American Justice
Season 3
Bill Kurtis hosts this documentary series that profiles criminal cases involving high profile murders, serial killers, and organized crime. Each episode culminating with the justice dispensed by the American legal system in each case.
Where to Watch Season 3
25 Episodes
- Death PenaltyE6
Death PenaltyA study of issues surrounding the death penalty recalls the case of Caryl Chessman, who spent 12 years on death row until his 1960 execution; and Gary Gilmore, shot by a Utah firing squad in 1977. Included: comments from Sister Helen Prejean, who ministers to death-row inmates. - Satan: Rituals and AbuseE10
Satan: Rituals and AbuseA report on ritual abuse of children focuses on a case involving an Austin, Texas, day-care facility, whose owners were convicted of sexual molestation. Included: how such cases are prosecuted; the role of the interviewer in drawing out a child's testimony. - Lorena Bobbitt: Women and ViolenceE11
Lorena Bobbitt: Women and Violence"Was Lorena Bobbitt a violent criminal or was she a desperate woman driven to violence?" Host Bill Kurtis poses the question in a report on women's uses of self-defense pleas. Included: Lorena and John Bobbitt's trials; battered-woman syndrome. - Pleading InsaneE12
Pleading InsaneAn examination of the insanity plea looks at the cases of John Hinckley Jr.; and David Berkowitz, New York City's "Son of Sam." Included: interviews with attorneys who represented Hinckley and Berkowitz. Also: a history of the insanity defense, dating back to 19th-century England. - Fighting Words: The First AmendmentE14
Fighting Words: The First AmendmentConsidering the freedom of speech, as guaranteed by the First Amendment. Among the cases: an American Nazi parade in Illinois that was chronicled in the 1981 TV-movie "Skokie." Also: legal troubles faced by comics, including Lenny Bruce. - Jim Bakker: Crime in the Name of GodE15
Jim Bakker: Crime in the Name of GodExamining how the justice system deals with cases involving religious groups. Included: Jim Bakker's conviction for fraud; a Christian Scientist couple whose son died of a curable illness because their beliefs forbade treatment. - GangbustersE19
GangbustersLaw-enforcement efforts to halt gang-related crimes. The hour focuses on Daryl Whiting, former leader of Boston's "New York Boys," who's now serving a life sentence for drug offenses; and the Iowa gang the Vice Lords, three of whose members were convicted in 1994 of killing a teenage girl. - The Attica Riot: Chaos Behind BarsE20
The Attica Riot: Chaos Behind BarsA report on the 1971 riot at Attica Correctional Facility in New York focuses on the state's handling of the crisis, called "one of the most infamous massacres in American history." Included: comments from mediators and former inmates; footage of the rebellion and its aftermath. - Private EyesE21
Private Eyes“The Private Eyes” examines the growing number of private security companies, and what can happen when “rogue” guards are on patrol. Interviewed: a New York security-company executive; and Hubert Williams of the Police Foundation, who says of the often-underpaid guards: “You get what you pay for.” - Prostitution, Sex and the LawE22
Prostitution, Sex and the LawExamining attitudes toward prostitution, and its effect on practitioners and society. Interviewed: one-time "Mayflower Madam" Sydney Biddle Barrows; Norma Jean Almodovar, the author of Cop to Call Girl; and Stanford University legal historian Lawrence Friedman. - Riots: The Chicago Conspiracy TrialE24
Riots: The Chicago Conspiracy TrialThe riots surrounding the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, and the "chaotic" conspiracy trial that followed. "It was an episode of American justice gone mad," says series host Bill Kurtis. Interviewed: defendant Tom Hayden, prosecutor Tom Foran, defense lawyer William Kunstler and author John Schultz ("The Chicago Conspiracy Trial"), who notes: "The police bestialized the protesters and the protesters bestialized the police."