U.S. Executions Reach 37 as PBS Debuts Justice Docuseries

PBS premieres Crime and Punishment in America series

PBS will premiere a four-part, eight-hour documentary series titled "Crime and Punishment in America" this Monday, November 16, 2026. The series traces the history of the United States justice system from the colonial period to the present.

Filmmakers Lynn Novick and Ken Burns developed the project, which features narration by Keith David and production by Sam Pollard. Novick also is the director. The duo previously collaborated on the 2019 documentary "College Behind Bars".

Episodes will debut nightly throughout the week on PBS, the PBS website, the PBS app, the PBS YouTube channel, and the PBS Prime Video channel. A full DVD release is scheduled for Tuesday, November 17, 2026.

The series chronicles the evolution of penitentiaries, police, and laws, while examining the history of public executions and the celebrity status of certain criminals. It covers historical stories including the Ossian Sweet case, Ida B.

Incarceration rates remain highest in the world

Data from the Prison Policy Initiative shows that every U.S. state incarcerated more people per capita in 2024 than most other countries.

Sing Sing inmates host docuseries screening

Director Lynn Novick screened a 47-minute reel of the series for approximately 30 incarcerated men at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York. Sing Sing is the sixth correctional facility to host a screening of the series, following previews in Maine, Connecticut, California, Washington, and New York City’s Rikers Island jail.

Daniel F.

John J. John Rizzo, a Sing Sing prisoner serving time for conspiracy and attempted murder, has been incarcerated for 16 years and is currently working toward a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science.

California Governor Newsom plans mass clemency

Experts characterize the plan as potentially the largest mass clemency in U.S. history. Prisoners at the Sing Sing screening discussed the upcoming commutations.

Richard Glossip case developments

He awaits sentencing in December.

Glossip spent nearly 30 years in prison before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned his conviction. He secured his release on bond in May.

Virginia launches online court data tool

A new beta online tool allows users to filter and view outcomes for violent crimes in specific Virginia counties. The resource uses data from VirginiaCourtData.org.

Kennedy described the tool as a resource for policymakers, law enforcement, and the public to monitor court proceedings. The state also provides information regarding violent crime in the 2025 Crime in Virginia report.

Additional criminal justice documentary projects

Director Dawn Porter details the 1983 wrongful conviction of the “Harlem Park Three” in Baltimore in the documentary When a Witness Recants. The film focuses on a dishonest witness rather than DNA evidence to explain their exoneration 36 years later.

Other cases remain in the public eye, including the 2003 murders of three children by John Allen Rubio in Brownsville.

In Oklahoma, Brenda Andrew remains the only woman on death row following her conviction for the 2001 murder of her husband, Rob Andrew. Andrew and her accomplice, James Pavatt, fled to Mexico after the killing and faced arrest three months later while reentering the United States.

Panelist Reginald Dwayne Betts shares perspective

Reginald Dwayne Betts is a poet and panelist known for his work installing libraries in U.S. prisons and creating a documentary about his own life. Betts served eight years for a carjacking committed at age 16.

He works to install libraries in U.S. prisons and created a documentary about his own life.