Profits of Punishment

Incarcerated men defy the odds to expose a cover-up in one of America’s deadliest prison systems.

In the past 40 years, the War on Drugs has accounted for 45 million arrests, made America the world's largest jailer, and destroyed impoverished communities at home and abroad. Yet drugs are cheaper, purer, and more available today than ever. Where did we go wrong?

After 23 years on Death Row a convicted murderer petitions the court asking to be executed, but as his story unfolds, it becomes clear that nothing is what it seems.

An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.

In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.

Fox Rich, indomitable matriarch and modern-day abolitionist, strives to keep her family together while fighting for the release of her incarcerated husband. An intimate, epic, and unconventional love story, filmed over two decades.

An inside look at one of the most anticipated movie sequels ever with James Cameron and cast.

Unravel the case of Utah therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, whose child abuse arrest with parenting YouTuber Ruby Franke exposed a twisted tale of manipulation.

A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.

Serving life in prison for murdering their parents, Lyle and Erik Menendez speak out in this documentary explaining the shocking crime and ensuing trials.

The incomparable Bruce Springsteen performs his critically acclaimed latest album and muses on life, rock, and the American dream, in this intimate and personal concert film co-directed by Thom Zimny and Springsteen himself.

Legendary journalist Gay Talese unmasks a motel owner who spied on his guests for decades. But his bombshell story soon becomes a scandal of its own.

After 16-year-old Cyntoia Brown is sentenced to life in prison, questions about her past, physiology and the law itself call her guilt into question.

A documentary special that explores the power of identity behind the iconic superheroes we know and love today. These legendary Marvel creations and stories have not only reflected the world outside our window – they have become a reflection of our own identities and who we truly are.

A documentary about the making of season five of the acclaimed AMC series Breaking Bad.

Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.

The courtroom and publicity battles between the superstar wrestler and the notorious website explode in a sensational trial all about the limits of the First Amendment and the new no holds barred nature of celebrity life in an internet dominated society.

Go behind the scenes with stars, puppeteers and creators as they bring Jim Henson's magical world of Thra back to life in a sweeping fantasy series.

A string of threatening emails escalates into a revenge plot involving a newly married US marshal and his ex-girlfriend.

A tribute to Chadwick Boseman, celebrating his life and legacy.

Six years ago, Charity Jimohe left Nigeria for France. After ten months of forced prostitution to pay off a debt of 35,000 euros contracted with the traffickers who had brought her here, she walked through the door of a police station in Nantes to denounce the members of her prostitution ring.

When a young woman is shot by an undocumented immigrant on Pier 14 in San Francisco, the incident ignites a political and media furor that culminates in Donald Trump’s election as President of the United States. In the eye of this storm, two public defenders fight to reveal the truth.

Three women in a re-entry house experience the reality of reintegration and attempt to acclimate to life after being released from incarceration and battling addiction.

Shocking documentary centering on victims of violent crime who seek to get revenge on their assailants.

For over thirty years, three women have languished in Missouri State prison under unjust sentences for killing their abusive husbands. Denied the opportunity to enter the abuse into evidence, each of the women represents a system broken by outdated and media-sensationalized stereotypes. When a greater understanding of the "battered" syndrome change legal practices in 2000, Missouri's Governor crafts a new law demanding the parole board reevaluate each woman's case.

NCR: Not Criminally Responsible tells the story of a troubled young man who stabbed a complete stranger 6 times in a crowded shopping mall while gripped by psychosis. Twelve years later, his victim, who miraculously survived, is terrified to learn that he's out, living in the community under supervision. He's applying for an absolute discharge, and if he succeeds, he'll no longer be required to take the anti-psychotic drugs that control his mental illness. With unprecedented access to the patient, the victim, and the mental institution, the film looks at both sides of the debate and puts a human face on the complex ethical issues raised.

By the end of his illustrious career, Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves may well have been the preeminent lawman of the Old West. He brought upwards of 3,000 outlaws to justice and served in law enforcement for 32 years during Reconstruction after the Civil War. His story is one of an escape to freedom and the dangers of the West for a former slave who rose to become a legend of the law. Join us as we go in search of Bass Reeves.

Kim Kardashian West works to shine a light on stories of people she believes have paid their debt to society while also bringing awareness to America’s growing problem with mass incarceration.

