Crime After Crime
Funds Needed for Completion: $ 200,000.00
Estimated Completion Date: 08/01/2010
Synopsis
Crime After Crime tells the dramatic story of efforts to free an incarcerated survivor of brutal domestic violence.
Crime After Crime tells the dramatic story of efforts to free Deborah Peagler, an incarcerated survivor of brutal domestic violence. Over 26 years in prison have not crushed the spirit of this determined African-American woman, despite the injustice she experienced, first at the hands of a duplicitous boyfriend who beat her and forced her into prostitution, and later by a legal system that cornered her into a life behind bars. The story takes an unexpected turn two decades later when a pair of recent UC Berkeley School of Law graduates cut their teeth on her case.
Trained as land-use attorneys, these Walnut Creek lawyers take her case pro-bono when no one else will. They bring to light long-lost witnesses, new testimonies from the men who committed the murder, and proof of perjured evidence, ultimately exposing a political cover-up that could result in Deborah’s release. Crime After Crime will be the only documentary on this case, as the filmmaker has obtained exclusive access to Deborah Peagler and her attorneys. The film raises a banner on behalf of battered women in prison, a growing but largely forgotten segment of the American population.
Budget:
$ 200,000.00
Project's Financial Needs
The project is engaged in a final round of production to document Deborah’s recent release from prison, her newfound freedom, and her battle against cancer. We have edited a 50-minute rough-cut, which we will expand upon over the next ten months until we complete our feature-length cut. Other ongoing activities include applying for additional grants to fully fund of the project, and upon completion of the film, engaging in a robust distribution strategy.
Other financial Support
Summit Pictures: $70,000
Sundance Documentary Fund: $20,000
The San Francisco Foundation: $22,500
The Pacific Pioneer Fund: $4,000
Jewish Family and Children's Services of San Francisco: $2,000
The Fromer Fund of the Jewish Community Federation of the East Bay: $1,000
Numerous individual donations: $11,500 (to date)
Current stage of production
Production
Estimated Completion Date
08/01/2010
Background
Over the last three decades, the US domestic violence movement has gained ground, establishing telephone hotlines, influencing state and federal laws, and bringing the taboo subject into our cultural discourse. Concurrently, however, women have comprised the fastest growing sector of the prison population. Experts believe that the majority of women behind bars are survivors of domestic violence — victims of rape, incest, forced prostitution, and other horrible crimes. In many cases, the abuse they suffered led to their alleged transgressions.
Among the most extreme examples are cases in which a battered woman kills her abuser. Prior to the rise of the American domestic violence movement, these women were viewed simply as cold-blooded murderers. Abuse that a woman endured was seen as a motive rather than as a mitigating factor in her culpability. Thankfully, this has changed — or has it?
Crime After Crime addresses the still-troubled intersection of law enforcement and domestic violence. The film calls attention to the plight of women who may be wrongfully imprisoned, and shows how travesties persist in the prosecution, sentencing, and incarceration of their cases. In the face of injustice, Crime After Crime educates audiences about recent changes in law, highlights efforts to bring about justice, and offers a new hope that began in the Bay Area.
The Bay Area community plays a crucial role in advocating for incarcerated victims of domestic violence. In 2002, after much lobbying from Bay Area domestic violence and justice groups, California became the only state in the country with legislation to allow battered women in prison to petition the courts for their freedom. This forward-thinking law recognizes that domestic violence is a key factor when a woman kills her abuser. The film raises the question of other states possibly passing similar laws, and shows all audiences that they too have the power to positively change lives.
Treatment
While Crime After Crime is structured around Deborah Peagler’s case, the characters are at the heart of the film. The film follows Deborah Peagler and her attorneys Nadia Costa and Joshua Safran from a close third-person point of view, bringing audiences into emotionally charged scenes, such as the foot-stomping performances of Deborah’s prison gospel choir and the moment in a stark cinder-block room when the lawyers tell her that they have obtained a written deal for her freedom.
As land-use attorneys fresh out of law school, Nadia and Joshua must learn the ropes of criminal law on the job. Nadia, an ultra-marathon runner who trains before dawn each day, brings undying stamina to Deborah’s cause. Joshua, an orthodox Jew, draws inspiration from a religious tradition of fighting against injustice, dedicating his prayers and work to the case. Deborah, a devout Christian and mentor inside the prison, must test the limits of her faith in a grueling trek toward freedom. Despite the injustices she suffers, she remains an inspirational figure, leading religious activities, teaching inmates to read and write, and earning a college degree from behind bars.
The filmmaker has obtained unprecedented access, both to Deborah’s life in prison and to her attorneys as they struggle to balance their over six year pro-bono effort with their obligations as parents and full-time land-use attorneys. This intimacy defines the film’s approach and editorial style.
As the case winds its way through the courts, the film candidly shows Deborah, Joshua, and Nadia wrestling with key decisions in pursuit of Deborah’s freedom. Meanwhile, periodic personal interviews bring the viewer closer to each character and reveal his or her private struggles.
The film brings Deborah’s past to life with photos, video clips from the 1980’s, and supporting interviews. The significance of the case is highlighted in interviews with experts, newspaper headlines, TV news reports, court documents, and coverage of Deborah’s first court hearing in 25 years. In addition, in June of 2008, we filmed Grammy Award-winning musicians Arrested Development as they dedicated their Bay Area concert to Deborah and then visited her to perform with her and the prison choir.
Target Audience
Some of the target audiences we intend to reach with specified campaigns include legal and law enforcement professionals, elected officials, women’s organizations, domestic violence advocates, religious institutions, youth, and groups with missions of promoting justice and racial equity. We will present all audiences with resources that describe actions they can take after they have seen the film. Free Battered Women, an organization we will collaborate with in distributing the film, regularly provides trainings to community organizations and disseminates educational materials including two “10 things you can do” documents; one for individuals and another for advocacy groups. Special versions of these and other materials will be prepared for Crime After Crime, and they will be made available in a variety of languages and forms, including printed flyers and postcards, downloadable PDF documents, webpages, emailable petitions, posters, and more.
Advisory Panel
Experts consulting on the film and participating on-camera include:
Carolyn Russell, one of the first women of color to direct a domestic violence program, currently the Executive Director of A Safe Place in Oakland, CA
Nancy Lemon, author of “Domestic Violence Law,” co-chair of the California Alliance Against Domestic Violence Legislative Committee
Dr. Linda Barnard, a specialist in domestic violence counseling and trauma evaluation
Andrea Bible, director of Free Battered Women, a coalition working on behalf of survivors of domestic violence
Marisa Gonzalez, attorney, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
Experts consulting behind the camera include:
Gail Dolgin, Academy Award-nominated director of numerous documentaries including Daughter from Danang, winner of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary
Wendy Levy, Director of Creative Programming at Bay Area Video Coalition
Naomi Tucker, Executive Director of Shalom Bayit, Bay Area Jewish Women Against Domestic Violence
Emily Harris, co-director of Free Battered Women
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