Legal Videos: Home

Documentary of the 35-year fight of Carrie Dann and Mary Dann against the U.S. government's attempts to take over traditional Shoshone land in Nevada, part of 60 million acres guaranteed to them in the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley.

Bill Kurtis examines the evidence in the case against Robert Blake, accused of murdering his wife, Bonny Lee, in 2001.

In this elegant, penetrating and moving portrait of the United States Congress, filmmaker Ken Burns profiles an American institution whose ideals and actions affect us all. Narrated by David McCullough, the program employs historic film footage and interviews with insiders" including David Broker, Alistair Cooke and Cokie Roberts to detail the personalities, events and issues that have animated Congress' first 200 years.

Breathing new life into the traditional civics lesson, Peter Sagal travels across the country on a Harley Davidson to find out where the U.S. Constitution lives, how it works and how it doesn't-how it unites us as a nation and how it has nearly torn us apart.

Death Row Kids tell the stories of confused and frightened young people awaiting the ultimate penalty. The program also alludes to medical findings that a 17-year-old's brain lacks fully developed decision-making capabilities. The result is a provocative inquiry into complex issues of personal responsibility and the likelihood of criminal rehabilitation.

This video chronicles the criminal activity of serial killer, Aileen Wuornos.

Profiles of three women convicted of capital offenses and sentenced to death. Discusses the circumstances surrounding their crimes. Poses the question as to whether gender bias is at work in these situations inasmuch as far fewer women than men are actually put to death.

From a terraced house in East London the Sharia Council presides over hundreds of cases every year, mainly marital disputes. The Sharia Council is a parallel legal system that remains unknown to many people, although it has existed for years. This documentary takes us inside the workings of Sharia law in a Western society, especially as it affects women seeking divorce ...

"The story of Dr. William Hurwitz, a preeminent pain specialist sentenced to 25 years in prison for drug trafficking, provides a window into the ethical dilemma of opioid prescriptions. Painkillers give doctors tremendous power to relieve pain, a primary goal of any physician. But this power begets trouble when the same drugs can lead to addiction, abuse and death. In 2004 Dr. William Hurwitz was convicted of over 50 counts of narcotics distribution and handed a 25-year prison sentence. Dr. Feelgood traces Dr. Hurwitz's trial and eventual appeal, detailing the events that led to his arrest. Testimonies from the witnesses in Dr. Hurwitz's case contradict one another--some revere him, while others condemn him. Taken together, their accounts reveal a profile of a compassionate yet flawed doctor. The film, in telling his story, underscores the tension between every patient's right to pain relief and the lawful need for drug control. There could not be a more critical time to spark discussion on the topic, and call for careful thought and action."

Documentary of the trial of the music group Judas Priest on the charge of having induced two young men to attempt suicide by the effects of music and lyrics in recordings made by the group.

This video discusses the legal consequences of drug and alcohol use.

This 8-part series explores how The U.S. Constitution came to be.

Using hidden cameras, simulated crimes, and ten unsuspecting volunteers, this three-part series reveals the science behind the role of memory in criminal investigation.

On January 22, 1992, a real estate agent named Stephanie Slater was subdued, gagged at knifepoint, and held captive for eight days. This program explores her ordeal as a case study in memory-aided investigation; it also juxtaposes Slater's case with an extended psychology experiment in which ten volunteers have taken part to assess the value of eyewitness testimony.

Relieved that a recent stabbing was, in fact, an event staged to test their memories, ten volunteers agree to undergo a second nightmare--an armed robbery during which one of them is abducted. This program records the assault and its scientific ramifications.

In 2004, the Dover school board ordered science teachers to read a statement to their high school biology students about an alternative to Darwin's theory of evolution called intelligent design. The teachers refused to comply, and both parents and teachers filed a lawsuit in federal court accusing the school board of violating the constitutional separation of church and state.

Frontline explores whether children who commit serious crimes should be tried as juveniles or adults. The program shows what can happen to young offenders who reach the "end of the line" in the juvenile court system and how these children can be rehabilitated to prevent future criminal behavior.

Highlights the failing of the justice system by following four exonerated death row inmates who experienced humiliation, tremendous toll on body and mind, disconnection from the society, and received little help.

This documentary from A&E covers the famous saga of Lyle and Erik Menendez, accused in 1989 of plotting to kill their father.

This program chronicles the three-year investigation into the Ewell murders by the Fresno Police Dept. and the Fresno County Sheriff's Dept. and the subsequent trial of Dana Ewell and the gunman, Joel Radovcich. Police detectives, attorneys, and others provide commentary.

Known as the court of last resort, the Supreme Court, where nine judges appointed for life make monumental decisions that govern our everyday lives, from the contents of the nation's daily newspapers to what we can do in the privacy of our own homes. With immense power and considerable mystery, the court of final appeal has helped author the history of America.

This film focuses on what to expect while serving on a jury, the process of a trial, and explains the jury system.

On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Brown vs. Board of Education that the concept of "separate but equal" school segregation was unconstitutional. Director Peter Gilbert explores the history and legacy of the legal decision.

Central African Republic has one of the most extraordinary legal systems in the world. Every year, the government investigates, prosecutes and imprisons hundreds of people for committing the crime of witchcraft. One judge, however, doesn't believe in magic and does everything in his power to get the cases against the accused witches dismissed.

"In 2012, California amended its "Three Strikes" law--one of the harshest criminal sentencing policies in the country. The passage of Prop. 36 marked the first time in U.S. history that citizens voted to shorten sentences of those currently incarcerated. Within days, the reintegration of thousands of "lifers" was underway. The Return examines this unprecedented reform through the eyes of those on the front lines prisoners suddenly freed, families turned upside down, reentry providers helping navigate complex transitions, and attorneys and judges wrestling with an untested law. At a moment of reckoning on mass incarceration, what can California's experiment teach the nation?"