1.     My documentary was After Innocence, and it was about what happens to the wrongfully accused imprisoners after they are exonerated and released into civilian life. Needless to say, it was a very intense documentary that pointed out the problems with America’s judicial systems at the time and most likely in today’s world as well. The intensity throughout the whole documentary got to me. Some scenes, for example, made me question the government and others just made me feel incredibly sad for these innocent people, who seemed to be treated still as murders and rapists, though there was clear innocence for them. In one scene, a district attorney of Louisiana was asked a few questions about one exoneree’s imprisonment, Calvin Willis. One question he was asked was if it was tragic that Calvin spent twenty years in jail when, if there was evidence twenty years ago, they would not have prosecuted him. The attorney did reply with yes however; he went on to say, “But that does not mean Calvin was wrongly convicted. He wasn’t. The system worked exactly like it was supposed to…the government doesn’t owe an apology to anybody about that, this is just a horrible thing.” I was completely taken aback by this. This attorney is saying that although the evidence wasn’t there twenty years ago, Calvin was convicted regardless. That was just the way the system worked and how it was supposed to work. So, the judicial system was supposed to convict a man they had no evidence on? I could not believe that. That is like hurting my poor puppy because a stranger said that it bit him, when there was no sign of a bite or blood on this stranger anywhere. However, since this human over powers an uncommunicative puppy, I am to believe him. That makes no sense. AND THEN, to say the government doesn’t owe an apology?! HOW! This man’s own government failed him, and it’s not going to apologize for this? Calvin just lost twenty years of opportunistic time in his life, and he can’t even get a “Sorry.” Along with Calvin, there were many other exonerees going through this same inhumane trauma. There was actually one right here in Chicago, IL. His name was Aaron Patterson This gave me a sense of sadness, knowing that this happened just 25 miles away. Though I do not know this man, I feel close to him since of this location. Governor George Ryan was the governor of Illinois who pardoned Aaron for the crimes he was innocent for. Aaron went on to tell the governor how he is helping those who come out of prison adjust to civilian life. He mentioned how these ex-prisoners are handed a bus ticket, taken to the bus station, and that’s it. No guidance, no help, nothing. It really made me feel uneasy about the judicial system, and just how flawed it truly was. This whole documentary was so touching that I don’t think I can hit on all the points that changed my viewpoints. I always thought that those who are guilty get what they deserve, but what if those people are actually the innocent?

2.     There were a couple things that surprised me about this documentary. To name a few, I was surprised at the fact that some of the wrongfully imprisoned men actually forgave their prosecutors, as well as the victims who accused them! They are much better persons than I will ever be because of this. I couldn’t imagine looking at the face of the one who defiled me, broke me, and gave me a record that will forever be a burden in my life. That was truly something. Another surprising detail was how little the government does for these innocent men. One exoneree said how if he was actually guilty and was released on parole, he would be entitled to health care, job training, placement in society, and housing that people on parole are entitled to. However, as a free and innocent man, all he got was $5.37 by the State of Pennsylvania. How could this be that innocent man who suffered years in jail and dealt with assault, solitary confinement, depression, gets absolute no help adjusting to civilian life. It sounds much like how our government fails to help veterans adjust to civilian life after years spent on tours, risking their lives for our country. Although I have known about the troubles veterans have to go through, I never knew that innocent men released from jail have to go through the same thing. Also, I thought that once these men are exonerated, their records are clean and that they can get a job or a house with no problem. However, this is not the case. The men are still fighting to get the years spent in jail and the charges against them off their records. How can an innocent person have charges on his record for crimes he did not commit? These are just a few things to name that surprised me throughout the documentary. There are plenty more that I wish I could reflect upon.

3.     I have so many questions about the documentary. To start, how many of these innocent people that were charged with crimes are women? Unfortunately, all of those interviewed were men. Regardless of innocent or guilty people, what even is the ratio of men to women in jail? What can we do differently in the judicial system to help the prisoners? I remember a teacher once said how Norway is reported to have the best prison system and because of this, the murder, incarceration, and re-arrest rates, are some of the lowest in the world. At the time, I didn’t think anything of this, but now because of this documentary, I want to look further into this. Although justice should be served and those should pay for the evil acts they commit, is America’s form of punishment the best form of punishment. I am sure it easier said than done. If someone in my family was murdered, I would want the murderer to be sentenced to death on the spot. It is hard to accept and forgive the evil done in this world. How do we forgive a man who killed 58 innocent concertgoers from a distant hotel room for no reason, and then was cowardly enough to kill himself? How do we forgive the most evil of people? If we were to change our prison systems, why would we let these evil terrorists, both domestic and foreign, live in comfortable settings instead of rotting to death? If we did change the systems, would we also see changes in the incarceration and murder rates in the USA like Norway has seen?

4.     It’s tough to see problematic concepts on a documentary that is already about problematic concepts. I guess maybe the film could be seen as sexist? Although I do not think this, some may. Mostly all of the crimes “committed” were rape and murder. Are there other crimes that people could be exonerated for? The government’s judicial system is most definitely a problematic concept in the film. It’s been over ten years since this film was released, I wonder what the exoneration rates are like now and if there have been any improvements since 2005. Many of these innocent men were forced to go through therapy for crimes they did not commit. I wonder if this therapy made the men feel even crazier than they already did about being in a jail for being innocent. I wonder if all prisoners are given therapy, and if so, how many of them find it useful. This film was so interesting and after going through the documentary list multiple times, I am happy to have chosen this one.