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 only crime seems to have been that they dressed in black and listened to heavy metal music.     VHS 4670

Parole. 1974. 1 videocassette (59 min.). Prisoners in Washington State Penitentiary, slated for parole hearings, discuss their feelings. The documentary raises the question of whether the rate of recidivism indicates a need for change in parole systems.  VHS 4980

The People vs. Paul Crump. 1988. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.). Paul Crump, who robbed the Chicago stockyards on March 20, 1953, with four other black men, shot one guard to death.  He was sentenced to die in the electric chair.  William Friedkin met Crump in the Cook County Jail.  Friedkin was impressed by the "model prisoner", Crump.  Friedkin produced this documentary as an impassioned plea for Crump's return to society.  VHS 4144

A Place for madness. 1994. 1 videocassette (57 min.). Using Northampton, Mass. as an example, the program explores the conflict between mental patients' civil rights to deinstitutionalization and refusal of treatment and the community concern about safety.  Although Northampton increased its social services following an arson incident that killed two people, neither side in this controversy is fully satisfied.  VHS 2501

Pleading insane. , c1994. 1 videocassette (ca. 50 min.). Focuses on the attempt on President Reagan's life in 1981 by John Hinckley.  Hinckley's trial would become a pivotal moment in American justice - a nationwide reflection on what it means to plead insane.  Hinckley's attorneys saw this as a classic case of a defendant not being responsible for a crime because of insanity.  They were successful in that Hinckley was ultimately sent to a mental hospital instead of prison.  This program also looks at other prominent cases in which defendants used, or considered using the insanity plea.   VHS 6452

Police. 1997. 1 videocassette (ca. 100 min.). Examines how our contemporary form of local and national law enforcement came into being. Starts from colonial militias and ends up in modern cities across the country chronicling the full evolution of American policing. Looks at how historical challenges and regional pressures have left their marks on law enforcement, the racial and economic conflicts that sometimes turned cops into soldiers instead of peace officers. Profiles the  men and women who are using new ideas - and some old ones - to forge a policing force for the 21st  century that seeks to bind the police to the community they serve.  VHS 6314

The police tapes. 1977. 1 videocassettes (75 min.). This video documentary is a candid report of the life of the South Bronx's 44th Precinct and its officers' daily confrontation with crime.   VHS 1158

Predicting criminality.  Crime file. 1985? 1 videocassette (28 min.). Discusses government & private studies regarding the predictability of criminal behavior, especially the repeat offender.  VHS 179

Prénom Carmen = First name Carmen. 1995. 1 videocassette (85 min.). The Carmen story of passion, jealousy and betrayal reworked into a comic strip version in modern day France. Carmen belongs to a gang of terrorists who are plotting a kidnapping. Her lover, Joseph, a young security guard whom she seduces during a bank hold-up, becomes unwittingly involved. The gang plan to use the making of a film by Carmen's director uncle as a cover for a kidnapping. (FEATURE FILM).  VHS 4295

Prison crowding. Crime file. 1985? 1 videocassette (28 min.). Discusses the overpopulation problem in the nation's prison system.   VHS 176

Private prisons. Crime file II. 1986. 1 videocassette (29 min.). A discussion of the pros and cons of allowing private business to own and operate prison systems for the government.   VHS 406

Private violence, public crisis: Domestic violence. 1989. 1 videocassette (17 min.). Profile of a 32-year-old batterer who describes the violence he experienced growing up, and his violent behavior toward women as an adult. The program illustrates how a treatment center for violent men has helped put an end to his abusive behavior.     VHS 1876

Probation. Crime file II. 1986. 1 videocassette (29 min.). A discussion of the concern about the number of convicted felons on probation and the heavy workloads of probation officers.  VHS 407

Punishments. 2000. 1 videocassette (53 min.). The forms of punishment a society chooses, and what exactly it deems a crime, tell a great deal about that society's values. How is justice pursued and punishment meted out? This program looks at the history of punishment, beginning with early compensatory forms of justice, Hammurabi's Code, and the Law of Moses. Socrates' execution and Roman and medieval forms of justice are analyzed in a historical context, underscoring the fact that punishment was often intended as a deterrent rather than as a reformatory measure. Contemporary forms of punishment, including the death penalty, are discussed, along with the ways in which these sentences reflect what society values.   VHS 6197

Quicksand. The Wade Williams collection: Wade Williams collection (Image Entertainment (Firm)). 2000. 1 videodisc (79 min.). A law-abiding citizen "borrows" a few dollars to go out on a date.  As fast as quicksand, his first minor criminal act turns into a tragedy. (FEATURE FILM).  DVD 203

