|
Justice,
Law and Society Filmography
updated
(12/01)
12
angry men. 1990.
1 videocassette (93 min.). Classic courtroom drama
about a teenage boy accused of killing his father
and the jury that must decide his fate. (FEATURE
FILM). VHS 801
30 frames a second: The WTO in Seattle. 2000. 1 videocassette (75 min.). "First-person
account of the events that unfolded during the week
the World Trade Organization came to Seattle in
November of 1999. It's told from the perspective
of veteran cameraman Rustin Thompson, who covered
the November 1999 WTO conference as an independent
journalist. It is the story of how Thompson's objective
point-of-view evolved into a subjective account
of what be came an unscheduled, unruly outbreak
of democracy"--Container. VHS 6663
L.A. behind bars. 1993. 1 videocassette (50 min.). Examines the violent world of America's
largest jail system including gang warfare, extortion
and assaults among inmates, and desperate attempts
of jail deputies to maintain order. VHS 3958
Abused women who fought back: The Framingham Eight. 1994. 1 videocassette (44 min). Explores the problem
of domestic violence through the dramatic memories
of the women who became known as the "Framingham
Eight." Each woman was imprisoned in Framingham,
MA, for killing a spouse or partner they say abused
them repeatedly. VHS 3026
The Advocate.
1993. 1 videocassette (102 min.). Set in 15th century
France. A courtroom thriller in which a young lawyer
moves from Paris to a small town to pursue his career
and the simple life, only to find that beneath the
seeming quiet of the village lies murder, mystery
and corruption. The lawyer must defend a pig in
a dark story about the many sides of truth and passion's
deadly price. (FEATURE FILM). VHS 3324
Alias, La Gringa. 1994. 1 videocassette (100 min.). Political drama from Peru follows
the adventures and escapades of La Gringa, a likeable
criminal capable of escaping from any jail. But
when he is caught in a prison riot while in disguise,
the situation is beyond his control. Based on the
escapades of the real life criminal. (FEATURE
FILM). VHS 3383
Angel on death row. 1996. 1 videocassette (57 min.). Takes on the death penalty debate with
a profile of Sister Helen Prejean. A longtime spiritual
advisor to inmates on Death Row, her life and work
inspired the motion picture "Deadman walking.".
VHS 4467
The Bad seed.
cl991. 1 videocassette (129 min.). Rhoda Penmark
is an 8 year old well-mannered, sunny-faced perfect
little lady. She is also a efficient, unfeeling
killer. What Rhoda wants, she ruthlessly gets. (FEATURE
FILM). VHS 3409
A. Beasley interview. 1992. 1 videocassette (90 min.). Police tape taken by a camera in the
upper corner of the room of police officers (probably
in Washington, D.C.) questioning Anthony Beasley
who had been arrested for armed robbery and assault
using a gun previously used in other crimes. VHS
3442
The Big combo.
1987. 1 videocassette (89 min.). Discouraged by
his superior officers, a detective lieutenant doggedly
continues his investigation to obtain evidence that
would convict the head gangster of a crime syndicate.
(FEATURE FILM). VHS 3593
The Big house.
1997-2000. 7 videocassettes (500 min.). Incorporating
filmed interviews with prison officials and former
inmates, these programs take the viewer on historic
tours of the nation's prisons. VHS 6498
Biology and crime. Crime file. 1985? 1 videocassette (29 min.). Discusses whether
or not people are born into a life of crime. VHS
183
Blood in, blood out: Bound by honor. 1993. 1 videocassette (180 min.). Film looks at violent
crime, the influence of narcotics, and the gang
wars in California jails in the 1980s. Two half-brothers
and their bi-racial cousin who were raised as brothers
are torn apart. One is a talented artist but becomes
a heroin addict; one finds a "home" and
power in prison; and the third becomes a cop. Yet
through it all, family and honor keep their lives
intertwined as each strives for survival and power.
VHS 5001
Brubaker. 1993.
1 videocassette (131 min.). Based on the true story
of a reform warden who risks his life to replace
brutality and corruption with humanity and integrity
in a state prison farm. (FEATURE FILM). VHS
2652
Brute force.
Noir, the dark side of Hollywood. 1998. 1
videocassette (95 min.). Joe Collins (Lancaster)
of Cell R-17 in Westgate Penitentiary is planning
a mass breakout. The chief guard, Capt. Munsey (Cronyn),
gets wind of this plan and seeks to further his
career by crushing it. Violence erupts and Collins
and Munsey come face to face with each other. (FEATURE
FILM). VHS 5487
Cancelled lives: Letters from the inside. 1991. 1 videocassette (48 min.). Portrait of the criminal
justice system, filmed at some of America's most
dangerous and forbidding institutions, seen through
the eyes of those who are doing time. This video
is based on the letters of individuals who are incarcerated.
From young boys and girls who are first experiencing
life in juvenile facilities, all the way to men
and women who are serving hard time in prison. VHS
3278
The case for innocence. 2000. 1 videocassette (90 min.). Fifteen years ago,
DNA analysis was nonexistent. Today, more than seventy
inmates accused of rape and murder have been freed
because DNA tests proved their innocence in a way
that evidence, courtroom testimony, and eyewitness
accounts never could. Why then are prosecutors,
courts, and even governors reluctant to use this
scientific test? And when evidence has been tested
and DNA does not match that of the accused, how
can the law overlook the results? Program investigates
the reasons why inmates remain in prison despite
DNA evidence that excludes them as the perpetrators.
