The last thing the jurors hear before entering the room to decide the case is one of the guards saying, "He doesn't stand a chance!" in reference to the young man on trial for murder. In other words, he means that there is no way the young man will be found innocent. What does this show about the guard's opinion of the young man? Even if he thought he was innocent, what does this say about the situation being a fair one? Why might the young man have no possibility of being found innocent no matter what? It's as if the case has been decided before the jurors even discuss the facts.

This is a strong statement to start the play, which could predict or even influence the jurors' opinions before they even begin to discuss his guilt or innocence. Have you ever been influenced by other people's opinions? Have you ever made a judgement based on appearance or before knowing all the facts? I know I have! The message: we need to be careful about what we say and try not to be influenced by others.

In Twelve Angry Men, before the jurors are locked in the deliberation room, what is the last thing they hear that might influence their thinking in forming a verdict on the defendant's guilt or innocence?

At the start of the play, the jurors are sitting in the courtroom and are addressed by the judge. The judge tells them one of the primary principles of the court : if any reasonable doubt exists, then they need to declare that the defendant is not guilty. However, they must also carefully consider the facts of the case before concluding. Specifically, the judge says,

Murder in the first degree—premeditated homicide—is the most serious charge tried in our criminal courts. You've heard a long and complex case, gentlemen, and it is now your duty to sit down to try and separate the facts from the fancy. One man is dead. The life of another is at stake. If there is a reasonable doubt in your minds as to the guilt of the accused . . . then you must declare him not guilty. If, however, there is no reasonable doubt, then he must be found guilty. Whichever way you decide, the verdict must be unanimous. I urge you to deliberate honestly and thoughtfully. You are faced with a grave responsibility. Thank you, gentlemen.

It is telling that this is the last thing said to the jurors before they are locked in the room for deliberation, because it spells out precisely what should happen during deliberation. However, if it were not for Juror Eight, there would have been no careful consideration of the evidence, and there would have been no consideration of the burden of proof in the case. The judge’s instructions help to justify the work of Juror Eight, because the judge reminds us, the audience, of the court's duty.

We, as an audience, are then able to remember the point of a jury and, in turn, judge the reactions and actions of the different jurors based on their adherence to carrying out their duties faithfully. The judge's words also let us know that all the jurors have to agree, so we know the stakes later on in the play. Without that bit of information, the audience might not realize what has to happen to stop the injustice of the trial.

In Twelve Angry Men, before the jurors are locked in the deliberation room, what is the last thing they hear that might influence their thinking in forming a verdict on the defendant's guilt or innocence?

Interestingly, the drama of Twelve Angry Men begins after all the proceedings of the trial of a youth accused of killing his father, who is charged with first-degree murder. As the jurors wait to move to the deliberation room where they will be sequestered from news media and any other contact with the outside world, they are instructed by the judge about the seriousness of the charge of first-degree murder and their approach to reaching a verdict because the life of a person is at stake. The judge adds,

If there is a reasonable doubt in your minds as to the guilt of the accused...then you must declare him not guilty. If, however, there is no reasonable doubt, then he must be found guilty. Whichever way you decide, the verdict must be unanimous. I urge you to deliberate honestly and thoughtfully.

It is these words that the man of integrity, Juror No. 8, recalls when he alone votes "not guilty" on the initial vote.  In fact, he admits that he does not know at this point if the youth is not guilty, but he cannot conclusively say "guilty" either. He simply explains that it is not easy for him to raise his hand and "send a boy off to die without talking about it first." Fortunately for the defendant, at least one man has recalled the instructions of the judge. Later, Juror No. 8 leads the others to discuss and reason and counter-argue objections that are biased and prejudicial and emotional. Finally, he asks the pointed question, "Does anyone think there still is not a reasonable doubt?" and the other eleven men concede to the only  logical conclusion about the defendant.

In Twelve Angry Men, what is the last thing the jurors hear that might influence their thinking when deciding the defendant's guilt or innocence before they are locked in their room?

