Victimization Of Marginalized Groups By The Criminal Judiciary System On The Basis Of Racial

Victimization Of Marginalized Groups By The Criminal Judiciary System On The Basis Of Racial Disparity With Reference To The Movie “Just Mercy”

Mahika Pandey, Faculty of Law, Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad

ABSTRACT

The following essay gives an overview of racial bias in the matters of marginalized groups by the Criminal Judiciary system as portrayed in the movie ‘just mercy’ which is based on a true case of a black man, named Mr. Walter McMillian who was wrongfully imprisoned for the murder of Ms. Rona Morrison which also shows the biased nature of judicature as well as the police county. On the other hand, another character named Bryan Stevenson comes in as a messiah to provide justice to all the wrongfully convicted people, who’ve just been left to die regardless of the fact, that they are not at fault. Moreover, he was so committed to his job that he provided free legal assistance to all of the falsely imprisoned death-row killers. There, he crossed paths with Mr. McMillian and however, got intrigued by his case. He chose to fight for him by being his legal representative in the court of law. The entire film hinges on society's set stereotypes of the underprivileged people and also the legal proceedings of McMillian. Furthermore, the research paper also informs about the records of some similar cases in India as well. In addition to this, the study also critically analyses the similar prevalent cases in India, of the legal authorities having a biased nature towards disenfranchised groups.

Keywords: wrongfully imprisoned, marginalized groups, racial bias, stereotypes, death-row killers.