[Summary taken in part from PBS website]. VHS
6338
The Cask of Amontillado. The Bernard Wilets literature series. 1982.
1 videocassette (18 min.). Animation of forebodingly
dark artwork is combined with eerie sound effects
to dramatize Edgar Allen Poe's horror tale about
a nobleman who finds revenge deep in the cellars
under his Italian Renaissance palace. To avenge
an insult, Montresor seals the nobleman Fortunato
behind a masonry wall deep within the Montresor
family vault. VHS 1501
CCI: A case study of a southern prison. 1993. 1 videocassette. Documents the establishment
and ensuing history of the Central Correctional
Institution in Columbia, S.C. VHS 2721
Charred remains.
Medical detectives. 1998. 1 videocassette
(24 min.). Early one evening in 1991, a custodian
for a computer company discovered the charred remains
of a body in a dumpster. This program illustrates
the forensics used by police to find the killer.
An autopsy reveals the body is that of a woman,
and a radiographic exam finds bullet remnants in
her skull. A forensic odontologist helps identify
the woman when he discovers a condition known as
mesiodens -- an extra tooth below the gumline. A
lengthy and convoluted police investigation traces
the murder to a male exotic dancer. Ballistics match
bullets found in the body to a gun owned by the
suspect; and blood, hair, fiber, and body tissue
found in the trunk of his car match those of the
victim. VHS 5579
A Conversation with Justice Harry Blackmun. 1993. 1 videocassette (23 min.). Excerpts from a longer
interview with Supreme Court Justice Blackmun that
explores his general views on the death penalty.
Includes a report by Chris Bury on the case of Lloyd
Schlup, scheduled for execution although new evidence
raises doubts about his guilt. (Justice Blackmun
did not comment on the particular case.). VHS
2419
Cool hand Luke.
1990. 1 videocassette (127 min.). A part of a chain
gang, Luke is a loner who won't or can't conform
to the arbitrary rules of his captivity. (FEATURE
FILM). VHS 2572
Correcting.
Heart of the dragon. 1985. 1 videocassette
(57 min.). Explains the basis of the Chinese legal
system as a desire to restore social harmony, rather
than to punish the criminal or to protect society.
Shows how the system works, and explores the social
pressures in the new consumer society, including
what makes a crime a crime. VHS 5989
Crime and insanity. The Constitution, that delicate balance [videorecording]: Constitution,
that delicate balance. 1984. 1 videocassette
(58 min.). VHS 1188
Crime and insanity. Constitution, that delicate balance. 1984. 1 videocassette (60
min.). Presents a hypothetical political assassination
as the vehicle for exploring the insanity defense
and the controversy surrounding psychiatric testimony
in the courtroom. U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Irving
Kaufman, Hastings Center President Willard Gaylin,
and others discuss the use of psychiatry in law.
VHS 1188
Crime and public housing. Crime file. 1990? 1 videocassette (29 min.).
Discusses the chronic crime problems that plague
those who live in public housing. Looks at how residents
are seeking ways to control crime and assure a decent
quality of life in their community. Factors include
the physical environment of the housing complex,
type and extent of law enforcement, and the amount
and intensity of tenant involvement. VHS 1359
Crime and punishments. The Constitution, that delicate balance [videorecording]:
Constitution, that delicate balance. 1984. 1
videocassette (58 min.). VHS 1189
Crime and punishments. Constitution, that delicate balance. 1984. 1
videocassette (60 min.). Addresses the conflicts
that exist between constitutional guarantees against
cruel and unusual punishment and the realities of
the American penal system. Panel of legislators,
government officials, jurists, penal officers, media
representatives, and others discuss such issues
as prison overcrowding, the purpose of punishment,
the death penalty, and the role of the media. Panalists
include: U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Arthur Alarcon,
Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Norman Carlson.
VHS 1189
Crime family.
American Justice. 1997. 1 videocassette (50
min.). Takes a look at the Genovese crime family.
VHS 6690
Crime file.
1985. 22 videocassettes (627 min.). VHS 173 - 186,
227 - 234
Crime file II.
1986. 10 videocassettes (29 min. each). James Q.
Wilson moderates panel discussions of crime and
criminal justice issues. VHS 401-410
Crime & punishment: A night on Cell Block H. Crime and punishment in America. 1994. 1 videocassette
(24 min. ). Ted Koppel spends the night in the maximum
security section of Central State Prison, Raleigh,
North Carolina, where men who have committed violent
acts are held (one describes himself as "just
a common run-of-the-mill murderer"). Koppel
talks briefly to guards about prison safety, but
the program concentrates on the prisoners' unwritten
code of behavior and how this conflicts with prison
regulations; the older men think that drugs have
led to moral degeneracy, even in prison. The important
thing is self-respect, "being a man,"
and not allowing anyone to take advantage of the
prisoner. VHS 3192
Crime & punishment: Does prison work? Crime and punishment in America. 1994. 1 videocassette
(24 min.). In this first of a four-part series broadcast
on successive nights, Ted Koppel interviews James
F. Polk, III, convicted of two murders within ten
days, two sisters of the first victim, and officials
of the criminal justice system. Does prison work
to rehabilitate cold-blooded killers? Should the
federal and state governments spend money on rehabilitation
programs or adopt the "get-tough" approach
that voters appeared to favor in the recent election?
