Research: Capital Punishment: Find Films, Podcasts, and Images

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Films in the Boston University Libraries catalog are licensed to Boston University for educational and research use only, for BU students, faculty, and staff.
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Browse Films

Life and Death Row (series) (streaming, Academic Video Online) Documentary series following the lives of young people awaiting capital punishment in the USA.
The Penalty (streaming, Academic Video Online) The human cost of the death penalty in America comes in for a timely, gripping examination in The Penalty, the vital new documentary from British filmmakers Will Francome & Mark Pizzey (One for Ten). Embedding themselves in the stories of three fascinating people affected by the American capital punishment system, the filmmakers follow the stories of a man wrongly convicted, who spent 15 years on death row; a lawyer fighting against increasingly inhumane, botched executions; and a mother
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battling against the state’s pursuit of the death penalty for her daughter’s murderer.
Øje for øje / an eye for an eye (streaming, Academic Video Online) In 1999, twenty-year-old Khristian Oliver was sentenced to death in Nacogdoches, Texas after being found guilty of murder. In this Christian community, the fact that the Bible was used as a guide in the jury room was not questioned.
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This documentary about Oliver's trial and its aftermath paints a vivid picture of Christian fundamentalism and the extent to which it is spread across the Bible Belt. Many of the jurors believe the Bible is the word of God and that it dictates how people should live. One of the jurors, Michael Brenneisen, runs a Bible study group and brought the Bible to the jury room. He used the term "An eye for an eye" when persuading the other jurors to impose the death penalty. Was having the Bible present in the jury room unconstitutional? Oliver's attorney, Michael DeGuerin, claims it was. He feels the sentence was the direct result of religious influences in the community and is still fighting to get the death sentence overturned six years after it was imposed. Brenneisen's view of the Bible is far from unusual; he is one of millions of fundamentalist Christian Americans whose ultimate desire is that the U.S. should become a society where the words of the Bible are law. They look forward to a time when homosexuality is forbidden, access to abortion is severely limited, and children are brought up with daily prayers at school. The sharp contrasts between the moderate and fundamental churches are described by attorney Darren Bertin and Baptist minister Kyle Childress. Professor William Martin, Rice University, explores the development of Christian fundamentalism in the U.S., its entrance onto the political stage and its growing influence.
Framing an Execution : the Media and Mumia Abu-Jamal (streaming, Kanopy) This video examines the controversial case of Mumia Abu-Jamal, a journalist on death row in connection with the fatal shooting of a Philadelphia police officer. It provides a careful analysis of an influential ABC 20/20 report as an important case study for students of journalism and communication. Framing an Execution raises serious questions about balance, fairness, and accuracy in media.
Race to Execution (streaming, Academic Video Online) "Race to Execution" is a gripping documentary that offers a compelling investigation of America’s death penalty, probing how race discrimination infects our capital punishment system.
At the Death House Door (streaming, Academic Video Online) An impassioned exploration of the legal and ethical issues surrounding capital punishment, At the Death House Door looks at the death penalty through the eyes of Pastor Carroll Pickett, who served as the first death house chaplain at the infamous "Walls" prison unit in Huntsville, Texas.
Thanatos Rx (streaming, Academic Video Online) Thanatos Rx presents an even-handed, nonpartisan examination of the many facets of the death penalty debate in America today. The documentary goes beyond myopic sound bites and static polls to a deeply personal exploration of the debate. Interspersed with powerful and rare archival footage and original photographs are exclusive interviews with those most touched by Capital Punishment.
No Tomorrow (streaming, Academic Video Online) No Tomorrow focuses on the murder of Risa Bejarano, the principal subject of Aging Out, an earlier film about teenagers leaving foster care. No Tomorrow explores how Aging Out unexpectedly documented the last year of Risa's life, and became the centerpiece of a chilling homicide investigation and death penalty trial.
Juror Number Six (streaming, Academic Video Online) 'Juror Number Six' explores how media influences juries on the death penalty.
The Death Belt (streaming, Academic Video Online) This compelling documentary looks at the issues and controversies surrounding the US death penalty. It is unlikely that any US state will declare the death penalty unconstitutional in the near future, but for many it is crucial that the flaws in its application are continuously exposed
US government. 18-2 (streaming, Academic Video Online) This video is about the execution process. The footage alternates with the interview of a death row inmate.
In Our Son's Name (streaming, Academic Video Online) Phyllis and Orlando Rodríguez's lives shatter when their son, Greg dies with thousands of others in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Instead of seeking revenge, the grieving parents begin a journey of reconciliation that transforms their lives. The film follows their odyssey, which thrusts them reluctantly into the public eye as they speak out against war in Iraq and Afghanistan, oppose the death penalty for 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, and befriend his mother.
FRONTLINE: The Confessions (dvd) Why would four innocent men confess to the rape and murder in 1997 of a woman in Norfolk, Virginia? The case raises disturbing questions about the actions of the police and prosecutors, who relied on often contradictory confessions for their convictions, and disregarded DNA evidence that pointed to a lone assailant who would later confess to the crime himself while serving prison time for another rape.
Deadline (dvd) In his final days in office, Illinois Governor George Ryan faced the problem that thirteen people slated for execution had just been found innocent. In the riveting countdown to Ryan's decision of action, DEADLINE, by Katy Chevigny and Kirsten Johnson, details the drama of the state's clemency hearings.
At the Death House Door (streaming, Academic Video Online) An impassioned exploration of the legal and ethical issues surrounding capital punishment, At the Death House Door looks at the death penalty through the eyes of Pastor Carroll Pickett, who served as the first death house chaplain at the infamous "Walls" prison unit in Huntsville, Texas.
Into the abyss : a tale of death, a tale of life (DVD) In his exploration of a triple homicide case involving Michael Perry and accomplice Jason Burkett in Conroe, Texas, filmmaker Werner Herzog probes the human psyche to explore why people kill, and why a state kills. Herzog's investigation unveils layers of humanity, making an enlightening trip out of ominous territory.

Podcasts

More Perfect: Cruel and Unusual On the inaugural episode of More Perfect, we explore three little words embedded in the 8th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: “cruel and unusual.” America has long wrestled with this concept in the context of our strongest punishment, the death penalty. A majority of “we the people” (61 percent, to be exact) are in favor of having it, but inside the Supreme Court, opinions have evolved over time in surprising ways.
Ear Hustle: The Row San Quentin houses California’s only death row for male inmates. And though it’s technically not far from the media lab, access to this area of the prison is highly restricted. Still, Earlonne and Nigel figured out a way to reach out to the guys there, and interviewed three men about daily life on death row.
Ear Hustle: Chicken on the Bone Historically, death sentences in California have led to eventual execution by the state. But these days, public opinion and state protocol are in flux, and the future is uncertain for those on death row at San Quentin.
Death Penalty Information Center Podcasts DPIC is pleased to provide podcasts that discuss a wide variety of issues relating to the death penalty.

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