DESCRIPTION:
(from PBS's press release, April 2026) CRIME AND PUNISHMENT IN AMERICA, a new four-part, eight-hour documentary series that explores the history of criminal justice in America - from the pre-colonial period to 21st century mass incarceration - will air over four consecutive nights on PBS beginning November 16, 2026, the network announced today. The series will also stream on all PBS digital platforms for a period of four weeks. A first look clip from the film is available here. The series, directed by Lynn Novick (THE VIETNAM WAR, HEMINGWAY, COLLEGE BEHIND BARS, THE U.S. AND THE HOLOCAUST), executive produced by Ken Burns and Sam Pollard, produced by Lucas Frank, Vanessa González-Block, Lynn Novick, and Prisca Pointdujour, is the first documentary offering a comprehensive examination of how the intertwined forces of law, power, race, and class have both shaped and reflected the American experience over four centuries. |