VHS 3191
Crime & punishment: On guard. Crime and punishment in America. 1994. 1 videocassette
(24 min. ). In addition to death row and the maximum
security block, the prison system includes psychiatric
services and a variety of prison industries and
education programs as well as road gangs and work
or home release programs. By relieving boredom and
providing training, prisons are safer for employees
and it is likely that some prisoners will become
productive citizens. VHS 3193
Crime, violence & TV news. 1993. 1 videocassette. Operating before a live audience
in the ABC News studios in Washington, D.C., Nightline's
Ted Koppel is joined by newsmen and other guests
to discuss how crime and violence is treated by
the U.S. television media. Accusations of bias
and sensationalism are explored. VHS 2557
Crimes of violence. 1987. 1 videocassette (94 min.). A behind the scenes look at violent
crimes: aggravated assault, armed robbery, rape
and murder. Discusses what kind of people committed
the crime and why they do it. VHS 970
Criminal justice and a defendant's right to a fair trial.
Constitution: that delicate balance. 1984.
1 videocassette (60 min.). Focuses on legal ethics
and the Exclusionary Rule. Weighs the right of the
accused to a fair trial against the right of society
to take measures assuring public safety. New York
Mayor Edward Koch, CBS News Anchor Dan Rather, the
Hon. R. Eugene Pincham of the Cook County Circuit
Court and attorneys A. Charles Peruto and Mario
Merola are among those taking part. VHS 1187
Criminal justice: From murder to execution. That delicate balance II, our Bill of Rights.
1992. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Segment of a series
of programs on the Bill of Rights and its effect
on the United States. Part of the Bicentennial Celebration
of the Bill of Rights. This program explores the
use of children's testimony, information from cell-mate
informers, the impact of victim's testimony, the
value and potential abuse of habeas proceedings,
and the myriad of constitutional issues that can
arise from a murder trial. VHS 2015
Crossfire.
1991. 1 videocassette (86 min.). A police captain
methodically unravels the truth behind the brutal
murder of an innocent Jewish man by a World War
II soldier with a rabid hatred of Jews. (FEATURE
FILM). VHS 3650
Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse = The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
: ein Fritz Lang film.
1994. 1 videocassette (120 min.). Director Lang
uses the story of a madman, confined to an asylum,
who masterminds a series of crimes, to expose the
madness of Hitler. The film was banned in Germany
the year of its release because of its attack on
the fundamentals of the Nazi Party. (FEATURE
FILM). VHS 3849
Dead man walking. 1996. 1 videocassette (122 min.). Based on a true story. Matthew Poncelet
(Penn) is the convicted killer of two teenage lovers,
waiting to end his sentence and his life - on Death
Row. In response to a letter, Sister Helen Prejean
(Sarandon) visits Matthew and finds herself face-to-face
with a convicted killer who continues to plead his
innocence. When the date is set for his execution,
Poncelet asks Sister Helen to be his spiritual advisor
and she agrees. (FEATURE FILM). VHS 4316
Deadly force.
Crime file. 1985? 1 videocassette (28 min.).
Discusses the situations in which an officer may
have to use his weapon. VHS 227
Death by midnight. 1992. 2 videocassettes (ca. 96 min.). A report on the efforts of anti-death
penalty activists to win a reprieve for convicted
murderer Harold Otey, while death penalty proponents
try to ensure that the sentence remains intact.
The program recounts the crime and shows the preparations
for carrying out the sentence. Although the defense
wins eight delays, the sentence is carried out in
September, 1994. VHS 2351
Death penalty.
Crime file. 1985? 1 videocassette (28 min.).
Discussion of the death penalty, focusing on its
ability to deter crime, the desire for retribution,
and the dangers of mistakes or arbitrary applications
of sentences. VHS 228
The Diallo shooting trial. 2000. 1 videocassettes (30 min.). Tape of the opening
statements of the prosecution and defense lawyers.
On February 4, 1999 four white police officers (Edward
McMellon, Sean Carroll, Kenneth Boss, Richard Murphy)
in plainclothes approached Amadou Diallo, a black
un-armed 22-year-old street peddler, outside his
apartment building in the South Bronx at about 12:45
a.m. and shot him down in a barrage of 41 bullets.
A grand jury indicted the four officers for second-degree
murder and reckless endangerment. The officers all
pled not guilty to the charges. Citing pretrial
publicity, a New York appellate court ordered a
change of venue for the trial which was moved from
the Bronx to Albany, Albany Supreme Court Justice
Joseph Teresi was appointed new trial judge and
on Feb. 1, 2000, a 12-panel jury was selected consisting
of 4 African-Americans and 8 whites with four white
men as alternates. The four officers were acquitted
of all state criminal charges on February 25, 2000.
[Factual summary taken from Court TV website: http://www.courttv.com].
VHS 6187
Doing time.
1980. 1 videocassette (60 min). This documentary
film depicts the intense and dangerous world of
a maximum security prison. Inmates reveal how they
cope with a life full of fears, anxiety, and despair.
VHS 1337
Doing time: Life inside the big house. 1991. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Scenes inside Lewisburg
Prison, interviews of prison officials, guards,
and inmates, and background information illustrate
the reality and frequent violence of prison life.
