From 10 to over 20 years in prison: (re) discover on Netflix the true stories of innocent people convicted of crimes they did not commit.
The various legal systems around the world are not faultless, far from it. Cases, widely publicized or not, have demonstrated the failures, inconsistencies, biases and negligence perpetrated by men and women of the law. Through incredible trials, new victims were crucified in the public square. Why ? Racism, revenge, lawsuits to be completed very quickly … Various explanations can be found in our selection of special series "judicial errors" on Netflix.
"In their eyes" ("When They See Us"): the trial of racism
In April 1989, a jogger was raped and then left for dead in Central Park (New York). That same evening, a bunch of black teenagers had fun scaring the walkers. In total haste and racism, the then police arrested them and five of them were charged with the crime. Under various abject procedures, confessions are extracted from them. Despite collecting DNA that is not their own, they are sentenced to various prison terms in a highly politicized trial that will deeply divide the United States. And it will be 13 years before their innocence is proven.
"The fourth trial" ("Trial 4"): a perfect scapegoat
Sean Ellis, a young black man of 19, sees his life turned upside down in a flash in 1993. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but also not having the "right" skin color: this is the perfect summary of the affair against a background of corruption. There was no direct evidence linking the accused to the murder of a Boston police officer. However, he will spend 22 years in prison. The documentary series highlights the struggle of a powerful woman: her lawyer, Rosemary Scapicchio.
"The Innocence Files": The Mechanics of Judicial Errors Unveiled
Spotlight on the hard work of the non-profit organization Innocence Project, which examines cases of people sentenced to death or life imprisonment but who claim their innocence. Through a three-part documentary series, "The Evidence", "The Witness" and "The Prosecution", we uncover eight personal stories and eight shattered lives. A breathtaking work on the dysfunctions of justice.
"Making a Murderer": American justice in all its complexity
A mechanic worker, Steven Avery, is accused of the rape of a jogger in 1985. Claiming his innocence, the man receives thirty-two years in prison. DNA analyzes carried out in September 2003 prove that the real aggressor is another. His lawyers, from Innocence Project, succeed in obtaining his release after eighteen years behind bars. But two years later, the charred body of a young woman is discovered on her property. Steven's mentally retarded nephew confesses after nightmarish police custody that his uncle is the perpetrator and that he helped him. A new race towards the truth follows … that we still do not know. Favorite for her lawyer Kathleen Zellner who never gives up. A being who inspires us.