Quiet rage: The Stanford prison experiment. 1992. 1 videocassette (50 min.). Discusses a prison simulation experiment conducted in 1971 with students at Stanford University and considers the causes and effects that make prisons such an emotional issue. Documentary includes new film, flashback editing, follow-ups 20-years later, and an original music score; reveals the chronology of the transition of good into evil, of normal into the abnormal.   VHS 3789

Racism and the criminal justice system. 1989? 1 videocassette (ca. 90 min.). Judge Bruce Wright delivers the keynote speech on racism in the criminal justice system at the 1989 conference commemorating the October 1983 lockdown of Illinois's Marion Penitentiary sponsored by the Committee to End the Marion Lockdown.  VHS 1481

Raw deal. Noir, the dark side of Hollywood. 1996. 1 videocassette (79 min.). 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. (FEATURE FILM). VHS 4358

Repeat offenders. Crime file. 1985? 1 videocassette (28 min.). Discusses the probabilities involved in the repeat offense.  VHS 233

Restitution & community service. Crime file II. 1986. 1 videocassette (29 min.). Discusses the idea of providing restitution to the victim or doing community service projects as an alternative to paying a fine, probation, or imprisonment for the punishment of a crime. Shows examples from a program in Quincy, Mass.  VHS 408   

Rising sun. 1993. 1 videocassette  (129 min.). A Los Angeles cop is called in to investigate the murder of a prostitute in the boardroom of a Japanese-owned company, only to discover a "shadow world" of futuristic technology, ancient ways and confusing loyalties. (FEATURE FILM). VHS 2824

The "Rodney King" case: What the jury saw in CA v. Powell. 1992. 1 videocassette (116 min.). Presents the key portions of both the prosecution and defense cases. Condenses 150 hours of gavel-to-gavel coverage and includes the 81-second amateur videotape that recorded the events that occurred during the evening of March 3, 1991 when Rodney King was allegedly beaten by officers of the Los Angeles Police Dept.   VHS 1720

Search & seizure. Crime file. 1985? 1 videocassette (28 min.). Discusses what constitutes grounds for search and seizure, and at what point it infringes upon the rights of the individual.  VHS 186

The second city: Inside the world's largest jail. 1999. 1 videocassette (60 min.). A television correspondent discovers the culture of the jail. Shows the racial tensions evidenced by the self-grouping of inmates into white, black, and Hispanic gangs, each led by "shot callers"; the sequestering of gays; and the outcast nature of Asians--everybody's "green light" target for abuse.   VHS 6462

Sentencing. Crime file. 1985? 1 videocassette (28 min.). Provides information on the recent history of sentencing in America with an overview of recent changes in sentencing laws and practices, including arguments that are made by opponents and opponents.  VHS 174

Shadows: The sex offender next door. 1999. 1 videocassette (39 min.). Convicted child molester Jonathan Hawes is a marked man. Although out on parole and free to live wherever he chooses, he is regarded by his neighbors with suspicion, fear, and animosity. In part one of this program, ABC News anchor Ted Koppel, Jonathan Hawes' parole officer, two of Hawes' neighbors, and a woman who blocked Hawes' attempt to move into her neighborhood address the impact of Hawes' residency in Gaston, Oregon, and why a predatory sex offender is held in greater disdain than even a murderer. In part two, in which one of Hawes' child victims recounts the attack, Ted Koppel, Hawes' mother, and Jonathan Hawes himself discuss Hawes' struggle to break with his past -- and the struggles of others to keep him chained to it. Some content may be objectionable.   VHS 6152

Shakedown in Santa Fe. 1988. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Frontline looks at the question of whether we have gone too far in inmates' rights and the issue of who controls prisons, the jailors or the jailed. Examines conditions leading up to the bloody riots at Santa Fe Prison on Feb. 2, 1980, and the reform movement (including the Duran Consent Decree) that followed. Includes interviews with former prison officials, correctional officers and inmates.  VHS 617

Shut down: The control units. 1988. 1 videocassette (31 min.). Discussion of conditions at the only U.S. federal prison to maintain a level 6 security rating whereby prisoners are housed in solitary confinement for 23 hours per day.  VHS 1480

Snitch. 1999. 1 videocassette (90 min.). America's war on drugs has created a new breed of witness -- the informant. Investigates how a fundamental shift in the country's anti-drug laws -- including federal mandatory minimum sentencing and conspiracy provisions -- has bred this culture of snitching that is in many cases rewarding the guiltiest and punishing the less guilty. Looks at how the federal government uses informants in drug prosecution and the effect it has had on the U.S. judicial system.  VHS 5782

