Criminal Justice

The ending credits of this movie began with a statement:

"Last year, over 300,000 criminal cases were disposed of in New York City. 58% of the defendants pled guilty in plea bargains. Less than 2% had their guilt or innocence determined by trial."

So ask yourself: of the 58% who took a plea bargain, how many do you think were really guilty and how many just took a deal because they were afraid of the prospect of being found guilty?

"Criminal Justice" is about just that. Jessie Williams (Forest Whitaker) was accused by Denise Moore (Rosie Perez) of robbing her and slicing her face. Jessie demonstrably professed his innocence while Denise stood by her story. Both of these people were terrible clients.

Jessie already had a rap sheet and a very weak alibi, however staunch he was about it. Denise also had a rap sheet and she was smoking crack at the time the attack happened, however sympathetic she would be as a defendant with a huge scar on her face.

The movie really reminds me of the Jodie Foster movie, "The Accused," in which she was a rape victim that used drugs and alcohol. Because she was less than angelic as a victim the prosecutor opted to offer a light plea bargain just to secure a conviction.

"The Accused" focused more on the victim whereas in "Criminal Justice" the focus is on the two opposing attorneys who are trying to build their cases. They know what it takes to win a case and they know what could sink a case. It's not that they don't care necessarily, or that they don't believe their clients, it's just that they are trying to get the best thing possible. And I've used this line before from Jamie Foxx's character in the movie "Law Abiding Citizen":

"It's not what you know, it's what you can prove."