The movie “A Time to kill” follows the life of a black family in pursuit of justice in a crime perpetrated by members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Set in Mississippi, “A Time to kill” begins with the rape of Tonya, a 10-year-old girl of Black American origin. Her rapists are two white supremacists. Tonya’s father, Carl Lee, seeks legal advice from Jack Brigance, a lawyer of white descent. However, Brigance admits that these rapists would walk free because of a biased selection of the jury. Carl goes to the courthouse and kills both rapists as a way of revenge for Tonya.
The events that followed saw the arrest and trial of Carl, the rise the KKK, and a case interest from the national media. During the final court day, Brigance has the jury close their eyes and listen to Tonya and Carl’s story from a white perspective. Brigance’s idea is that the Jury can turn a blind eye to Carl’s racial background and spare his life for the vengeful murder as they would do for a white man. The movie ends with the release of Carl as well as the arrest of a corrupt deputy and a rowdy member of the KKK.
The film’s plot depicts the existence of a highly biased jury system that may overlook a case’s critical issues based on racial differences. Present day America values color blindness in its justice system as a virtue among the jury and other court officials. They figure that it is only under such circumstances that individuals can receive due justice. Indeed, a trial by jury forms an important part of the process as guardians of the public trust to help in courtroom decisions (Find Law).
The provision of a jury of peers has been an important issue in the country’s justice system. According to Find Law, defendants lack an entitlement to a jury that contains members of their own racial, gender, sexual, and age composition. However, they have a right to receive jury audience from their peers. The term peers, in this case, means a nonpartisan group of citizens selected from the defendant’s locality. The law figures that such representativeness would be vital reaching key courtroom decisions (Find Law). Carl’s case would benefit from a selection of jurors across all diversities who have an unbiased deliberation to events before and after the revenge attacks.
Works Cited
Find Law. "Criminal Procedure: What Is a Jury of Peers?" 2016. Find Law Website. Web. 23 March 2016. <http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-procedure/what-is-a-jury-of-peers.html>.