Includes some U.S. Justice Dept. file tape. VHS
1151
Doing time: Ten years later. 1990. 1 videocassette (56 min.). Ten years ago the
documentary film, Doing time, explored the intense
and dangerous world of a maximum security prison
using footage shot on location in 1979 at the New
Mexico State Penitentiary. It included interviews
with inmates, some of whom were killed during riots
in February 1980, scenes from parole hearings and
disciplinary hearings, and views of general prison
life. Now the makers of the film have returned to
New Mexico to discover what has happened since 1979
in a gripping and uncompromising story of how life
continues. VHS 1338
Domestic violence. Crime file. 1985? 1 videocassette (28 min.). Examines the dangers
to police officers that stem from investigating
common domestic arguments. VHS 229
Dr. Mabuse, the gambler. 1993? 2 videocassettes (188 min.). Dr. Mabuse, the
mastermind of crime, uses hypnosis to subvert his
opponents and control his victims. His thirst for
power and wealth reflect the decadence of post World
War I German society. (FEATURE FILM). VHS
3848
Dragnet. Classic
television. 1986. 1 videocassette (53 mins.).
The big bird: A burglar not only steals, but kills
his victims' pet birds -- The big trunk: A retired
vaudeville star is murdered after boasting she keeps
hidden wealth in her trunk. VHS 4772
Drinking and crime. Crime file. 1985? 1 videocassette (28 min.). Discusses the correlation
between alcohol consumption and crime. VHS 230
Drug education.
Crime file II. 1986. 1 videocassette (29
min.). Discusses characteristics of effective drug
education programs in the schools. Centers on Project
DARE in Los Angeles and SPECDA in New York City.
VHS 401
Drug testing.
Crime file II. 1986. 1 videocassette (29
min.). Discusses drug testing as a means of determining
which prisoners should be released while awaiting
trial. VHS 402
Drug traffic.
Crime file II. 1986. 1 videocassette (29
min.). Discusses strategies used by the government
and local law enforcement agencies to control drug
trafficking. Focuses on Operation Pressure Point
on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. VHS 403
Drugs youth gangs. Crime file. 1990? 1 videocassette (29 min.). Discusses the rise
in crime connected with the selling of drugs by
gangs and of the more serious crimes resulting from
rivalry among the gangs. VHS 1358
Exclusionary rule. Crime file. 1985. 1 videocassette (29 min.). Discussion and interpretation
of the exclusionary rule. VHS 173
The Execution.
1999. 1 videocassette (90 min.). Explores capital
punishment through the story of Clifford Boggess,
a 30-year-old who spent almost a decade on death
row. In the United States, executions have become
almost routine, especially in Texas, where Boggess,
a pianist, artist, class valedictorian and convicted
murderer awaited the execution chamber. And while
he waited, the tormented families of his two victims
impatiently awaited his death in June 1998. VHS
5781
Execution at midnight: Potosi Correctional Institute,
Mineral Point, Missouri.
1993. 1 videocassette (120 min.). Examines the death
penalty issue through interviews of seven death
row inmates. Gives the viewer the experience of
the last hour of a condemned inmate's life as he
is taken to the holding cell and to the execution
room. VHS 3954
The Execution protocol. 1992. 1 videocassette (83 min.). Features interviews
with death row prisoners, with state government
and prison officials, and with all participants
in capital punishment, including lawyers, police
officers and manufacturers of lethal substances
in order to show the legal context and logistics
involved in carrying out executions. Includes a
discussion of the execution of Tiny Mercer in 1989.
VHS 2369
The Executioner's song. 1990. 1 videocassette (185 min.). Based on the true
story of Gary Gilmore and the tragic chain of events
which led him to commit two cruel and senseless
murders. These crimes would eventually cause him
to become the first person in over ten years to
be executed in the electric chair. (FEATURE FILM).
VHS 3829
The executioners. 1995. 1 videocassette (ca. 100 min.). Using memoirs, artifacts, newspapers
and film, the harsh reality of lawful execution
is explored from the point of view of the states
that kill and those whose job it is to carry out
the sentence. Provides an unflinching look at the
issue with all sides arguing their case - crime
victims, judges, families of the executed and the
executioners themselves. VHS 4384
Families and crime. Crime file II. 1986. 1 videocassette (29 min.). Discusses various
methods of helping troubled children and their families
in order to prevent the possibility of a life of
crime for these children. VHS 404
Fargo. 1996.
1 videocassette (98 min.). A Minnesota car salesman
arranges to have his unsuspecting wife kidnapped
in order to collect a ransom from his rich father-in-law.
He hires two incompetent accomplices who botch the
job and end up committing a series of murders. Unaware
of the kidnapping, Sheriff Marge Gunderson of Brainerd,
Minnesota, is called in to investigate and connect
this series of brutal crimes. (FEATURE FILM).
VHS 4452
The Farm: Life inside Angola Prison. Investigative reports. 1998. 1 videocassette
(ca. 100 min.). Film chronicles a year - from harvest
to harvest - inside the Louisiana State Penitentiary
at Angola - a former slave plantation that spreads
across 12,000 acres of farmland. Looks at the lives
of six inmates as they struggle to sustain hope
in a place that offers no second chances and where
freedom is a distant memory. VHS 4818
The Film noir of Anthony Mann. 1999. 2 videodiscs (252 min.). Three film noir classics
by director Anthony Mann. These films, like few
others, define "film noir" as a style.