Before he dismisses the jury to their deliberations, the judge tells them that if they find the defendant guilty, the bench will not entertain a motion for leniency in sentencing; the death penalty is the mandatory sentence that will follow from a guilty verdict. This is an important fact that must influence the way the jurors think about the case. They know that what they decide will either preserve this boy's life or end it via the electric chair. Juror 8 specifically takes this information to heart. He votes "not guilty" from the beginning, not because he believes the boy to be innocent, but because, as he says,  "I don't think it's right to send a boy to the electric chair without at least talking about it first." When Juror 8 is making a connection between the passing of the el train and what the old man testified he heard, Juror 3 says, "Nobody can be that accurate." Juror 8 responds, "I think that testimony that could put a human being in the electric chair should be that accurate." Later, Juror 8 "baits" Juror 3 by telling him he is a sadist for wanting to be the boy's executioner. These quotes show that, especially for Juror 8, the judge's statement regarding the mandatory death penalty constantly influenced the thinking of the jury.

In Twelve Angry Men, what is the last thing the jurors hear that might influence their thinking when deciding if the defendant is guilty or not?

The stage directions of Twelve Angry Men indicate that the jurors listen "intently" as the judge admonishes them before they leave the courtroom that they consider carefully and objectively the evidence and testimony that they have heard. Most importantly, he reminds them,

"....If there is a resonable doubt in your minds as to the guilt of the accused...then you must declare him not guilty.  If however, there is no reasonable doubt, then he must be found guilty. Whichever way you decide, the verdict must be unanimous.  I urge you to deliberate honestly and thoughtfully. You are faced with a grave responsibility...."

Here are the key words is the judge's admonition to the jurors: 

• "reasonable doubt"

If there is any question in the mind of the jurors as to the veracity of any of the evidence or testimony, this doubt must be cleared in their minds before they can honestly vote "guilty." This condition is the one that induces Juror No. 8 to vote "not guilty" when the jurors take their initial vote. For, when he observes others summarily voting "guilty," he cannot in good conscience go along:

"There were eleven votes for guilty.  It's not so easy for me to raise my hand."

Juror 8 feels that they owe the defendant some discussion before condemning him to death. He tells the others, "I felt that the defense counsel never really conducted a thorough cross-examination" because he realizes that the lawyer was court appointed and somewhat disinterested in the case. "Too many questions were left unanswered."

• "deliberate honestly and thoughtfully"

These words are key to Rose's themes of "Social Responsibility" and "Overcoming Prejudices."  Fortunately for the defendant, it is the honest and reasonable Juror No. 8 who leads the men into a discussion about the evidence and testimony.  For, some of the jurors are clearly biased against the defendant and have not truly considered what has transpired in the courtroom since they have previously made up their minds. However, with the discussion and re-examination of the facts and an objective analysis of the testimony of the witnesses, Juror No. 8 directs them to those questions that he has felt were left unanswered.

So, they ask the guard to bring in the knife to be examined by them. And, since the youth has testified that he lost this knife through a hole in his pocket, Juror No. 8 suggests that someone else could have picked it up and stabbed the boy's father. "It's possible," he mentions to the others in order to get them to entertain other possibilities.

•  "responsibility" 

Gradually, then, some of the jurors begin to accept their responsibility toward the defendant and begin to examine objectively the evidence and testimony that they have seen and heard. For instance, they discuss the evidence of the old man who stated that she witnessed the killing through the windows of an elevated train. Juror No. 8 points out that the old man

"would have had to hear the boy say, 'I'm going to kill you,' while the front of the el was roaring past his nose. It's not possible...."

More now respond more responsibly to questions asked by No. 8. Previously intimidated by the others, Juror No. 5 becomes active and states, "It stands to reason" about the old man's inability to hear.

• "unanimous"

In Act 3 Juror No. 11 states, "We have a responsibility," yet the opinionated Juror No. 3 resists, "You're not going to going to intimidate me" until he finally concedes his bias and agrees to the final verdict.