This was a "One Book, One School" read for freshman year of high school. The only thing I remember about that was winning the writing contest that was held after. My short story wasn't even that good. Super cringe-worthy looking back on it now. 
 At any rate, I remembered nothing at all about the book, and was starting fresh for this class. The movie script format made it interesting, and a quick read. I had to look back at the cast a couple times 'cuz I kept getting the characters confused so that was helpful for me. The whole point of the book is for the reader to decide whether or not Steve is guilty, so it's very ambiguous on purpose. I appreciate it, it must have been very hard to write, but it was too ambiguous for my taste. I like my heroes and villains clear-cut. 
 However, that doesn't mean you can't talk about it. That's the thing that would encourage most discussion and I'm actually really looking forward to discussing the book in class. Issues of morality, race, and the judicial/prison systems are addressed here, so it would do well in an English or perhaps American Government class. I'd recommend it for teens who want a quick read that really makes them think.