In a crowded jury room, opinions collide as discussions about the innocence of a young boy are decided. The dark and foreboding storm clouds that hang over the heads of the jurors are beginning to lift as time progresses and new facts are presented. The two men that cannot put their personal emotions aside are juror 3 and juror 10. These men are motivated by their emotions rather than the evidence.…
In Monster, by Walter Dean Myers, the reader learns from Steve Harmon’s experiences that sometimes guilt or innocence of a person might not be determined by solid evidence but by onlooker’s opinions and interpretation of the crime. There is not a large amount of scientific evidence in the case against Steve Harmon, so the jury must rely on Steve’s background information, their opinions of guilt and innocence, and the testimonies of the witnesses who are mostly criminals.…
Twelve Angry Men is a book written by Reginald Rose and takes place late one hot summer afternoon in the jury-room of a New York Court of law. The story revolves around a Jury that is trying to judge a murder trial. The 12 jurors must decide whether the defendant is guilty or not. The power of persuasion does not only influence characters in the book, but also persuades us to rethink, ‘Should something be changed in the judicial system?’…
Truth can be represented in differing ways according to the values and attitudes of the persona whose representation of truth is being expressed. Throughout Geoffrey Robertson’s The Justice Game the responder is convinced to accept the composer’s representation of truth through the use of composing techniques such as the short story structure, Robertson’s social status, various language techniques, symbolism and the use of examples and quotations to back up Robertson’s statements. The perspective on truth held by the other participants in each trial is however also included. The term ‘truth’ refers to accurately placing information in accordance with fact or reality. The ‘truth’ in The Justice Game is essentially about revealing to its readers “What is kept from the public, and what the public wish to be kept from”. Each case was chosen by Robertson to provide different representations of the ‘truth’ based on different values and attitudes.…
People whom observe the judicial system from afar can come to the conclusion that justice may be “blind”. However, this is not always true. In Rose’s piece of writing, it becomes the duty of twelve jurors to “try and separate the facts from the fancy” (Rose, 5). This means that the jurors would have to decide whether or not a 16-year-old boy was guilty of allegedly stabbing his father to death and committing “murder in the first degree- premeditated homicide” (Rose, 5).…
In this poem, the main character, Richard Cory, is portrayed as the “American Dream” that everyone wants to achieve in his town. Throughout the poem, Richard Cory went through stages of deep depression that no one had known about since he never showed his inner emotions in person. For example, Richard Cory was said to be “quietly arrayed... he was always human when he talked…he fluttered pulses when he said, ‘Good morning’, and he glittered when he walked”(lines 6-8). Richard Cory was a man of integrity, always dressed nice, and presented himself as a guy that was always happy and shined in the eyes of people when seen. In these lines, Richard Cory’s generosity delivers a positive message to his surroundings, showing how he is fully satisfied with his own life. It isn’t until the end of the poem when Richard Cory, “Went home and put a bullet through his head”(line 16). The people that Richard Cory was surrounded by never really knew about his inner world. Richard Cory was respected way too much to the point that he was more of an idealization rather than a living, breathing person. As a result, he was never truly befriended by any of them; consequently, he became isolated and permanently lonely causing his depression. Richard Cory had all of the money in the world but didn’t gain his happiness, which correlates to my thesis…
The play, “Twelve Angry Men” is of how there could’ve been flaws in the Judicial system; however one juror tries to prove that the man isn’t guilty and persuades the others to follow his reasoning. One of the many themes is reasonable doubt, meaning a doubt of the guilt in a criminal due to lack of evidence or thorough examination. Reginald Rose feels that reasonable doubt is often portrayed in many real life juries partly because of testimonies, lawyers, consideration, and facts or opinions.…
In today’s fast-paced world we often find ourselves making hasty, split-second decisions on the seemingly unimportant matters with which we are faced. According to The Critical Thinking Handbook “...critical thinking evaluates reasons and brings thought in line with...” our best sense of what is true enabling us come to insightful conclusions on which we base our actions. In Twelve Angry Men a group of twelve ordinary citizens are faced with an important choice whose consequence is the fate of a sixteen-year-old boy accused of killing his father. Initially deemed an open-shut-case, throughout the play we witness the jurors, under the direction of Juror 8, slowly break down the evidence and testimony on which they later base their final verdict. Each juror with his unique approach to reasoning raises important arguments, suggesting both the innocence and guilt of the accused and further adding to the complexity of the case. In Twelve Angry Men, three pieces of evidence that proved crucial in shifting the jury in favor of acquittal were the murder weapon, the old man’s testimony, and that of the woman who claimed to have seen the murder from across the street.…
Distinguishing proof by eyewitnesses is not generally reliable confirmation. The human mind is basically not built so as to capacity as a moment replay camera and recorder. Diagnostic thought of the mental measurements of eyewitnesses distinguishing proof has uncovered that the risks from frail physical observation and memory and from suggestive impacts are, much of the time, overpowering. The ideas and unsteadiness of such distinguishing proof are surely understood; the records of criminal law are overflowing with cases of mixed up eyewitness’s testimony recognizable proof.…
Psychological research shows that eyewitness testimony is not always accurate; therefore it should not be used in the criminal justice system. Discuss.…
This essay will critically explain a range of evidence gathering techniques, including eye witness and confession evidence. It will examine the workings and procedures of jury systems, the rules of evidence and concerns and issues with the use of a jury. It will also provide opinions and research of others into criminal evidence and juries. Eyewitness evidence is the testimony of a person giving an account of an event they have witnessed, for example the identification of perpetrators and details of the crime scene. An eyewitness can be a victim, a bystander, or a participant in the crime, the most common type of eyewitness identification is pretrial identification (Arkowitz, 2009).…
When deciding the guilt or innocence of individuals in court, juries, judges, and police investigators rely on three major types of evidence. Often, experts are relied on for information. For example, the mental state of the individual being accused. This “expert testimony,” is not often relied on in Canadian court because some judges believe the information that is offered by experts, Psychologists in particular, is common sense. There are other judges, however, that are more concerned with the jurors reliance on the information being provided rather than evaluating information on their own. Researcher A. Daniel Yarmey discovered that several research involving the testing of eyewitness…
In today’s society, criminals are tried in a court system, with a jury of their peers, for crimes they are accused of committing. In some court cases, witnesses are called to give their testimony to as what they have seen occurred in a particular incident, after which the jury of twelve members recommends a ruling on the case. The jury does not listen to just one witness’s story; they take in many different stories, all that probably have different accusations. This helps the jury decipher the truth among the witnesses. In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Edwin Arlington Robinson’s “Richard Cory”, both of these short stories show that one cannot fully rely on what other people say in specific situations.…
Twelve Angry Men is a really intriguing text that is clearly evident of the notion of truth and perception. It is about young boy on trial for the supposed murder of his aggressive father. Four days have passed where evidence is laid out, exhibits shown, witnesses are heard, statements of the plaintiff and the accused are given, and the twelve jurors watch and listen attentively. Now, it is the job of the jury to reach a verdict as a whole; twelve to nothing vote either way, guilty or innocent. The judge has…
The film “12 Angry Men” is a 1957 drama consisting of a dozen men on jury, who attempt to reach a verdict involving a teenager in a murder case. A guilty verdict was initially predicted, but the jury members start questioning and reasoning the testimonies given in court. Was the boy being accused of stabbing his father really guilty? All the information regarding the timing of the train, the timing of the murder, and the testimonies did not add up. Through much debate, a complex voting process, and many concepts learned through SCOM, the jury managed to attain a not-guilty ruling due to the inadequate testimonies and facts gathered.…