A play by Reginald Rose

 Published in 1954, originally as a TV special  Made into a highly successful film in 1957, which received an Emmy & an Oscar nomination  Written as a play in 3 acts

 Rose’s work is known for its controversial social and political issues  His objective in writing the play is to: Describe the jury process Examine morality The title expresses how emotion can impact judgment

 Reginald Rose ( ) was an American film and TV writer  Known for writing “slice of life” dramas  Wrote 12 Angry Men after serving on a jury  Said: “It was such an impressive, solemn setting in a great big wood-paneled courtroom, with a silver-haired judge; it knocked me out. I was on a jury for a manslaughter case, and we got into this terrific, furious, 8-hour argument in the jury room. I was writing one-hour dramas [at the time], and I thought, wow, what a setting for a drama.”

 Justice  The triumph of logic over bias  Bigotry  Stereotypes and their impact on reason

 Selection of jurors: Names are randomly selected by computers from voter registration and DMV records Almost anyone 18 or over can serve Jurors may serve once every 12 months Could be called to any court in the county Most juries have 6-12 jurors, though a grand jury can have 18

 The jury’s decision unusually must be unanimous—otherwise it’s a hung jury and declared a mistrial  In some misdemeanor and civil cases particularly, states often allow verdicts based on the agreement of three-fourths or five-sixths of the jurors.

 Requirements: Must be at least 18 Be a US citizen and have lived in the county for at least 1 year Must speak English Must not have a felony conviction Must “have no disqualifying mental or physical condition” Jurors are paid $15 a day and 34 cents a mile for driving to court

 Prosecution (plaintiff) vs. accused (defendant)  The issue in a criminal case is whether or not the accused is guilty of the offense  Usually, the jury is only charged with deciding if the accused is guilty or not guilty, though they may sometimes be asked to determine the sentence as well

 Jurors’ oath requires them to be impartial and unbiased  They are expected to use their life experience, common knowledge and common sense to make decisions  They should avoid TV, internet and radio news about the trial (and in some high- profile cases, juries are sequestered)  They must not talk to other members of the jury, lawyers, and other parties involved until a verdict has been reached

 After retiring to the jury room, jurors first elect a foreperson, someone capable of presiding, and who will give each juror an opportunity to express individual views

 What is justice?