The length of the jury deliberation for Tom Robinson’s verdict was important because of the legacy of unfair trials and injustices towards blacks during this time period. In Tom Robinson’s case, the jury took several hours to come to a guilty verdict, and the length of time they were sequestered showed that there was some discussion and apprehension about the guilt of Tom in the jury room. Most blacks accused of raping a white woman...
The length of the jury deliberation for Tom Robinson’s verdict was important because of the legacy of unfair trials and injustices towards blacks during this time period. In Tom Robinson’s case, the jury took several hours to come to a guilty verdict, and the length of time they were sequestered showed that there was some discussion and apprehension about the guilt of Tom in the jury room. Most blacks accused of raping a white woman would have been found guilty in minutes. During this racist time, the word or testimony of a black defendant meant very little. However, Tom’s testimony and Atticus’ defense were enough to put doubt in at least some of the jurors' minds. Jury trials rarely found poor blacks innocent of their accused crimes, particularly when the crime was against a white woman. A distrust of our court system remains today because of the history of an unfair justice system towards blacks, which Harper Lee shows in To Kill a Mockingbird.
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