Justice, USA

Airing March 14, 21, and 28 on MAX

Many people talk about criminal justice reform but very few people actually know what the system is really like. JUSTICE, USA puts the audience in the shoes of indigent criminal defendants and takes them inside this world with unprecedented access.

Shot over seven months in Nashville, TN, this six-part series for MAX bears witness to the men’s jail, the women’s jail, juvenile court, and the courthouse with almost no restrictions. There are no narrators or experts; we simply let the cameras roll and hear directly from the people who make up the system – inmates, lawyers, deputies, administrators – in their own voices.

We highlight a dozen defendants in this serialized drama, with recurring characters – a real-life “Law & Order.” And by humanizing them all, JUSTICE, USA defies the easy answers we hear all too often with criminal justice.

Watch the Trailer

The Series

JUSTICE, USA puts us in the shoes of indigent defendants, offering an inside, 360-degree look at the criminal justice system in some of the most vibrant and racially-divided cities in the United States.

It is a powerful, unflinching, real-life version of “Law & Order.”

Why Now?

Criminal justice reform is finally part of the national conversation, but intelligent reform requires being informed.

With remarkable and revealing access, we follow emotional stories from the streets and homes to the squad cars, jail cells, and courtrooms.

Access

Our team has already secured unprecedented access in Nashville, and would do so in subsequent cities as well:

Public Defenders

To film confidential conversations between attorneys and clients
The District Attorney’s Office

To show plea bargaining and decisions on charges
The Sheriff’s Department

To follow arrestees and defendants throughout the jail and courthouse