In chapter 8 of Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson tells the stories of Trina, Ian, and Antonio first to support that point that many juvenile offenders are victims as well and that since they don't know how to cope with the pain of their lives, they often turn to “friends” who lead them into criminal activity and even violence. Trina, for instance, was raised in poverty and abused by her father. She and her sisters ran away but had nowhere to go and ended up caught in the trap of homelessness. Trina also experienced mental illness but could not pay for care. She was fourteen when she broke into a house and accidentally set it on fire, killing two boys.

Ian, too, was left homeless when his family abandoned him. He was thirteen when he tagged along with two older boys and robbed a couple. He ended up shooting the woman. After his conviction, he remained in solitary confinement for eighteen years.

Antonio was the son of an abusive father who got into some minor trouble and was put on probation. He did much better when he went to live with relatives in Nevada, but his probation dictated that he return to California where, looking for acceptance, he fell in with a gang. He was convicted of involvement in a kidnapping scheme and attempted murder.

Stevenson also makes the point that the justice system often fails to take into consideration the special needs of minors who are still developing. Trina's lawyer, for example, paid no attention to her psychological issues, and the young teen was sent to an adult women's prison where she was raped by a guard who was never indicted for his crime. Ian's time in solitary confinement led to severe mental and emotional issues, including cutting. Antonio's probation officer ignored the fact that his behavior and grades were improving while he was in Nevada and made him return to a much worse situation in California that led him into deeper trouble. He ended up sentenced to life in prison.

Finally, Stevenson wants to highlight the work that the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) is doing to help people like Trina, Ian, and Antonio. The EJI helped Trina reconnect with her siblings and child, which greatly improved her mental state. Antonio received books so he could learn how to understand the world. Ian received encouragement in his writing as well as visits from Stevenson. Stevenson wants his readers to realize that no matter what they have done, these are people, and they should be treated with the respect and dignity that is theirs as human beings.