Criminal Justice as Portrayed in Movies, Research Paper Example

The movie To Kill a Mockingbird specifically presents the life of two young enthusiasts in the person of Jean Louise Finch and Jem. These siblings were notably presented to be undergoing particular changes in their lives during the beginning of the film. Arthur Radley, the object of interest of both kids because of the mystery that supposedly envelopes his being has specifically attracted the attention of these kids having them spy on him for quite some time when they were still children. The desire to spy and to know more about such mystery came from their being the children of a widowed lawyer in the being of Atticus, their father. The man believes in specifically treating people fairly in accordance to their standing in front of the law.

Being a good lawyer, Atticus was widely accepted by the town’s people. His standing and beliefs specifically put him in a good condition of being fully believed by the people. His generosity also allows him to extend his services sometimes even to those who lack the capacity to pay him with money; the belief over the truth being presented in court has made him one of the most upright men in town that the people depend upon and look up to especially in times of facing legal distress. Although their father has tried to present the children with the most noble forms of principles and attitudes towards others, they still learn about aspects of poverty and discrimination which are elements that are both evident in the society they are living in.

The ethical point that turns the story around is when Atticus has been appointed by the town’s judge to defend a black man [Tom Robinson] from being accused of raping a white teenage girl in the person of Mayella Ewell. During the period of 1930’s, which was the chosen setting for the film, discrimination against black American society was considered rampant and highly influential in imposing on the opinion of the society towards the group of the said people. As Atticus accepts the case, he and his family began being taunted by the people specifically implicating that he has no right to defend a mere ‘trash’ of the society as if the people have already judged the black man’s standing in the case to be guilty. From this point, the events turn from subtle to becoming more violent until Tom has been killed by a deputy and Bob Ewell, the victim’s father, has also been killed by the likeness of Arthur Radley who tried to save Jem and Scout (Jeanne Louis) who were supposedly abducted by Bob Ewell for the sake of going after their father because of the case he is handling.

Fabrication of truth has been the main theme that was used in the film to represent particular points of distinction in the way criminal justice operates. Following the concerns of the society, the deputy intended to change the facts through staging an account that tom Robinson acted crazy compelling him to kill the accused. Relatively though, Atticus believes otherwise. He knows that there was something else that happened and one reason behind it is the mob that attacks the case and the fact that a black man is being defended for a supposed crime that he has already been judged to have committed. The involvement of Atticus’ children in the case was rather evidently a turn of situations for the town’s lawyer. The heroism of Radley being kept in the shades on the other hand also represents a distinct creation of fabricated story to protect the identity of another person.

In the current system of criminal justice, it could not be denied that the same occurrences happen especially when it comes to identifying well with the capacity of a person to be judged accordingly by the people even before his trials are heard. Although the situations at present may not be as hard hitting as that of the one in the movie, several instances of death among witnesses, lawyers, judges and other individuals involve within a controversial case are notably fabricated for the sake of media presentations in the aim of protecting the public from the sour truth of justice; a fact that has been enveloping the systems of criminal justice around the globe at present.

Reference:

To Kill a Mockingbird. http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/50165/To-Kill-a-Mockingbird/overview. (Retrieved on November 18, 2013).