Tribeca Film Festival Documentary Showcases Freed Prisoners' Harsh 'Return' To Society
 

Nearly half of the United States adopts "three-strikes laws," which enforce harsh penalties for anyone who has been convicted of two prior criminal offenses. Meant to reduce the number of repeat offenders, the statutes wind up sentencing nonviolent perpetrators to a lifetime behind bars.

"The Return," a new documentary premiering at the ongoing Tribeca Film Festival, explores Proposition 36, the 2012 California ruling that limited the scope of the state's three-strikes laws. Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane de la Vega's movie follows two convicts who were sentenced to life and released as a result of the proposition. Their journey to re-integrate into society and foster their old relationships reveals the flaws in America's justice system.

The Huffington Post has an exclusive clip from "The Returned" that features two attorneys for the Stanford Law School Three Strikes Project, a clinic that provides legal representation for nonviolent felons. Watch the scene below for a snapshot of America's thorny criminal laws.






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