The Miami-Dade Community Mental Health Project comes to life in this documentary, following a team of dedicated public servants working through the courts to steer people with mental illness on a path from incarceration to recovery.

In this engrossing and hilarious documentary, Wilson puts it all on the line to investigate the televised performances of justice and New York (the latter by Los Angeles, of course).

A courtroom in Milan is filled with people brought together by random selection. Long interviews lie ahead. Based on the interviews, some of them will be chosen for jury duty. However, The Call doesn’t focus on judicial proceedings, but rather considers people’s sense of justice through the conversations in the waiting room.

Why was Alex Murdaugh's conviction overturned? The debut of "Instadocs" digs into stunning allegations of jury interference in his double murder trial.

This film deals with the administration of justice on the local level in Canada, as seen in the activities of Roderick Haig-Brown, fisherman, writer and magistrate in rural British Columbia. A portrayal of a few of the typical cases on his roster indicates the variety of criminal offences which come under the jurisdiction of a country magistrate's court. In showing the discharge of his responsibilities the film reveals the magistrate's important position in the community, the constant demands on his time, and the integrity of judgment required to uphold the law on the one hand and to act in executive restraint of police powers on the other. Based on parts of the book Measure of the Year by Roderick Haig-Brown.

Directed by Oscar-nominated and NAACP Image Award winner David Massey, this dynamic documentary explores why so many unarmed black people have been targeted and killed by police officers. The filmmakers talk to legal experts, activists and law enforcement officials who discuss the inequality within our criminal justice system and who confront the crucial question of how to prevent more violence in this country, including Black on Black deaths. As the Black Lives Matter movement - and citizens nationwide - question the accountability of our justice system in cases of police violence, When Justice Isn't Just is an essential addition to the ongoing discussion about reform and renewal.

A man that is a stranger, is an incredibly easy man to hate. However, walking in a stranger’s shoes, even for a short while, can transform a perceived adversary into an ally. Power is found in coming to know our neighbor’s hearts. For in the darkness of ignorance, enemies are made and wars are waged, but in the light of understanding, family extends beyond blood lines and legacies of hatred crumble.

In prisons ruled by toxic masculinity, dancing is an absolute taboo. But at Lancaster’s A-Yard, near Los Angeles, a group of young men, willing to take a chance to be mocked in the yard, start a dance class led by French choreographer Dimitri Chamblas. This class quickly becomes an intoxicating escape from their grim reality so they decide to create a dance show. In this exceptional context, the inmates engage with overwhelming sincerity, evoking their childhood, ganglife, the crimes, the prison, and their desire for transformation. Beyond damaged lives and a prison system on the edge of the abyss, DANCING IN A-YARD explores redemption and the capacity of human beings to reinvent themselves, when given a chance. And more importantly, how art and introspection can help see the light.

Low-level narcotics offenders too often cycle in and out of jail, re-offending soon after they hit the streets. District Attorney Kamala D. Harris has convened City leaders to answer this problem and, along with key partners, has launched Back on Track, an innovative education and employment reentry initiative focusing on young adult drug offenders. Designed to increase community safety by reducing recidivism, Back on Track couples strict accountability and close supervision with education, employment support and health care. The purpose of Back on Track is to prevent young people from committing crimes by leading them to make life changing choices.

Alan Kelley's eagerly awaited edit of a Survival Research Laboratories show in the Bay Area held on an empty parking lot off Beale Street at the foot of the Bay Bridge. The show revolves around the many humorous aspects of violent human interaction. Also included in the video are footage from the Wired anniversary party and the SRL Halloween Trick where the V1 was operated in front of the Roxie Theater and several other machines and props operated by SRL members on Minna Street. Includes footage of Mark Pauline being detained by the SFPD for questioning on the device ignited on 16th Street...

During WWII, Gordon Hirabayashi, a Japanese American, refused to be interned in U.S. concentration camps on the grounds that Executive Order 9066 violated his Constitutional rights. This acclaimed video takes a personal look at basic protections of the Constitution such as due process of law and individual rights.

Restoring Hope provides a rare opportunity to witness the restorative justice process unfolding as it happens, a process that is not only making forgiveness possible, it’s offering victims a voice while helping offenders understand the human cost of their crimes.