Investigation Discovery today announced a premiere date for JUDGMENT DAY: PRISON OR PAROLE?, an original miniseries directed and executive-produced by Peabody and Emmy Award-winning documentarian, Joe Berlinger. Premiering tonight, May 22 at 8/7c, this three-part series brings viewers inside the emotional and high-stakes process of parole hearings through exclusive and unprecedented access to the state parole boards in Colorado and Wyoming. With the weight of these enormous decisions shouldered by the parole board members, audiences will gain unique insight into each step of the process to determine if inmates are fit to be released back into society - or if they should remain incarcerated.
Berlinger is renowned for his work in shining a light on critical aspects of the justice system - from Brother's Keeper, to the Oscar-nominated and Emmy and Peabody Award-winning "Paradise Lost Trilogy". Through first-hand accounts, JUDGMENT DAY: PRISON OR PAROLE? pulls back the curtain to see if the extreme remorse expressed by convicted inmates seeking parole is real as the parole boards revisit the crimes, while also hearing the often opposing view expressed by victims and victims' families, to ultimately decide if the incarcerated is safe for release. Shining a light into the lesser-known side of justice, this series showcases the delicate balance that parole board members must weigh between forgiveness and freedom - and risk and responsibility.
Episode descriptions are as follows:
A
SECOND CHANCE - Premieres Sunday, May 22 at 8/7c
Benny Sandoval has served 17 years of his 25-year sentence for first degree attempted murder, a crime he committed at the age of 16. With his fate in the hands of the Colorado Board of Parole, a revealing interview with law enforcement sheds new light on the incident and the effect it had on his victim. North in Wyoming, Steve Barela has served 21 years for the second degree murder of his wife. Hoping the Board will give him a second chance, the case's lead investigator exposes another side of this brutal crime, while Barela's mother pleads for her son to get a second chance.
Damage Done - Premieres Sunday, May 29 at 8/7c
James Sturman, convicted in the horrific 1983 murder of his girlfriend, hopes the parole board will agree to release him to a halfway house in Casper, Wyoming. His victim's family, however, tells the story of a man that they believe should stay locked up forever. Across the state in Newcastle, inmate Joshua Buckles hopes to put his violent crime in the past and become a better father to his children. In Colorado, Jordan Epperson hopes to impress board member John O'Dell and earn parole to his hometown in Arizona. The board members in each state must decide if these inmates are safe for release.
Unforgiven - Premieres Sunday, June 5 at 8/7c
In Colorado, Eric Felix has served five years of his six-year sentence for criminal negligent homicide, which resulted in the death of his wife. He tries to convince the board he is safe for release while his victim's family and law enforcement paint a very different portrait of the inmate. Travis McLennan, serving a sentence for sexual abuse of a minor, hopes the Wyoming Board of Parole can look beyond his past poor decisions - but his victim's father opens up about the pain his family suffered because of Travis' actions. The parole boards must decide - have they served enough time for their crimes?
ID's Facebook account will host original video content, and fans will be able to follow the conversation on Twitter using #JudgmentDay. Behind-the-scenes footage offers an intimate one-on-one interview with an inmate up for parole, in addition to an exclusive look inside the Colorado Board of Parole. CrimeFeed will also feature an original piece on Berlinger's many contributions to raising awareness for criminal justice issues through his work.
JUDGMENT DAY: PRISON OR PAROLE? is produced for
Investigation Discovery by Blumhouse Productions and Radical Media. For Blumhouse Productions, Jason Blum and Jessica Rhoades are executive producers. For RadicalMedia, Joe Berlinger, Dave O'Connor and Justin Wilkes are executive producers. For ID, Lorna Thomas is executive producer, Sara Kozak is senior vice president of production, Kevin Bennett is general manager, and Henry Schleiff is Group President of Investigation Discovery,
AMERICAN HEROES CHANNEL and Destination America.
About Joe Berlinger Academy Award-nominated and Emmy and Peabody-winning filmmaker Joe Berlinger has been a leading voice in nonfiction film and television for two decades, with a particular emphasis on the criminal justice system. Berlinger's films include the landmark documentaries BROTHER'S KEEPER (PBS), a
Sundance audience award winner;
THE PARADISE LOST TRILOGY (HBO), which recently led to the release of the wrongfully-convicted West Memphis Three after 18 years of wrongful conviction; and most recently, WHITEY: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA vs. JAMES J. BULGER, a searing investigation into law enforcement corruption at the highest levels (CNN). Six of Berlinger's documentary features have premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival, earning three Grand Jury Prize nominations. Berlinger has been a creator on numerous nonfiction television series, including six seasons of the critically-acclaimed
sundance CHANNEL series ICONOCLASTS; the Emmy-winning TEN DAYS THAT CHANGED AMERICA for The History Channel; the Emmy(R)-nominated series Oprah's Master Class and, most recently, THE SYSTEM WITH JOE BERLINGER for Al Jazeera America. His most recent film, TONY ROBBINS: I AM NOT YOUR GURU, will premiere exclusively on
Netflix on July 15.
Image courtesy of Investigation Discovery
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