T-men: Two treasury agents (O'Keefe and Ryder) infiltrate
the ranks of a notorious counterfeiting ring known
as the Vantucci Gang. Delving into a labyrinth of
betrayal, sacrifice and the occasional pummeling,
the agents watch as their civilian happiness ebbs
away and they fall victim to the elaborate disguises
they have constructed for their own protection.
Raw deal: Trapped within the walls of a state penitentiary,
Joe Sullivan lives for the chance to avenge himself
upon the man who helped put him there: Rick Coyle,
a pyromaniac mob boss with a taste for party-girl
flambé. Rick helps spring Joe from prison in hopes
that the police will gun him down during the escape,
but he grossly underestimates Joe's resourcefulness.
With the assistance of a world-weary moll and an
innocent girl, Joe dodges roadblocks, hitmen and
dragnets and carves a bloody path back to his betrayer.
He walked by night: An Los Angeles Police Department
sergeant (Brady) follows the trail of a devious,
clever and psychopathic burgler (Basehart) who has
killed a cop. Film is done in semi-documentary style
and marks the moment in cinema history when crimefighting
became more a matter of forensic science than daring
gunplay. (FEATURE FILMS). DVD 80
Final Judgement.
1996. 1 videocassette (52 min.). Takes viewers behind
the scenes into the world of death row as it looks
at James's road to execution and also examines the
profound impact it had on the lives of others--family
and friends of the convict and his victims. Includes
scenes in the prison, death row, and the execution
area. The Warden gives a detailed explanation of
the timetable for the last day prior to death. Includes
interviews with James, his family, his advisors,
and the family members of victims. VHS 4557
First degree murder trial. 1987. 2 videocassettes (172 min). The Robert Sandovol
trial. Film look at a typical homicide case with
a step-by-step account of the actual first degree
murder trial of Robert Sandoval, on location, in
courtroom 13 of the Denver District Court, State
of Colorado. VHS 471
Foot patrol.
Crime file. 1985? 1 videocassette (28 min.).
Discussion of techniques, responsibilities, and
special hazards of officers on foot. VHS 178
Forbidden Hollywood collection. 1993. 4 videodiscs (469 min.). A laser disc collection
of six movies produced in 1932-1933 just before
the National Legion of Decency cleaned up everybody's
act with the Hollywood Censorship Code. Includes
three original theatrical trailers. Female: Comedy
about the young and wealthy woman who is married
to her career, and uses and discards lovers. Then
she meets and falls in love with a man who isn't
intimidated by her status, and she must prove to
him that she has changed and truly loves him --
Blessed event: A newspaperman rises from clerk to
tabloid king. He's convinced no one is exempt from
his poison pen, but some pinstriped types intend
to prove him dead wrong -- Ladies they talk about:
A woman is in prison for her role in a bank heist,
where a reformer falls in love with her. When her
"partners" are killed in a jailbreak attempt
that she's involved in, she thinks that he is the
one who tipped off the authorities. But she learns
to trust his love for her, & eventually returns
his love & leaves her past behind. Three on
a match: Three childhood friends lose touch and
meet again ten years later. -- Skyscraper souls:
A financial wizard plans to build a 100-foot monument
to his ego despite the fluctuating stock market
and financial instability of his employees. -- Employees'
entrance: The heartless manager of a department
store makes a penniless woman pay dearly for her
job. He forbids his apprentice to marry, but the
apprentice secretly marries a bride with secrets
of her own. (FEATURE FILMS). VDD 146
The Getaway.
1994. 1 videocassette (122 min.). Doc" McCoy,
an imprisoned master thief, is paroled with the
assistance of a corrupt politician in return for
masterminding a half-million-dollar bank heist.
McCoy and his wife find themselves in a hornet's
nest of double crosses as they try to reach the
Mexican border. (FEATURE FILM). VHS 3477
Getting deterrence right. Perspectives on crime and justice. 1998. 1 videocassette
(69 min.). Dr. Kleinman looks at the issues of punishment
and the threat of punishment and how to deploy them
for maximum effectiveness in controlling crime.
Kleinman takes issue with the randomness of law
enforcement which he says keeps offenders from being
deterred. He argues that police and other enforcement
agencies ignore too much of what we known about
the nature of "high-rate, persistent, serious
offenders" who account for much of crime and
also ignore the strategic interaction between the
offender and enforcement efforts. He says that there
is an overemphasis on the severity of punishment
rather than an emphasis on the delivery of a quick
and certain punishment; that there is an under-emphasis
on communicating specific threats; and that semi-
random, equal opportunity enforcement ignores the
value of concentration in enforcement and the prospect
of creating a low crime equilibrium. A question
and answer session follows the speech. VHS 5850
The Grand jury: An institution under fire. 1980. 1 videocassette (34 min.). Traces the history
and evolution of the grand jury system. Depicts
a case history, examining the selection of a grand
jury in a typical community. The clerk, judge,
prosecutor, and jurors describe their roles in the
process, and shows how after the arrest is made,
the grand jury meets to consider voting a true bill
of indictment against the defendant. VHS 4964
The Great spirit within the hole. 1983. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Focuses on American
Indians in the nation's prisons and tells that Indian
spiritual leaders are often denied entry to prisons
to commune with their people. Emphasizes how freedom
of Indian religious practices aids in rehabilitation.
VHS 1801
Gun control.
Crime file. 1985? 1 videocassette (28 min.).
