Frontline Investigates
Locked Up in America
Inside the raging debate over America's fixation on mass incarceration.
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Features
Second Chance Kids
May 2, 2017
// 54m
Inside the fight over the fate of juveniles in prison for murder, following a landmark Supreme Court ruling.
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Last Days of Solitary
April 18, 2017
// 1h 54m
Filmed over three years, a two-hour investigation of the long-term effects of solitary confinement and efforts to reduce its use.
Prison State
April 29, 2014
// 1h 23m
An intimate look at the cycle of mass incarceration in America -- and one state's effort to reverse the trend.
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What's Happened to Jessica, Vaughn, Rob and Erroll?
Life on Parole, which first aired in July 2017, followed four people in Connecticut as they left prison and started life on parole. Here's how they are doing a year later.
June 12, 2018
Why Governor Dannel Malloy Wants Connecticut to be a "Second Chance Society"
Dannel Malloy says he inherited a criminal justice system that no one today would choose to build from scratch. "We would not create this system again," he says. "No one would sit around in a room and say that we should have a system that is as punitive and as hopeless about the ability of people to turn themselves around."
July 18, 2017
They Were Sentenced as “Superpredators.” Who Were They Really?
A closer look at those who were sentenced to life without parole as juveniles during the "superpredator" scare of the 1990s.
May 2, 2017
How Brain Science Is Changing How Long Teens Spend in Prison
In the 1990s, before scientists had the tools to understand the teenage brain, judges around the country sentenced thousands of adolescents to life in prison. Today, emerging science is reshaping how long juveniles offenders spend behind bars.
May 2, 2017
Should Teens Convicted of Murder Get a Second Chance?
At age 17, Anthony Rolon stabbed 20-year-old Bobby Botelho to death. In an excerpt from the FRONTLINE documentary "Second Chance Kids," go inside the parole hearing that will decide his fate.
May 2, 2017
Solitary By the Numbers
A closer look at who is being held in solitary, where and why.
April 18, 2017
Reducing Solitary Confinement, One Cell At A Time
More than 30 states have moved to reduce their use of solitary confinement as prison hunger strikes, lawsuits and activism have brought new scrutiny to the mental health effects of isolation, and the risks that freed prisoners might pose following long-term exposure to solitary.
April 18, 2017
Does Solitary Confinement Make Inmates More Likely To Reoffend?
Supporters of solitary confinement have speculated that the harsh conditions of isolation may deter inmates from committing more crimes in the future. Data from correctional facilities in a handful of states reveal a different story.
April 18, 2017
After Solitary
Explore "After Solitary," a new virtual reality tour of life inside of a solitary confinement cell.
April 18, 2017
WATCH: How the U.S. Became the World Leader in Solitary Confinement
Solitary wasn't initially intended as a punishment. Go inside the 200-year history of solitary confinement in the U.S. in this excerpt from "Last Days of Solitary."
April 17, 2017
More States Consider Raising the Age for Juvenile Crime
If you’re a teenager, whether you’re an adult in the eyes of the law depends on the state you live in. Slowly, that’s starting to change.
June 2, 2016
What Obama’s Solitary Reforms Mean for Inmates
The ban on solitary confinement for juveniles won’t extend to the bulk of young people currently in isolation.
January 26, 2016