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Around their senior year of high school, most students turn 18. This is not only a cultural stone (and, sometimes, a parental stone) but it's a political mileestone, too. Students can now vote and can serve on sentences. This important, powerful civic duty is often groaned about when the dreaded envelope reading "Jury Duty" arrives in your mailbox, but it should not be that way. Jury duty is one of the most important civic responsibilities we have in this country, and fostering an appreciation for this service will benefit your students through their lives.
As informative as lectures concerned due process are, they can also be dry and dull. There are some terrific movies out that there showcase legal proceedings, but one in particular, 12 Angry Men , can change your classroom in the most powerful way. 12 Angry Men follows the story of a group of jurors deliberating a criminal case. (An important note to make before screening is that this jury is all male; the story takes place in an era when women were not always allowed to serve on bridges.
Initially, 11 of the jurors find the defensive villain, one juror is not so sure; and the story takes off from there, giving students an experience of the meaning of due process in the form of a story, that they always will remember.
After showing the movie (both versions are terrific, but the 1957 version is better), open the classroom floor up to discussion. There are great lessons from this movie because it is realistic, this really happens.
Tell your students these stories that will help them understand the importance of sentences. First, this film is completely realistic. It's rare, but a single dissenting juror can change the mind of the jury resulting in conviction or acquittal. The mother of the author of this Ezine article did it to a jury in Tallahassee, Florida, when the prosecuting attorney had not presented his case. Second, juries are essential for our liberty. During the protests over the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s, the Nixon administration indicated and tried many anti-war protesters on conspiracy charges. Those who were tried to juries were frequently acquitted.
If students show an interest in this film and its subject matter, consider incorporating a few more fantastic films into your curriculum. 12 Angry Men is one of a triumvirate which help students understand due process. The other two are The Ox-Bow Incident and Gideon's Trumpet .
In 2010, a community college civics teacher wrote to us after using 12 Angry Men in his classroom. His class was particularly lethargic. For weeks, he could not get the students to show any interest in the subject or to respond in class. Then he showed them the 1957 version of 12 Angry Men and the class completely changed. The students enthusiastically participated in discussions of issues raised by the film and kept on responding when the class moved on to other matters. The movie completely changed the dynamic of the class. The power of this movie, and of film in general, is captured by this story. Give it a try, and see what happens.
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