Criminal & Law

Examines the moral and philosophical issues of crime and punishment by focusing on five men serving life sentences as well as the victims of their crimes.

Examines the impact of the Canadian criminal justice system on the Inuit Indians in northern Quebec which involves the imposition on them of an alien culture, language and value system.

Examining the case of Martin Sostre, a black Puerto Rican bookstore owner in Buffalo, New York who was framed on drug possession charges in 1967 and sentenced to prison, this film shows how the American justice system can be abused for purposes of political repression.

Examines the nature and function of the Grand Jury system and explores the relationship of the grand jury to the rest of the criminal justice system by following a case from arrest through indictment.

Examines America's juvenile justice system, focusing on three young people in trouble with the law throughout their adolescence.

Dramatizes the loneliness and desperation of long-term prisoners who are denied many of the benefits provided to short-term prisoners, and reveals the emotional damage done to them and their families by extended incarceration.

Reveals the shocking conditions at the Female High Security Unit at the federal prison in Lexington, Kentucky, where three women political prisoners, currently serving sentences ranging from thirty-five to fifty-eight years in solitary confinement, have been subjected to psychological experimentation (including sensory deprivation and constant video surveillance) and other forms of cruel and unusual punishment.

This behind-the-scenes documentary follows police officers in Houston and New York City on their daily patrols, showing the demanding and often dangerous situations they confront regularly.

This documentary offers a revealing, inside look at the structure of prison society in America, particularly its class, racial and sexual aspects, by focusing on the San Francisco County Jail.

Filmed at New York City's House of Detention for Men on Riker's Island, this documentary examines the constitutional issues and human problems that accompany pretrial detention.

Examines both sides of the controversy surrounding the death penalty, providing a cross- cultural survey, explaining which countries use the death penalty, how often, for what reasons, and the various methods used.

Examines the high level of deadly violence in American society focusing on three types of murder--those of the mass murderer, the serial murderer, and the political assassin--and analyzes not only why these acts are committed but also why they are peculiarly American.

Examines the growing phenomenon of serial murders in the U.S., their underlying causes, and ways in which the killers can be more quickly identified and apprehended.

Profiles three prisoners serving life sentences and how involvement in art has played a significant role in their rehabilitation. Shot at Western Wayne Correctional Facility (the former Detroit House of Corrections), the video illustrates how the ArtsGrowth prison outreach program has helped these individuals deal with their violent pasts through creative writing and painting.

Examines teenage drinking and teenagers whose parents are alcoholics, including the consequences of alcoholism such as physical illness, emotional maladjustment, family breakup, domestic violence, fatal car accidents, and violent crime.