This 2002 documentary provides a careful examination of the death penalty process in Texas and examines the following questions:

* Do defendants in capital cases receive effective counsel?
* What role has police and prosecutorial misconduct played in capital murder cases?
* Does it make sense to execute people with mental disabilities or juvenile offenders?

Watch the video online.

View and Download a PDF version of the Study Guide. (produced in 2002, so some of it is outdated in 2007)

Learn more about:

* Innocent people on Texas death row.
* Flawed appeals and clemency procedures.
* Political influences on decisions to seek the death penalty.
* Lack of juries’ choice to seek life without parole instead of a death sentence.

Balancing the Scales includes commentary and interviews with:

* Kerry Cook and Clarence Brandley - Exonerated death row prisoners.
* Jeanette Popp, mother of a murder victim.
* A professor of criminal justice.
* A former judge on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
* A former district attorney
* Rep. Harold Dutton - A Texas state representative
* And parents of prisoners executed by the state of Texas

Recommended Uses:

* Academic Courses: Criminal Justice & Law, Human Rights, Sociology and Social Work, Government or Civics.
* Social Service Organizations: Civil Rights Groups, Student Organizations, Fraternities and Sororities, Human Rights Groups, Civic Clubs, Community Organizations
* Church and Religious Organizations: Great for Sunday School programs and adult and youth education classes.