A Time To Kill- Caroline Springer

1. Is what Carl Lee Haley does “justice”? Carl Lee knows how racially bias America's criminal Justice System is, specifically in the south, and he believes justice will not be served through the courts. He takes justice into his own hands and kills the two men who raped his daughter. Although I don’t condone fighting violence with violence, Carl Lee felt he got justice because he took it into his own hands.
2. Why does carl lee commit this crime? Carl Lee has lived in the south and has seen similar cases to his daughters. A black victim and a white perpetrator, and the white perpetrator walks free. Because of the society’s racial bias against people of color, he knows the jury will feel no sympathy towards his daughter. This crime was committed because he loves his daughter, he knows how the criminal justice system will not provide justice, and does not want to see these men walk free and continue to commit such violent crimes against people of color.  
3. What should Carl’s punishment be? The court should mandate that Carl Lee and his family go to counseling. They have experienced extreme trauma and need to learn how to cope with it. The argument that allowed Carl Lee to walk free is that he was not in the right mind when he killed those men. The court needs to recognize that and help him try to work through the life changing events that have happened to him and his family.
4. Are the scales of “justice” balanced where this story takes place? The justice system is not balanced or fair in America and specifically Mississippi. This case would have gone completely differently is Carl Lee’s daughter was white and the rapists were black. There was a lot of racial tension where Carl Lee lived. Race played a significant role in the court which means that justice is not always served.
5. Does it/ should it matter whether Tanya Haley is black or white? Tanya Haley being black is the reason she would not have gotten justice in court. Because the perpetrators were white it would have been harder for the jury to really see them as criminals and see how brutal the crime they committed was. In an ideal world it would not matter what race Tanya was. Everyone should be equal in society and in the eyes of the law. Unfortunately that is not our reality and we need to work towards racial equality across the country.
6. Does due process work for Carl the same as it would any other defendant? Due process is fair treatment in the judicial system. Carl is not receive fair treatment in the judicial system because of his race. He was a black man who killed two white men and injured a police officer. The odds of him winning this case were very slim because of this race. People on the jury were not on his side because he was black. Due process does not work the same for Carl as any other defendant because race plays a role how the jury sees him, his crime, and the outcome of his crime.