what happens that forces jem to mature in Chapter 22?

Tom Ribinson has been convicted despite the obvious truth. Jem is devastated. Jem asks Atticus how this could ever happen. Atticus is exhausted but says, "I don't know, but they did it. They've done it before and they did it tonight and they'll do it again and when they do it - seems like only children weep." Jem has lost his innocence. His belief that the world has been shattered. Jem is beginning to understand the injustice and hypocrisy of society. Fortunately he also understands how his father stands up to this injustice in the face of overwhelming pressure.