian
Ralph Myers
Avery Jenkins
The unfair treatment of people based on race, gender, or age is ______________________.
facilities
discrimination
advocate
segregation
Someone who stands up for a cause and publicly supports it is an ______________.
defender
advocate
opportunist
Looking worried and upset means___
Angry
careless
Distraught
upset or shock someone, causing emotional and mental pain
rupture
gauge
traumatize
antibiotic
The protections and privileges guaranteed by law to citizens of a country
civil rights
discrimination
affirmative action
integration
A belief that people of one race are superior to the people of another
prejudice
segregation
racism
discrimination
Bringing people of different groups together in society or in an organization.
integration
nonviolent protest
civil rights movement
affirmative action
discrimination
togetherness
including everyone
invitation
leaving others out often because they are different from yourself
oppress
happiness
using laws to prevent people from success
friendliness
cheerfulness
oath
not being truthful
to lie to others
a promise that is made in front of others
dishonesty
What did Stevenson study in college? Intro.
computer science
anthopology
engineering
philosophy
What was the name of McMillian's wife? Ch. 1-2
Minnie
Sally
Rachel
Peggy
indictment
support or active pleading on behalf of someone or something
a formal charge or accusation of a serious crime
legal action or a lawsuit
outward behavior or bearing
AT&T has a new ad campaign that says "Just OK is not OK." Which word shows what they do NOT want customers to think of them?
indignant
ambivalence
incompetent
What did Sheriff Tate give Bill Hooks for testifying?
A new car
$5000 & dismissed charges
a new job
nothing--Bill Hooks was telling the truth
Who are Mozelle & Onzelle?
Two juveniles locked up in solitary confinement
Two detectives on the homicide squad
Two new hires at the EJI
Two identical twins who are Vickie Pittman's aunts
What crime did Trina commit?
burning a house down
armed robbery
vehicular manslaughter
breaking curfew
At the end of chapter 8, what does Ian write to Bryan asking for?
Money
Candy
Books
Photos
"Superpredators" define what kind of people?
Elementary aged kids who people believe will be dangerous enough to lock up early in life.
People who have been convicted of more than three crimes.
All people on death row
People who commit heinous crimes.
The country with the highest incarceration rate is
North Korea
Russia
United States
Mexico
Prison conditions after the 1970s
got better
got worse
stayed about the same
have never changed
Herbert, the executed veteran, said he was surprised by
how relieved he was to be leaving death row.
the guards forgetting to play his song, "Old Rugged Cross."
Bryan's unwillingness to be there for his execution.
how many people wanted to help him on his last day alive.
Which is not an external conflict that Bryan faced?
Walter's appeal denied
feeling disappointed
bomb threats
being harassed by the police
Mrs. Williams left the courtroom before Walter's trial because
there were no empty seats.
she didn't like how Bryan acted.
she was afraid of the guard dog.
the Judge told her she couldn't be there.
Which is not an internal conflict that either Bryan or Walter felt?
Walter feeling guilty for leaving the other death row inmates behind
media crowding them when Walter was released from prison
Bryan feeling "strangely agitated."
Bryan struggling with disappointment when he can't help Herbert.
What was unique about Walter's release from death row compared to others before him?
He received a lot of media attention.
He was the first black man.
He was angry and ungrateful.
He wasn't sure he wanted to be out of prison.
What are two CENTRAL ideas stated in chapter 8 of Just Mercy?
Criminally accused adult and brutally remorseless children facing trial are entitled to treatment and services.
Ending poverty and improving the juvenile judicial system proves that “no person is seen as at a disadvantage will ever serve time in jail.
Defendants who are deemed incompetent and have experience horrific trauma cannot be tried in adversarial criminal proceedings.
Age mental, illness, poverty, and abuse have everything to do with sentencing an individual to the death penalty or a life of imprisonment without parole.
In chapter 8 how does Stevenson connect the reason for his visit to a maximum-security prison in California to his responsibilities as a lawyer?
He suggests that most people in the United States have not experienced poverty first-hand, but those that have are vulnerable to adult prosecution and punishment .
He explains that the “black and brown” adults and children living in poverty does not mean that crime is their ultimate goal.
He implies that poverty is more widespread in particular states, and by visiting those states he can envision more productive ways to help combating it.
He indicates that it is to draw attention to the plight of the impoverished children in the United States who had been sentenced to die in prison.
In chapter 8, what does Stevenson suggest when he says it is “The Stinney execution was horrific and heartbreaking, but it reflected the racial politics of the South more than the way children accused of crimes were generally treated. It was an example of how policies and norms once directed exclusively at controlling and punishing the black population have filtered their way into our general criminal justice system.?“
“Black and brown” children have sentencing in the south based on the result of Racial Politics.
“Black and brown” children are equally treated.
“Black and brown” children are punished in the juvenile judicial system based on the norms trickled from society.in relation to poverty
“Black and brown” children are sentenced to executions far more than others seeming to be inviting and exhilarating.
How does the structure of Chapter 8 with the story of “Trina” contribute to Stevenson’s argument?
It compares children to adults suggesting both should be tried and sentenced equally.
It identifies specific problems in the juvenile judicial system and solutions Stevenson believes must be addressed.
It gives in chronological order immediate action-steps necessary to ensure success in the juvenile judicial system.
It tries to convince and persuade the reader that Stevenson's thoughts of reforming the juvenile justice system can be easily implemented.
