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Juror's Duty In 12 Angry Men

432 Words2 Pages

In the court system, jurors are tasked with the duty to conduct a fair verdict based on the testimony given and additional evidence shown. Some may forget this responsibility and use their prejudices that affect the juror's decision on the defendant's future. As a result, the accused may be falsely convicted and lose the majority of their life. The play 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose shows three perfect examples of prejudices during jury duty such as colorism, classism, and ageism. In the play, Juror #3 quickly shows his bias with colorism against the defendant being dark-skinned. On page 11, it states “The man is a dangerous killer. You could see it”. This clearly shows how Juror #3 is accusing the defendant of being a killer based on his dark skin appearance. This juror did the opposite of rendering a fair decision as he judges it based on an individual's skin color, not on a testimony.
Furthermore, Juror #4 uses classism against the defendant as he believes being raised in poorer neighborhoods determines the type of person you are to society. On Page 18, it states “He was born in a slum. Slums are breeding grounds for criminals. I know it. So do you. It's no secret. Children from slum backgrounds are potential menaces to society.” This quote illustrates how Juror #4 uses his prejudice of classism to go against the accused instead of evaluating …show more content…

On page 13, it states “We heard the facts, didn’t we? Now you're not going to tell us that we're supposed to believe that kid, knowing what he is. Listen, I've lived among ‘em all my life. You can't believe a word they say. I mean they’re born liars.” This juror believes the defendant's testimony is completely inaccurate because he is just a kid, and kids lie all the time. This is once again decided by prejudice and not regarding the actual testimony. Age does not prove whether a defendant is innocent or

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