chapters 37-38 Is a trial by jury fair? Support your answer by using evidence from the book.

I don't think a jury trial, in this case, is fair. Typically racism is portrayed as white people discriminating against black people; however, in this novel, all racial groups seem to hate anybody who is of different race from themselves. This is most obvious when the jury is being selected. The prosecution would like an all white jury, because they know their minds are made up already and that they will not care what the extenuating circumstances are that led to the murder; they will see nothing more than a black man who killed a white man, whom they will believe did nothing wrong in the first place, and they will find him guilty. On the other hand, the defense want an all black jury, because they also believe that a white jury will find him guilty. They want a black jury because they know that they will find in favor of a black defendant over a white one regardless of what crime has been committed. This illustrates that the racism in the town is so prevalent that neither attorney thought that the jury would be swayed one way or another by the strength of their case, or the evidence, and believed that the result would be the outcome of whether black jurors or white jurors were the majority.

In reply to the answer above, I think the poster is confusing the book with the film. With the expections of a few, in the book all races get along. Carl Lee has lots of white supporters as well. While the defense does want an all black jury, the State does not exactly want an all white one. They want an all white FEMALE jury. The theory is that men, regardless of race, would sympathize with Carl Lee and white women will lack sympathy for any type of murder. Unlike in the film, neither of the two white males on the jury vote guilty....ever.

As far as the origina. question. It really dpends on what one considers "fair". Non-jury trials are more legally fair. Jury trial can be more morally fair. What Carl Lee does is legally wrong, but not exactly morally bad.