States. 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 examines criteria of statehood, the function of sovereignty, and the role of states in international law in such areas as recognition, succession, immunities, rights and duties, and state responsibility.  VHS 4492

Street cop with Judy Woodruff. Frontline. 1987. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Richard Kahn documents a plain clothes "anti-crime" police unit at work in a high drug and crime area of Boston.  Experts from 3 different cities criticize the role of the policemen in dealing with racism and the drug problem.   VIC602

Street people. Crime file II. 1986. 1 videocassette (29 min.). A discussion of what legal action can be taken to alleviate the problem of homeless street people. Focus is on the city of Santa Barbara, California.  VHS 409

Street smarts: How to avoid being a victim. 1992. 1 videocassette (29 min.). Presents information to help people identify and practice strategies for protecting themselves against crime.  VHS 2709

Television violence. 1993. 4 videocassettes (278 min.). In the opening comments, Chairman Hollings traces the history of the unsuccessful efforts to reduce the level of  violence in television programming and other mass media. Senator Danforth attributes the "coarsening of America" in part to the "sleaziness" of the mass media. Janet Reno and the first two panels discuss the deleterious effects of mass media violence on American society, especially children, and on the image of America abroad. The third panel (media representatives) responds with examples of public service advertisements, discussions of self-regulation, doubts about the psychological impact of violence, and the forecast that the growth of cable TV and development of super-TV will make regulation impossible.  VHS 2540

The Thin blue line. 1988. 1 videocassette (101 min.). Documentary about the conviction and imprisonment of Randall Adams for the killing of a Dallas policeman, an investigation and reconstruction of the murder and the questions that arise about Adams' guilt. (FEATURE FILM). VHS 700

This honorable court. Washington, D.C. 1 videocassette (120 min.). Documentary look at the history of the Supreme Court of the United States from its beginnings in the Constitution to the Reagan presidency. Also shows how the Supreme Court works by following a case as it works its way through the court and through interviews with the justices. Part 1: A comprehensive history of the United States Supreme Court that includes the circumstances and significance of several landmark decisions. Part 2: Shows how the Supreme Court presently operates, portrays the Chief and Associate Justices and fits the Court within the larger framework of current political institutions and social conditions.  VHS 393

The Thousand eyes of Dr. Mabuse. 1989? 1 videocassette (103 min.). (FEATURE FILM). VHS 4074

To defend a killer. Ethics in America. 1988. 1 videocassette (58 min.). A hypothetical murder case provides the context for discussion by a panel of jurists, journalists, clergy, and scholars of the ethical questions faced by the prosecutors, defense attorneys, defendants, and witnesses involved in the legal proceedings. The panelists discuss whether lawyers should defend people whom they know to be guilty and how aggressive should the defense be. They also discuss where to draw the line when it comes to citizens taking matters into their own hands, deterrence versus rehabilitation, and society's right to retribution.  VHS 598

Totschweigen = A wall of silence. 1994? 1 videocassette (58 min.). Near the end of World War II, a group of apparent SS members ordered a group of forced laborers to dig ditches for the SS to use as a mass grave when they executed the last 200 Hungarian Jews left in Rechnitz Austria. Isidor Sandorffy's attempts to investigate this crime, carried on by others after his death, encountered a "wall of silence" from Rechnitz residents and other witnesses. To date the mass grave has not been located.  VHS 4157

A Town meeting: Crime & punishment. Crime and punishment in America. 1994. 1 videocassette (73 min. ). Ted Koppel interviews inmates, judges, prosecutors, legislators, prison officials, victims and others involved in the criminal justice system in the yard of Central State Prison. Opinions vary on whether rehabilitation works (most of the inmates say it does if the prisoner is motivated to take advantage of it) or whether it is even a proper aim of imprisonment or use of public money.  VHS 3194

The Trial. 1994. 1 videocassette (118 min.). A symbolistic study of the tyranny of modern social systems. Portrays the experiences of a young man who is mysteriously arrested by agents of the police for an unspecific crime and is prepared for questioning and trial.   VHS 3973

The Trouble with lawyers. 1996. 1 videocassette (60 min.). In an ABC News Special, John Stossel examines the question: are there too many lawyers making too much money from too many law suits in the United States?      VHS 3621