Discussion of the pro and con issues involved in
the gun control controversy, and how they affect
criminal justice. VHS 177
Hard times: Teens in maximum security prisons . 2000. 1 videocassette (24 min.). Shows prison life
at the Western Youth Institution in Morganton, North
Carolina, a prison for juvenile offenders. ABC
News Anchor Diane Sawyer reports through the experiences
of four new teenage inmates--one only 13 years old.
A follow-up two years later reveals the impact of
their incarceration on their minds and bodies, best
summed up by the words of one of the four: "This
is not the place to be.". VHS 6453
He walked by night. Noir, the dark side of Hollywood. 1996. 1 videocassette (79 min.).
An Los Angeles Police Department sergeant (Brady)
follows the trail of a devious, clever and psychopathic
burgler (Basehart) who has killed a cop. Film is
done in semi-documentary style and marks the moment
in cinema history when crimefighting became more
a matter of forensic science than daring gunplay.
(FEATURE FILM). VHS 5020
Heroin. Crime
file. 1985? 1 videocassette (28 min.). Discusses
the damage to the user and to society as a result
of heroin addiction. VHS 231
House arrest.
Crime file II. 1986. 1 videocassette (29
min.). A discussion of the use of house arrest as
an alternative to probation and imprisonment. Major
discussion centers on the Community Control system
set up in Florida. VHS 405
Hustle. 1991.
1 videocassette (120 min.). The underbelly of modern
Los Angeles serves as a background for the story
of an old-fashioned detective, a moralist who still
sees the difference between right and wrong and
finds it difficult to reconcile himself to the ugliness
of his job. By day he investigates a young girl's
suicide; at night he relaxes with a high-priced
Paris call girl. Neither are ever quite able to
escape the hustle they're so uncomfortable with.
(FEATURE FILM). VHS 4870
I am a fugitive from a chain gang. 1992. 1 videodisc (93 min.). Based on a true story,
the film was adapted from a novel by Robert Elliott
Burns who in real life was sentenced to a chain
gang after taking part in a minor robbery. James
Allen/Allen James (Muni) is an ex-soldier wrongly
condemned to hard labor on a Georgia chain gang
where he suffers cruelty and misery. The brutalities
of the chain gang were so emphatically exposed in
this film that there was a public outcry resulting
in drastic reforms of the system. (FEATURE FILM).
VDD 90
In the name of the father. 1994. 1 videocassette (133 min.). Fact-based film about
Gerry Conlon, the young Irish punk who is caught
in the wrong place at the wrong time and forced
to confess to a terrorist bombing. He and his father,
along with friends of Gerry, are found guilty and
sentenced to life in prison. There, his father shows
his true strength, and Gerry works to prove their
innocence and clear his father's name. (FEATURE
FILM). VHS 5065
Incident at Oglala. 1992. 1 videocassette (90 min.). In 1975, armed FBI agents entered the
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Gunfire erupted -
a Native American and two FBI agents fell dead.
After the largest manhunt in FBI history, three
men were apprehended but only one, Leonard Peltier,
was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in
prison. VHS 3022
Insanity defense. Crime file. 1985? 1 videocassette (28 min.). Discussion of the
insanity defense in criminal trials. VHS 184
Inside prisons.
Crime file. 1985? 1 videocassette (28 min.).
Discusses the increase in riots and murders within
prisons. VHS 185
Inside the jury room. 1986. 1 videocassette (60 min.). For the first time ever, television
cameras are allowed inside a jury room to witness
a jury's deliberation in order to learn about the
process, the psychology and the group dynamics of
a jury. Twelve strangers become a jury, discover
their power and debate its use. VHS 4969
International criminal law. International law video course. 1995. 1 videocassette
(ca. 30 min.). Each program includes an introduction
to the subject and its historical perspective, presentations
of scholars and experts in international law from
the academic community, the United Nations, the
American Society of International Law and other
international organizations plus historical and
contemporary film footage and still photographs.
This segment dealing with international criminal
law discusses: bases of jurisdiction in international
criminal law, crimes under customary law, transnational
crimes, humanitarian law, and the work of international
criminal courts. VHS 4499
Jobs & crime. Crime file. 1985? 1 videocassette (28 min.). Discusses the correlation
between unemployment and crime. VHS 232
Judgment and decision making: Motivation and emotion. Discovering psychology. 1989. 1 videocassette
(60 min.). Program 11 explains why and how judgments
and decisions are made. Also explores the psychology
of risk taking and negotiation. Program 12 examines
biological and psychological aspects of motivation
and emotion as seen in studies of sexual behavior
and the power of optimistic beliefs. VHS 1131
Juries on trial.
1995. 1 videocassette (ca. 28 min.). "Is America's
jury system fair? In light of the O.J. Simpson trial,
this program asks if it isn't time to reevaluate
trial by jury"--Container. VHS 3491
Justice for sale. 1999. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Frontline and Bill Moyers investigate
how campaign cash is corrupting America's courts.
In the 39 states where judges are elected, special
interest money is pouring into judicial politics,
threatening to compromise judicial independence.
This program focuses on three states - Texas, Louisiana
and Pennsylvania - and documents efforts by special
interest groups to influence judges and their decisions.
Includes a rare interview with U.S. Supreme Court
Justices Stephen Breyer and Anthony Kennedy who
speak out about the threat to judicial integrity.
