Crime and Punishment
Channel 4 and 72 Films, (in association with Roger Graef Productions), present a landmark documentary series Crime & Punishment within the Criminal Justice System.
It captures the work of police, probation, prison, prosecution and parole all coping with difficult cases and managing risk to the public and themselves, with limited resources. The dilemmas are real, as is the pressure. The series shares these difficulties with the viewers and challenges them to decide how they would manage the risks faced daily by the justice professionals.
This series offers important evidence about the state of the justice system at a crucial time – with the government proposing major changes.
The access was originally brokered by Executive Producer Roger Graef, who worked with the Ministry of Justice and won the support of Hampshire Constabulary and the Hampshire Criminal Justice Board. The series focuses on the crucial dilemmas and challenges that exist within the System.
The project has a unique scale, obtaining multi-agency access to Hampshire Constabulary, the CPS, HMP Winchester, the Parole Board, the Courts and Tribunals Service and Probation Services, amongst many other agencies and organisations.
Alisa Pomeroy, Commissioning Editor, Documentaries said; “Many years in the making and with unprecedented access, this series is a TV documentary first. Never before have we told the story of the Criminal Justice System so comprehensively, giving us a uniquely privileged and broad viewpoint to explore how it grapples with crime and seeks to deliver justice to victim, violator and society.”
The series has been filmed and produced by a highly committed team. The other Executive Producers are Jonathan Smith and John Douglas, who have won seven documentary Baftas between them. It is Series Directed by Bruce Fletcher (who recently won a Bafta for Ambulance) and Series Produced by Emily Lawson.
The first episode of the series examines the aftermath of new Labour’s indeterminate sentencing policy for public protection (IPP), brought in under Tony Blair and David Blunkett.
The series starts on Monday 16th September at 9pm on Channel Four. There will be a second series of six in the New Year.
Roger Graef, the originator of the series, is also a Visiting Professor at the Mannheim. He hopes the series focus on difficult dilemmas and decisions makes it useful material for criminologists and students.