Truth on trial. Ethics in America. 1988. 1 videocassette (58 min.). A panel of attorneys, judges, and scholars discuss the potential conflicts the adversary relationship can create between lawyers' responsibilities to their clients and their professional commitment to the truth in legal proceedings. Is the purpose of a trial is to discover the truth, to achieve justice, or a means of carrying on a private dispute? They also consider whether the trial lawyer is responsible only to his client, or if he has a duty to the court, to the opposition, and to the public. Finally, they discuss what is owed to the public that is affected by the trial, but is not part of it. A hypothetical product liability case provides the context for this discussion.  VHS 604

TV and violence. Crime file. 1985? 1 videocassette (28 min.). Discusses correlation of violence on TV to criminal behavior.  VHS 234

Two accused: Chronicle of a rape trial. 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 focuses on using a hypothetical high-profile rape case to explore questions on press access to information, gag rules, rape shield laws and other constitutional issues that put the rights of free press in conflict with the right to a fair trial by an impartial jury.  VHS 2013

The usual suspects. 1996. 1 videocassette (113 min.). When twenty-nine dead bodies are found floating in Long Beach Harbor, U.S. Customs agent Kuzan (Palminteri) investigates. Verbal (Spacey) is the only survivor of a New York gang that first botched a hijacking and then managed to nab $3 million worth of emeralds from a smuggler. In California to hock the goods, they are hired by the fence to commit a robbery that leaves them in debt to a mystical crime boss who wants them to stop a $91 million coke deal that is taking place on the docks. (FEATURE FILM). DVD 1671, HOME USE COLLECTION VHS 4698

Les valseuses = Going places. 1990. 1 videocassette (119 min.). Two drifters roam the French countryside, stealing cars, molesting women, and terrorizing people for a laugh. Their search for a woman who can appreciate their masculinity leads to a beautiful ex-convict. (FEATURE FILM). VHS 1325

Vertigo. 1984. 1 videocassette (128 min.). An elaborately constructed murder story and a fascinating study in sexual obsession. A San Francisco police detective is forced to retire when a freak accident gives him a severe case of acrophobia (vertigo or dizziness in high places). He is hired by a rich shipbuilder to follow his wife, who is behaving suspiciously and might be planning suicide. He falls in love with her. When she is later murdered, he becomes obsessed with his desire to re-create her in another woman. (FEATURE FILM). VHS 60

Victims. Crime file. 1985? 1 videocassette (28 min.). Examines the victim's role in crime.   VHS 182

Waco, the big lie continues. 1 videocassette. Another look at the federal involvement in the Waco incident and the subsequent cover-up.  VHS 3430 pt. 2

What works: Research & the police. Crime file II. 1986. 1 videocassette (29 min.). Discusses three projects designed to test the effectiveness of police methods in combating crime and reducing disorder while treating citizens fairly and living within the police budget.   VHS 410

When cops go bad. 1990. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Shows how the war on drugs is corrupting America's cops and gives the story behind the largest current police corruption scandal in the country which has seven Los Angeles sheriff's deputies on trial.  VHS 1229

When women kill. 1994. 1 videocassette (47 min.). Ann Jones, author of "Women Who Kill," explains the evolution of societies' attitude toward women who murder abusive spouses. Places the personal stories of three battered women in a legal/historical context as the women tell why they killed; also exposes the obstacles facing women who live with batterers.  VHS 3109

Who Killed Vincent Chin? 1988. 1 videocassette (83 min.). Looks at racism in working-class America as it focuses on the murder of Vincent Chin, a Chinese-American, in a Detroit bar. The program interweaves the murder with social concerns and questions about justice.  VHS 2656

Women in prison. 1993. 1 videocassette (ca. 50 min.). A look at the women who are in prison. Interviews with some of the inmates explored some of the factors that put them there. Investigative reports documents why women are becoming a large part of the growing prison population and searches for the root cause of the inmates' incarceration.  Many of the women interviewed are from the Central California Womens' Facility, Madera, CA.  VHS 3999

Yol. 1983. 1 videocassette (ca. 90 min.). Portrays modern Turkey through the experiences of five Turkish prisoners allowed to visit their families on temporary furlough.  Rigid social customs and a repressive state are a comment on the nature of freedom and imprisonment. (FEATURE FILM). VHS 572

Youth violence: What's out there. 1997. 1 videocassette (48 min.). Addresses what survival skills adolescents need when confronted by violent situations. After viewing dramatic re-creations of various tense situations, a studio audience of adolescents discusses the various threats, and what might be done to avert them.  VHS