Question

Read the excerpts from "Wrongful Convictions” by John R. Firman and Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson.

"Wrongful Convictions”

[In addition, we need to look at] post-arrest case review . . . the team will sit down and say, "Let us go back and look for any potential red flags, where we can say that even though we’ve hung our hat on this case and we think this is the right person, this is the right offender, then the bottom line is, let’s go back, let’s stop, let’s just stop everything, get the checklist out—just like pilots do, just like doctors do—and say, ‘What do we have here? What does this case really look like?’”

Just Mercy

The closer we get to mass incarceration and extreme levels of punishment, the more I believe it’s necessary to recognize that we all need mercy, we all need justice, and—perhaps—we all need some measure of unmerited grace.

Which word best describes the tone in both excerpts?

frustrated
determined
apprehensive
scornful

Answer 1

determined

Both excerpts show a resolve to act: the first insists on rigorous post-arrest review and checklists, the second expresses a firm conviction about the need for mercy and justice.