Sei sulla pagina 1di 2

INTRODUCTION:

A time to kill is a 1996 American Crime drama Fil based on John Gresham’s 1989 novel. A
Time to Kill, directed by Joel Sehumaches Set in Mississippi the film involves the rape of a
young girl, the arrest of the rapists, their subsequent murder by the girls father and the father
and the fathers trail for the murder. The fil was a critical and commercial success and won
many accolades like the NAAC P image award for the Best Outstanding Motion Picture. The
actors who played their supporting roles to highlight the movie.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. Whether the legal system should introduce standardised analytical procedures in
criminal cases, which take into account, emotional motives behind crimes committed?
2. Whether death penalty should be abolished?
3. Whether laws on racial discrimination be extended to the nomination of jury members
to ensure unbiased arguments?
LITERATURE REVIEW
In the town of Canton, Mississippi, an innocent ten year old African American Tonga Hailey
is abducted, raped and beaten by two local white men, Bill Ray Cobb and Pete Willard, who
had a previous history of criminal activities. The duo dump her into a near by river after a
failed attempt to hang her. Tonga miraculously survives and the two men are arrested by
sheriff Ozzie Walls.
Tonya’s father, Carl Lee Hailey, contacts Jake Brigance, a White lawyer who admits the
possibility that the rapists will walk free. In rage, Carl lee goes to the Country Courthouse
and opens fire with an automatic rifle, killing both rapists and unintentionally injuring Deputy
Dwayne Looney. Carl Lee is arrested and Brigance agrees to defend him as he empathasises
with his situation and circumstances.
The rape and subsequent killing gains national media attention. The district attorney, Rufus
Buckley, decides to seek the death penalty and preceding judge Omar Noose denies Brigance
a chance of Venue to a move ethically, diverse country , meaning that Carl Lee will have an
all-white Jury.
Brigance decided to plead not guilty under the situation of legal insanity, which would
increase Carl LEE changes of being awarded a lesser sentence than a death sentence.
However this move backfires as the district attorney is able to bring out the fact that the
medical practitioner , who testifies positively to Carl Lee mental illness was earlier convicted
of rape
Dispirited, Brigance tells Carl Lee Carl lee that there is Little hope of acquittal. Carl lee
replies that he chosen him his attorney because even a racist jury could listen to a white man.
During closing arguments, a deeply shaken Brigance tells the jury to close their eyes and
listen to a story. He emotionally describes, in slow and painful detail, the entire ordeal of
Tanya. Brigance then asks the jury, in his final comment, to “Now imagine she’s white”.
After Deliberation, the previously biased jury takes a humanitarian view of the case and
pronounces Carl Lee Hailey innocent.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY :
This project is purely doctrinal type and is taken from sources such as books, and other
secondary sources. The type of study is done here is explanatory, analytical and critical,
historical and descriptive. This study process deals with collecting and analysing information
and is purely descriptive.

SOURCES:
Primary Sources:
Case laws Mentioned in the movie:
1. Johnson V. State
2. Fisher V. State
3. State V. Cooper
4. State V. Roundtree
Secondary Sources:
Web Articles :
1. Insanity defence
2. Past, Present, Future- Suresh Bada Math
3. Insanity Defence : Norval Morris, University of Chicago Law School.

OBJECTIVES/ AIM OF THE STUDY :


The study is being done in order to research about the Validity of pleading legal Insanity by
persons accused of criminal Acts, in order to avoid death penalty and to highlight various
other socio-legal issues such as rape of a minor, racial discrimination and various other
immoral commencements which are directly or Indirectly linked to the above issue.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY:
The scope of the study is restricted to the plot of the movie “A Time to Kill”.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY:
The study deals with the deep discrepancy between written law and the prevailing racial and
social conventions of the time in the U.S.A.
It also takes into account the right to private, extra judicial revenge which is not recognised in
American Law, but as depicted in the movie, it prevails in the social conventions of food
county as a recognised right but is taken for granted.
35801845063

Potrebbero piacerti anche