David Protess, president of the Chicago Innocence Project, wrote a list of the top ten movies about wrongful convictions in the Huffington Post.
The Chicago Innocent Project, similar to Brandeis' own Schuster Institute Brandeis Innocence Project, investigates criminal cases in which prisoners may have been wrongfully convicted. According to the nationwide Innocence Project's site, there have been 281 post-conviction DNA exonerations in the United States, including 17 who served time on Death Row. If ever there were a strong argument against the death penalty, there it is.
This holiday season, why not watch some movies which explore the merits and flaws of our criminal justice system? Having only watched #s 10, 9, and 3, I can't vouch for the majority of the movies on this list, but all of them raise good questions and promote awareness of the flaws in our criminal justice system, regardless of their cinematic worth.
For extended synopses and commentary, read Protess' full article.
10. Conviction
9. My Cousin Vinny
8. In the Name of the Father
7. Murder on a Sunday Morning
6. The Fugitive
5. The Hurricane (a movie about the life of Ruben Carter, the Vice President of the Chicago Innocence Project)
4. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
3. Shawshank Redemption
2. The Thin Blue Line
1. The Wrong Man