When the final closing arguments in a Criminal trial have been presented to the judge, she gives her instructions to the jury, all of whom are men. In the Criminal law of the United States, the verdict in criminal cases Unanimous verdict. A non-unanimous verdict results in a hung jury which in turn forces a mistrial. The question they are deciding is whether the defendant, a teenaged boy from a city slum, murdered his father. The jury is further instructed that a guilty verdict will be accompanied by a mandatory death sentence. The jury of twelve retires to the jury room, where they begin to become acquainted with their personalities and discuss the case.