Title: "When You Hang a Man, You'd Better Look at Him: Discourse on Human Dignity and the Effectiveness of the Legal System in US Supreme Court Decisions and Hollywood Films from 1958 through 1979"

Author: Mary Malinda Polk

Primary Advisor: Jonathan Chu

Secondary Advisor: Judith Smith

Abstract:

This project examines the parallels in discourse taking place in Supreme Court decisions and Hollywood movies regarding the humanity of criminals and the effectiveness of the criminal justice system between 1958 and 1976. Both the Court and these films addressed the questions:

1) On what does our society base assumptions regarding who is "criminal" and who is "good," and do these asusmptions interfere with the guaranteeing equal rights to all citizens?
2) Does securing the law sometimes interfere with serving justice?

By tracing the specific language of six US Supreme Court decisions made between 1961 and 1976 that addressed the protection of the rights of the accused, the project identifies the framework the Court used to address these issues. Analysis of eight Hollywood movies released between 1958 and 1976 shows that the same discourse was taking place in the realm of popular culture.