VHS 6158
Justice in the District of Columbia: Tough decisions. 1988. 1 videocassette (22 min.). The program shows
scenes and interviews participants in the District
of Columbia Court system. It includes sections
on the organization and staffing of the court system
and discussions of sentencing, the jury system,
witnesses, the family division, mediation, appeals,
and the citizen's role. VHS 2530
Juvenile justice. 2001. 1 videocassette (90 min.). "Explores whether children who
commit serious crimes should be tried as juveniles
or adults"--Container. VHS 6645
Juvenile justice in the United States: A video history. 1992. 1 videocassette (24 min.). Presents a brief history
of progress made in the American juvenile justice
system over the past 200 years. Includes rare archival
photographs, contemporary footage, and interviews
with experts in the field. VHS 6163
Juvenile offenders. Crime file. 1985? 1 videocassette (28 min.). Discusses the problem
of determining at what point criminals should be
prosecuted as adults. VHS 180
Juvenile rehabilitation. Crime file. 1990? 1 videocassette (29 min.).
Describes innovative rehabilitation programs for
juvenile offenders. VHS 1360
The killer at Thurston High. 2000. 1 videocassette (90 min.). In May 1998, a year
before the massacre at Columbine High, fifteen-year-old
Kip Kinkel murdered his mother and father, and then
opened fire at Thurston High School in Springfield,
Oregon, killing two fellow students and wounding
twenty-five others. Program looks at the story of
how the "shy and likeable" Kip Kinkel
from a solid middle-class family became the boy
police call "a cold-hearted killer.".
VHS 6339
Larry King live #1634. 1996. 1 videocassette (57 min.). Part 1: includes a
discussion of DNA evidence in the O.J. Simpson trial
and in other cases in which people were imprisoned
based on incorrect eyewitness or other circumstantial
evidence. -- Part 2: the director and one of the
cast members discuss the recent motion picture "Waiting
to exhale.". VHS 4054
Legacy. 1999.
1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.). From murders to manhunts
to a win-at-all costs political campaign, this riveting
expose presents the disturbing story behind the
passage of California's stringent "three strikes"
law. Through candid interviews and news footage,
Mike Reynolds and Marc Klaas, brothers-in-arms turned
bitter opponents, and other key players, including
judges, legal analysts, and state officials, illuminate
both sides of the issue. VHS 6460
Let the doors be of iron-. 1987. 1 videocassette (23 min.). This video uses dramatic
reenactments, old lithographs, and photographs to
trace the fascinating history of the world's first
full-scale penitentiary -- Eastern State Penitentiary
-- the prototype for prisons and prison systems,
located on Cherry Hill in Philadelphia, Pa. Based
on the Quaker reformist philosophy of separate confinement
with labor, it was an architectural and social innovation.
VHS 384
Life after prison: Success on the outside. 1998. 1 videocassette (ca. 42 min.). Prisoners and
ex-convicts share how to be successful after release
from prison. VHS 6642
Lock-up: The prisoners of Rikers Island. 1996. 1 videocassette (75 min.). Provides an inside
look at how prisoners live and how officials maintain
order in the America's largest jail complex. Profiles
a variety of everyday activities. VHS 4118
Lonely are the brave. 1985. 1 videocassette (107 min.). An off-beat contemporary Western starring
Kirk Douglas as the last cowboy of the jet age who
tries to spring his friend from jail and ends up
on the run alone. The sheriff, however, must bring
him to justice despite his own sympathy for the
renegade. (FEATURE FILM). VHS 1630
The Longest yard. 1988. 1 videocassette (121 min.). A prison film in which the cons are
the heroes and the guards are the heavies. A sadistic
warden (Albert) will make any sacrifice to push
his guards' semi-pro football team to a national
championship. Paul Crewe (Reynolds), a one time
pro quarterback, is behind bars for leading State
Police on a wild chase in a "borrowed"
car. He agrees to organize a prisoners' team to
play the guards. The warden intercedes to assure
that his goon squad will meet only passive resistance
from Crewe's Mean Machine. But the license to pound
on their hated guards is a big incentive for murders
and thieves to learn strategy. (FEATURE FILM).
VHS 3980
MacNeil/Lehrer news hour, March 15, 1991. 1991. 1 videocassette (53 min.). In the first segment
Jeffrey Kaye of KCET-TV provides a background report
including the videotape of Rodney King's beating
by Los Angeles policemen and interviews with Los
Angeles policemen and citizens. Robert MacNeil interviews
Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates about the incident
and the amount of police brutality in Los Angeles.
In the second segment Robert MacNeil interviews
a panel composed of Hubert Williams, President of
the Police Foundation, Paul Weiland, an 18-year
veteran of the Washington, D.C., police force, Congressman
John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Ramona Ripston of the
Southern California American Civil Liberties Union.
The panel discusses police brutality and the problems
of poor police department management, lack of training,
and growing violence in U.S. cities. In the third
segment Judy Woodruff interviews weekly commentators
David Gergen and Mark Shields about police brutality
and other current news, including the switch of
Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer from the Democratic
to the Republican Party. An extra segment is inserted
during network fund raising in which Merrill McPeak,
U.S. Air Force General, describes the air war against
Iraq during Operation Desert Storm. His conclusion:
this is the first time in history that a field army
was defeated by air power. VHS 1686
Me-ahorei hasoragim = Beyond the walls. 1986. 1 videocassette (103 min.). The struggle between
Arabs and Jews within the confines of an overcrowded
Israeli maximum security prison is the focus of
this film. In a joint effort, the two factions (headed
by Israeli Arnon Zadok and Arab Muhamad Bakri) unite
in a mutiny to halt the prison's increasingly inhumane
regulations and conditions. (FEATURE FILM).
