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  • Essay / The Mistakes and Shortcomings of the Criminal Justice System in the Movie 12 Angry Men

    The movie 12 Angry Men attempts to shed light on the mistakes and shortcomings of the criminal justice system. The film focuses on 12 men who all have different personalities that affect the case and the final verdict. The film touches on racism on the jury, hard feelings between families, and the fact that the court could be "bought out," but it does it all in a fun and entertaining way. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The first problem the film shows is racism. In this film, the most striking racism comes from juror number 10. From the beginning of the film, juror number 10 tries to see who is against him and who is with him. He repeatedly states "who is where", which tells us that he is quite a hateful person. When asked why he thinks the boy he sends to die is guilty, he only has one answer each time. He states "he is one of them", which gives us the interpretation that the accused is not white and that is why he votes guilty or more importantly why. Later in the film, he starts getting angry at all the other jurors about the boy's guilt, because once again, "he's one of them" and they are killers. The other jurors decide they have had enough of him and simply leave the table, which shows Juror #10 that he is a strange man with his beliefs. This is a moment in the film where Juror #10 realizes that his opinions are compromising the case. This shows us, the public, how a single racist juror can dramatically affect the final outcome of a trial. If he had not changed his mind, the outcome of the case could have been different. Grudges are also an important theme in this film. This trait is most dominant in Juror #3, who never really had any evidence as to why the boy is guilty, except for the points that Juror #4 discussed with the other jurors throughout the film. Juror #3 lightheartedly informs us about his son running away from home at the beginning of the film, but it seems insignificant in the moment. Towards the end of the film, Juror #3 goes on a crazy rampage, shouting that the boy must be guilty. He then pauses and looks at his wallet where there is a photo of his son and begins to cry. In the end, he changes his vote from guilty to not guilty. What we infer is that he was angry with the accused because his son had run away, not because the boy was guilty. He sees his son among the accused and attacks him. This situation could happen otherwise. Imagine that Juror #3 (the one with a grudge) held a grudge against his father, so he would be more likely to vote in favor of the defendant. These grudges could cost someone their life if left untamed. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article now from our expert writers. Get a Personalized Essay The amount of money might be the most important thing that will affect the trail. A recurring discussion in the film is why the defendant's lawyer didn't bring up as many key points. This message comes up often in the film as the jurors discuss the case. Their response is that the lawyer didn't care because he was paid so little. The jurors discuss among themselves that the fight was unfair from the start, because the prosecution's attorney was fully engaged and the defendant's attorney was not. This shows us how much money can affect the outcome of a case, regardless of its size. If the accused had more resources for his own lawyer, he might not have »..”