GIDEON'S ARMY (TV)
Summary
This documentary film follows the challenging professional and personal lives of several young public defender attorneys in the American South. Travis Williams defends his client in court, sternly reminding the jury that he deserves a fair trial and verdict, and he is relieved when the young man is found not guilty and explains that he mounts his wins on his wall and tattoos the names of his losses – five so far – on his back. The history of public defenders dates back to 1961, when Clarence Earl Gideon was convicted of theft after representing himself and appealed to the Supreme Court, leading to a new law about all defendants' right to counsel. Brandy Alexander, who represents up to 180 people at a time, is upset when a client cannot afford bond and is therefore ineligible for a pre-trial diversion program, through which his charges would likely have been dismissed. Given the choice of a trial or a plea, he pleads guilty, as 90% of those arrested will eventually do. Brent Willis explains that those who cannot afford bond or bail often linger in jail for months before their trial, and that the lawyers' job is generally just to lessen their penalties.
Williams explains that he has little time for a personal life and sees himself "more as Matlock than as F. Lee Bailey," and he soon takes on the case of Branden Lee Mullins, a young man facing a minimum of ten years without parole for an armed robbery of a mere $96. At the same time, Alexander tells her intern Grace Akan about her client, seventeen-year-old Demontes Wright, also facing at least a decade in prison for armed robbery. Wright's mother Fevie describes the frightening experience of his arrest, and Alexander tries to make the young man understand the gravity of a potential life sentence. In Birmingham, many public defenders gather at the Southern Public fender Training Center (SPDTC) and discuss their feelings of exhaustion and defeat in their challenging job, with Alexander recalling an incident in which a client bragged to her about the child rape with which he was charged. SPDTC founder Jon Tapping encourages the lawyers, comparing them to the young activists of the Civil Rights movement and praising their moral fiber.
In Jackson, June Hardwick comments on the challenges of defending those accused of statutory rape, pointing out that mere consent is not a legal excuse, while elsewhere Mullins is released on bail and returns home to his caring foster fathers, John Turpin and Wright Jones, who took him in after he was abandoned by his mother at age twelve. Williams explains that his own mother was an escaped felon and his father a mystery, citing his difficult childhood as inspiration for his career. Alexander reveals that she has been suffering from symptoms of extreme stress, largely due to her discovery that a client whom she has been attempting to help has been openly plotting to kill her. She talks with Tapping, stating that she is "very jaded now," but he points out that her ability to acknowledge and describe her frustration is a positive sign. Williams and his new girlfriend Rachel negotiate the literal contract of their relationship, frustrated at his lack of normal free time, and Alexander soon attends a SPDTC fundraiser in Washington, D.C., where she is awed to meet Congressman and renowned activist John Lewis, who praises her efforts.
Hardwick meets with a new client, Sharon Lewis, who states that she will have to "start from scratch" if she is released, as she has lost her home since being incarcerated. She notes that she had a negative experience with a careless public defender on a previous charge, but Hardwick promises to help her and she is eventually released on bail. As Mullins' trial approaches, Williams cleverly "tricks" the district attorney into testing some fingerprints from the crime scene, which turn out not to match Mullins or his friend, Cody Campbell. Williams and Alexander describe their serious financial troubles, including steep debts from school made worse by their low salaries, and Williams is emotionally overwhelmed when he finally tracks down his biological father and meets with him, unsatisfied with the man's explanation that he had no way to contact him over the years. Alexander's father, on the other hand, travels north from Florida to celebrate her birthday, and he notes his pride in her and her commitment to her work as she goes on a skydiving adventure. Williams is then alarmed to learn that Campbell has agreed to testify against Mullins in exchange for a shorter sentence, and he decides that Mullins should plead guilty to the lesser charge of "robbery by intimidation," for which he can serve a maximum of only five years. He sits down with Mullins and clearly explains the parameters of the plea deal and the many personal rights that he will forfeit, but despite Williams' argument that Mullins has had a challenging life and has worked to better himself, the judge sentences him to the full five years, followed by five more years' probation. Williams tells Turpin and Jones that Mullins will likely serve "65-90%" of the sentence, and Campbell tearfully states that he still loves his best friend despite his actions against him.
Alexander notes that, without access to a deposition, her defense of Wright will rest entirely on an argument of mistaken identity, explaining that the victim, a pizza-parlor owner, described a robber without tattoos or dental braces, both of which Wright had at the time. Hardwick, unable to support herself and her son on such a meager salary, chooses to leave full-time public defense, though continues representing indigent clients. Williams wins a "Public Defender of the Year" award, though calls the honor "bittersweet" because of Mullins' loss, and Alexander observes that Wright has been "scared straight" and improved himself personally since the arrest. In court, Alexander questions the victim, the arresting officer and Wright's orthodontist, all of whom end up supporting her arguments, and she reminds the jury that the burden of proof lies solely with the prosecution. Though the prosecutor claims that the case is "open-and-shut," the jury is convinced by Alexander's argument of reasonable doubt and finds Wright not guilty, much to everyone's great relief. Hardwick goes on to run for city council in Jackson, supported by Sharon Lewis, while Alexander moves back to Florida and continues her work. Williams receives a promotion in Georgia, and the SPDTC, renamed "Gideon's Promise," continues training and mentoring many hard-working PDs.
Details
- NETWORK: HBO
- DATE: November 30, 1999 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:35:43
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 120442
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Public affairs/Documentaries; Lawyers; U S - Criminal justice system
- SERIES RUN: HBO - TV, 2013
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Sheila Nevins … Executive Producer
- Nancy Abraham … Senior Producer
- Jacqueline Glover … Senior Producer
- Julie Goldman … Producer
- Summer Damon … Co-Producer
- Carolyn Hepburn … Line Producer
- Dawn Porter … Director, Writer
- Matthew Hamachek … Writer
- Paul Brill … Music by
- Travis Williams … Interviewee
- Brandy Alexander … Interviewee
- Brett Willis … Interviewee
- Demontes Wright … Interviewee
- Fevie Wright … Interviewee
- June Hardwick … Interviewee
- Branden Lee Mullin … Interviewee
- John Turpin … Interviewee
- Wright Jones … Interviewee
- Jon Rapping … Interviewee
- Cody Campbell … Interviewee
- Grace Akan
- Clarence Earl Gideon
- John Lewis
- Sharon Lewis