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Nature of the Crime

Play trailer 1:55 Poster for Nature of the Crime 2024 1h 29m Crime Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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Every day, thousands of people are sentenced to prison with the possibility of parole, which grants release back into their communities. The life-changing decision of whether parole is ultimately granted -- and who decides -- is an aspect of the U.S. criminal justice system with little oversight that is often shielded from public scrutiny, mired in political considerations and little understood. In New York state, an average of 11,000 incarcerated people appear before parole boards every year. The majority of them are denied and must remain in prison until the next opportunity to plead their case. NATURE OF THE CRIME follows two men convicted of murder in New York when they were teens, their attorneys, and their family members, as they prepare for their upcoming parole interviews, reflecting on their crimes, their rehabilitation, and the criteria for decisions about their potential release. The film also follows another incarcerated man going through the parole process in Connecticut, a state that recently reformed its process to allow for public observation and additional legal protections.
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Nature of the Crime

Critics Reviews

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Sheri Linden New York Times As it traces, over a four-year period, the cycles of hope and despair for two incarcerated men this quiet and affecting documentary is at once an argument for reform and a soul-searching question... Dec 13, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

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Brian F A good view of the parole system, definitely in need of reform. Unfortunately, now murderers are the victims because they're sorry? Actions have consequences no matter how old or how sorry you are. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 12/29/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Nature of the Crime

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Synopsis Every day, thousands of people are sentenced to prison with the possibility of parole, which grants release back into their communities. The life-changing decision of whether parole is ultimately granted -- and who decides -- is an aspect of the U.S. criminal justice system with little oversight that is often shielded from public scrutiny, mired in political considerations and little understood. In New York state, an average of 11,000 incarcerated people appear before parole boards every year. The majority of them are denied and must remain in prison until the next opportunity to plead their case. NATURE OF THE CRIME follows two men convicted of murder in New York when they were teens, their attorneys, and their family members, as they prepare for their upcoming parole interviews, reflecting on their crimes, their rehabilitation, and the criteria for decisions about their potential release. The film also follows another incarcerated man going through the parole process in Connecticut, a state that recently reformed its process to allow for public observation and additional legal protections.
Director
Ricki Stern, Jesse Sweet
Producer
Ricki Stern, Jesse Sweet
Screenwriter
Ricki Stern, Jesse Sweet
Distributor
HBO
Production Co
HBO Documentary Films
Genre
Crime, Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 10, 2024
Runtime
1h 29m
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