Street Justice vs. Legal Justice

Street Justice vs. Legal Justice in the Film "Bullet Boy"

In the film "Bullet Boy" the character of Curtis accidentally shoots his friend Rio after they decide to play with the gun Curtis is hiding for a friend of his. The shooting was entirely accidental. It was not planned and it was not based on any type of animosity between the two characters. Therefore, it is not surprising that the parents did not want to get the police involved. There is enough going on their community that police have to intervene on a regular basis. An accidental shooting by a child is not a crime, even though the possession of the gun is a crime. Calling the police would have, in the parents' minds, only gotten their children in trouble so they felt better adjudicating the situation themselves.

According to the Montgomery County Pennsylvania Juvenile Probation Department (2010) the adjudication hearing is a "fact-finding process wherein the juvenile court determines whether or not there is sufficient evidence to sustain the allegations in a petition." The families of these children in the movie where able to decipher the facts on their own without the need for legal intervention, which could in some ways, be considered an attempt to undermine the criminal justice system. However, I do not think the actions of the family were part of a "no snitching" code of honor based on a mistrust of the police. I believe that they were extremely wary of the fairness of the criminal justice system, however it seems to me that they were mainly just trying to keep their children safe and did not want to put them through all of the drama that would accompany calling the police. Rio's family had less to lose than Curtis' family because the gun belonged to Curtis' brother Ricky, who was recently released from behind bars. If the facts came out about whose gun it was that was involved in the incident, Ricky would have gone back to jail and ruined his chances for the better future that he was trying to create for himself. This would be a shame Ricky had learned his lesson and is now clearly aware that the gang lifestyle is not something he wants to be a part of, or his brother to be a part of. At one point he confronts the gangster Godfrey, saying "I've come to talk to you about the madness"

I think the primary motivation for Rio's family not to call the police was a combination of not trusting the police, and not wanting to start a battle that could end up in a full scale gang war. I think the families were trying to be supportive overall, even though Ricky's mother kicked him out of the house.

According to Families Helping Families "All children, including those with mental, emotional, or behavioral problems, continuously require the support of their parents, siblings, and other family members. The family's culture and values provide the context in which the child develops and influences the way the child thinks, feels, acts, and responds to the world." Definitely, support and looking out for "their own" is a huge part of the urban community, however I believe in different circumstances, Rio's family would have called the police and chosen not to adhere to the "no snitch" code. If Curtis had shot Rio on purpose, or if Ricky would have been the one to shoot Rio, I think it would have been a whole different story. Even the strongest codes can be broken under the right circumstances. But the accidental shooting did not, in these characters' eyes, warrant breaking the code, or endangering the lives and the futures of their children.