Tells the consequential story of criminal justice in America from the colonial era to today.
Crime & Punishment airs Monday, November 16 through Thursday, November 19 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming on the WXXI and PBS app.
At once expansive and intimate, CRIME AND PUNISHMENT IN AMERICA offers a sweeping look at the American criminal justice system, from the origins of prisons and policing to our continued fascination with crime, and traces the contours of our imperfect system and how it influences nearly all parts of our society: the media, economics and politics. Through the voices and testimony of those who have committed crimes, experienced incarceration, enforced the law, or lost loved ones to violence, the series explores the cost of America’s choices and the enduring tension between crime and punishment, vengeance and mercy, justice and redemption.
The series, directed by Lynn Novick , executive produced by Ken Burns and Sam Pollard, narrated by Keith David, produced by Lucas Frank, Vanessa González-Block, Lynn Novick, and Prisca Pointdujour, is the first documentary project to comprehensively explore the arguments Americans have had over the problem of crime, the purpose of punishment, and the meaning of justice for more than 250 years.
LOCAL CONNECTION — The series features the story of a Rochester native. Austin Reed was a Black man who was born free in Rochester in 1823. But his freedom would not last long. After his father died when he was a young child, Reed became an indentured servant and was later sent to the House of Refuge in New York City.
Episode titles + air dates:
Episode one: “A House of Repentance” (Beginnings – 1880) airs Monday at 8 p.m. and repeats at 10 p.m.
Some colonists argue that public punishments make “bad men worse” and look for an alternative.
Episode 2: “The Criminal Type” (1880 – 1929) airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. and repeats at 10 p.m.
Progressive reformers try to make the justice system more fair.
Episode 3: “Public Enemies” (1929 – 1969) airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. and repeats at 10 p.m.
The exploits of outlaws fill the headlines and the FBI promise to wage a war on crime.
Episode 4: “Tough on Crime” (1970 – Onward) airs Thursday at 8 p.m. and repeats at 10 p.m.
Violent crime is on the rise and Americans rally behind politicians who promote harsher laws and punishments.