The American justice system has many flaws. If you’re interested in delving deeper, you will want to check out the limited series When They See US. Directed by Ava DuVernay and executively produced by Oprah Winfrey, the show, which debuted on Netflix in May of 2019, is based on the real-life events of the Central Park jogger case. It follows a group of five African American and Hispanic teens and pre-teens (nicknamed the Central Park 5) who were wrongly jailed in 1990 after being accused of offences including attempted murder, rape, and assault and battery.

In my opinion, the series When They See Us does a good job providing an attention-grabbing, insightful look into certain aspects of the American justice system. It gives an accurate representation of the events it portrays by getting its facts straight from those evolved in them.  It’s clear that the show is well researched, and it should be considered a must-watch on Netflix.

One of the reasons the show is so great is because, as director DuVernay said in an interview, When They See Us is a catalyst for conversation. The show highlights important issues that were relevant when the events it presents occurred and are still relevant now. For example, in the show, racism towards the group of boys is evident. In the very first episode, when they’re interrogated by the police, they aren’t given the option of having an adult present. During these interrogations, they are harassed, threatened, and bribed. By adding in scenes such as this one, the show makes people aware that things like this have happened, and that we should speak up when they do.

Another reason I liked the show is that it’s well researched. While it was in production, the creators of the show procured the help of the actual Central Park 5 to make sure most of the details of the show were accurate. Although some artistic license was of course used with the dialogue and certain aspects of the show, the important points are projected clearly and accurately.

The final reason I liked the show is that it showed how the American justice system really works, how deeply flawed it can be, and how, as actor Joshua Jackson (Mickey Joseph) commented in an interview, that isn’t really even the right word for it. The boys weren’t given justice at all, and even though there was little to no actual evidence against them, they each still received sentences of about 7- 13 years.
Watching When They See Us is an eye-opening experience. It gives respect to that group of young boys, now men, whose childhoods were stolen from them, while also providing something interesting and well-choreographed to watch. I’d rate the show a 4.5 out of 5 and would recommend it to anyone.