VHS 197
Midnight express. 1985. 1 videocassette (123 min.). The true story of Billy Hayes, an
American college student abroad, who is arrested
for trying to smuggle hashish out of Istanbul and
is sentenced to four years in a Turkish prison.
Later his sentence is suddenly revised upwards to
30 years and, realizing he may never be released,
he decides to try to escape. (FEATURE FILM).
VHS 3534
Miller's crossing. 1991. 1 videocassette (115 min.). Gangland epic with a convoluted plot.
During Prohibition an eastern city's corrupt political
boss (Albert Finney) finds his control slipping
as he is challenged by an upstart Italian underboss
and his ruthless henchman. The situation is complicated
by a woman - both the boss and his trusted lieutenant
(Gabriel Byrne) are in love with her - and they
end up on the opposite sides of a gang war. (FEATURE
FILM). VHS 1422
Mind of a serial killer. 1992. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Presents the real
story behind the elite FBI psychological unit popularized
in "The Silence of the Lambs." Using a
detailed psychological profile, the unit helps the
Rochester, New York, police department catch a notorious
serial killer who targeted prostitutes. Includes
discussions on the Son of Sam, David Berkowitz;
Atlanta child murderer, Wayne B. Williams; Albert
de Salvo; Peter Sutchif; Jeffrey Dahmer; John Gacy;
Edmund Kemper; Ted Bundy; Richard Speck; Kenneth
Bianchi; Juan Corona. VHS 1862
Monuments to failure: America's prison crisis . 1987. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Examines seven state
prison systems in the United States to demonstrate
the growing problems of overcrowding, lack of rehabilitation,
high rates of recidivism, skyrocketing costs, and
inability of prison administrations to learn from
the mistakes made in other prison systems. VHS
1643
Mr. Justice Blackmun. 1987. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Moyers interviews the Supreme Court
Justice who wrote the majority opinion in Roe v.
Wade, the case that legalized abortion. Moyers
and Blackmun discuss the emotional and moral challenge
of interpreting the Constitution. VHS 1896
Murder of the century. 1996. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Recounts the 1906
murder of Stanford White, New York City's leading
architect, by Harry K. Thaw, eccentric heir to a
Pittsburgh railroad fortune, over Evelyn Nesbit,
Thaw's wife. Thaw's trial touched off an extended
debate over widespread acceptance of a double standard--one
for rich Americans and another for everyone else.
VHS 4400
Murder, rape & DNA. 1993. 1 videocassette (57 min.). Discusses DNA profiling
for identifying criminals and exonerating the innocent.
Discusses the present stage of this technology,
its future developments, and its legal and social
implications. VHS 2718
A Nation of law? 1968-1971. Eyes on the prize II: America at the racial crossroads.
1989. 1 videocassette (60 min.). By the late 1960s,
the anger in the poorer urban areas over charges
of police brutality was smoldering. In Chicago,
Fred Hampton formed a Black Panther Party chapter.
During this same period, inmates at New York's Attica
prison took over the prison in an effort to publicize
intolerable conditions. VHS 830
Neighborhood safety. Crime file. 1985? 1 videocassette (28 min.). Discussion of precautions
and practices undertaken by neighbors to ensure
the safety of their neighborhoods. VHS 181
Nothing but the truth. 1998. 1 videocassette (57 min.). Film is "a look
at the fanatical circus atmosphere at the Santa
Monica County Courthouse during the O.J. Simpson
civil trial. Both advocates for and against Simpson
share their theories, beliefs and passions to any
and all who will listen. From the gentleman who
believes that O.J. Simpson was the model for Dr.
Frankenfurter in "The Rocky Horror Picture
Show," to "Christian Women for O.J.,"
this program looks at the media and spectator frenzy
that arose from what has come to be known as the
trial of the century." [Summary from the PBS
website: www.pbs.org}. VHS 6151
One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich. 1988. 1 videocassette (105 min.). The account of one
day in the life of a prisoner in a Soviet work camp
depicts the conditions of camp life and the small
events that arouse hope or despair in the prisoners.
For Ivan Denisovich it was, on the whole, a good
day: he slept late, earned extra food, and found
a sawtooth blade he could use while he avoided illness
or punishment. (FEATURE FILM). VHS 1364
Out of the past.
1989. 1 videocassette (97 min.). Suspenseful tale
of double-crosses, deceit and murder. Jeff (Robert
Mitchum), a former private detective, is hired by
a gangster (Kirk Douglas) to find his former girlfriend
(Jane Greer), whom he still loves despite the fact
that she took $40,000.00 from him and disappeared.
Jeff not only finds the girl but falls in love with
her as well. This makes the gangster very jealous
and annoyed. During the investigation and the unexpected
love affair, several murders occur that ultimately
lead to the death of Jeff and the girl. (FEATURE
FILM). VHS 3088
Out on bail.
Crime file. 1985? 1 videocassette (28 min.).
Discusses the setting of bail. VHS 175
Paradise lost: The child murders at Robin Hood Hills. 1997. 1 videocassette (150 min.). Examines the brutal
slayings of three eight-year-old boys in West Memphis,
Arkansas, and the investigation, arrest and trial
of the three teenagers whose |