film

Gideon’s Army

2013

Completed

Director

Dawn Porter

 

Impact campaign support

Went to Good Pitch

 

Film Details

Runtime: 96 minutes

 

Doc Society Involvement

Docsoc helped with an Impact Campaign

Docsoc helped at Good Pitch

 

GIDEON’S ARMY follows the personal stories of Travis Williams, Brandy Alexander and June Hardwick, three young public defenders who are part of a small group of idealistic lawyers in the Deep South challenging the assumptions that drive a criminal justice system strained to the breaking point. Backed by mentor Jonathan “Rap” Rapping, a charismatic leader who heads the Southern Public Defender Training Center (now known as Gideon’s Promise) they struggle against long hours, low pay and staggering caseloads so common that even the most committed often give up in their first year. Nearly 50 years since the landmark Supreme Court ruling Gideon vs. Wainwright that established the right to counsel, can these courageous lawyers revolutionize the way America thinks about indigent defense and make “justice for all” a reality?

Outreach Work Supported

State-wide symposia engaging the legal community.

Watch Trailer

View Trailer

Good Pitch Events

  • New York 2011

Reviews

For all the harrowing truth here, about race and poverty and justice, the film is brisk and tight, alive with everyday detail and flashes of humor.

Compelling insight into the staggering pressures faced by court-appointed public defenders.