Films about criminal justice
Feature Film
PBS Premiere: Feb. 12, 2018
A vital and influential exploration of the rapid militarization of the police in the United States. Do Not Resist puts viewers in the center of the action — from inside a police training seminar that teaches the importance of "righteous violence" to the floor of a congressional hearing on the proliferation of military equipment in small-town police departments. Winner, Best Documentary Feature Award, 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.
Feature Film
PBS Premiere: Aug. 21, 2017
In Tribal Justice, two Native American judges reach back to traditional concepts of justice in order to reduce incarceration rates, foster greater safety for their communities, and create a more positive future for their youth. A co-production of Vision Maker Media and American Documentary | POV.
Feature Film
Encore Broadcast: Aug. 14, 2017
In 1998 James Byrd, Jr., a black man, was chained to a truck and dragged to death by three white men. Two film crews, one black and one white, document the aftermath of the murder.
Short Film
Digital Premiere: July 17, 2017
With rare access inside Pelican Bay State Prison, we hear inmates' experiences of living in long term solitary confinement. This short documentary offers a visceral snapshot of the day-in-the-life inside one of the most notorious supermax prisons in the U.S.
Feature Film
PBS Premiere: July 11, 2016
Florida Justice Transitions trailer park is home to 120 sex offenders, all battling their own demons as they work toward rejoining society. This film considers how the destructive cycle of sexual abuse — and the silence surrounding it — can be broken.
Feature Film
Encore Broadcast: June 6, 2016
A moving account of four women sensationalized by the media as a "Gang of Killer Lesbians" reveals the role that race, gender identity and sexuality play in our criminal justice system. A co-production of ITVS. A co-presentation with the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC).
Feature Film
PBS Premiere: May 23, 2016
In 2012, California amended its "Three Strikes" law, shortening the sentences of thousands of "lifers." See this unprecedented reform through the eyes of those on the front lines — prisoners suddenly freed, families turned upside down and attorneys and judges wrestling with an untested law. A co-production of American Documentary | POV and ITVS. A co-presentation with the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC). Official Selection of the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.
Feature Film
PBS Premiere: Oct. 2, 2015
How the government's attempts to silence Ai Weiwei have turned him into China's most powerful artist and an irrepressible voice for free speech and human rights around the globe. Official Selection of the 2013 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.
Feature Film
PBS Premiere: Aug. 4, 2014
Does sentencing a teenager to life without parole serve society? Following a Florida man who received four life sentences at age 15, this eye-opening film reveals a justice system that routinely condemns young Americans to die in prison.
Short Film
Digital Premiere: Feb. 3, 2014
In San Francisco County Jail, Five Keys Charter School is trying to reduce recidivism rates by giving inmates a chance to earn a high school diploma.
Feature Film
PBS Premiere: July 8, 2013
Herman Wallace has spent more than 40 years in a 6' x 9' prison cell. He works with artist Jackie Sumell to imagine his "dream home," questioning justice and punishment in America.
Feature Film
PBS Premiere: Jan. 7, 2013
A veteran reporter and his colleagues at an independent newsweekly defy powerful drug cartels and corrupt officials to continue publishing the news.