UM Common Reading Experience 2017: Just Mercy

Did Texas execute an innocent man? Several controversial death penalty cases are currently under examination in Texas and in other states, but it's the 2004 execution of Cameron Todd Willingham -- convicted for the arson deaths of his three young children -- that's now at the center of the national debate. With unique access to those closest to the case, FRONTLINE examines the Willingham conviction in light of new science that raises doubts about whether the fire at the center of the case was really arson at all. The film meticulously examines the evidence used to convict Willingham, provides an in-depth portrait of those most impacted by the case, and explores the explosive implications of the execution of a possibly innocent man.

A two-video series. Part one, "Solitary Nation" explores the harsh realities of solitary confinement. Part two, "Prison State," is an intimate look at the cycle of mass incarceration in America and one state's effor to reverse the trend.

Frontline explores what happens when we lock up juvenile offenders in adult prisons. Focuses on the story of Alonza Thomas — sent to adult prison in California at age 16 — and how spending over a decade behind bars impacted him.

The United States is one of the only countries in the world that allows children under 18 to be sentenced to life without parole. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International report that more than 2,000 inmates are currently serving life without parole in the United States for crimes committed when they were juveniles; in the rest of the world, there are only 12 juveniles serving the same sentence. Frontline producer Ofra Bikel travels to Colorado to profile five individuals sentenced to life without parole as juveniles.