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ACADEMY AWARD-NOMINATED FILMMAKER JOE BERLINGER TEAMS WITH INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY FOR NEW SERIES “JUDGMENT DAY: PRISON OR PAROLE?”

JUDGMENT DAY Takes Viewers into the Heart of the Paroling Process with Exclusive Access To Parole Boards in Colorado and Wyoming

January 7, 2016

Contact - Reenie Kuhlman
Sr. Director, Communications
240-463-5068

 

(Pasadena, Ca.) – Every year in America, more than a quarter of a million inmates become eligible for parole – most  of those seeking early release will be denied, but a large percentage are released from prison before serving their full sentences. Upon release, two thirds of these parolees will commit a crime that sends them back behind bars, making the decision to release an inmate early a high stakes decision for all involved. JUDGMENT DAY: PRISON OR PAROLE?, a new series directed and executive produced by Peabody and Emmy Award-winning documentarian, Joe Berlinger, takes viewers inside the emotional and potentially troubling process of parole hearings in a three-part original series, premiering in Spring 2016, only on Investigation Discovery.

“Led by the esteemed filmmaker Joe Berlinger, JUDGMENT DAY: PRISON OR PAROLE? is an incredible series that takes viewers into the heart of the justice system,” said Henry Schleiff, Group President of Investigation Discovery, American Heroes Channel and Destination America.  “With Joe’s incredible and proven track record of shining a light on critical aspects of the justice system – from his work in “Brother’s Keeper,” to the Oscar-nominated and Emmy and Peabody Award-winning “Paradise Lost Trilogy” – we are thrilled to be able to offer our viewers the front row seat to his next criminal justice project. Deciding between forgiveness and freedom and risk and responsibility, JUDGMENT DAY offers great insight into the lesser-known side of the law and we are, indeed, proud to partner with Joe on this important documentary series.”

 “I am thrilled to work with Investigation Discovery, as well as my partners at Radical Media and Blumhouse Productions on JUDGMENT DAY,” said Berlinger. “ID understands the power of the medium to inform audiences, and as the leading crime and justice network, is the perfect home for this immersive and compelling new series that unveils a very high stakes game encountered by the parole boards and those affected by the crimes.”

With exclusive access to the state parole boards in Colorado and Wyoming, each 60-minute episode of JUDGMENT DAY: PRISON OR PAROLE? follows inmates as they navigate through hearings in hopes of early release. With first-hand accounts, JUDGMENT DAY pulls back the curtain to see if the extreme remorse expressed by convicted inmates seeking parole is real as the parole boards revisit the crimes, while also hearing the often opposing view expressed by victims and victims’ families, to ultimately decide if the incarcerated is safe for release.

JUDGMENT DAY: PRISON OR PAROLE? is produced for Investigation Discovery by Blumhouse Productions and Radical Media. For Blumhouse Productions, Jason Blum and Jessica Rhoades are executive producers. For RadicalMedia, Joe Berlinger, Dave O’Connor and Justin Wilkes are executive producers. For ID, Lorna Thomas is executive producer, Sara Kozak is senior vice president of production, Kevin Bennett is general manager, and Henry Schleiff is Group President of Investigation Discovery, American Heroes Channel and Destination America.

About Joe Berlinger

Academy Award-nominated and Emmy and Peabody-winning filmmaker Joe Berlinger has been a leading voice in nonfiction film and television for two decades, with a particular emphasis on the criminal justice system. Berlinger’s films include the landmark documentaries BROTHER’S KEEPER (PBS), a Sundance audience award winner; the PARADISE LOST TRILOGY (HBO), which recently led to the release of the wrongfully-convicted West Memphis Three after 18 years of wrongful conviction; and most recently, WHITEY:  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA vs. JAMES J. BULGER, a searing investigation into law enforcement corruption at the highest levels (CNN). Six of Berlinger’s documentary features have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, earning three Grand Jury Prize nominations. Berlinger has been a creator on numerous nonfiction television series, including six seasons of the critically-acclaimed Sundance Channel series ICONOCLASTS; the Emmy-winning TEN DAYS THAT CHANGED AMERICA for The History Channel; the Emmy®-nominated series Oprah's Master Class and, most recently, THE SYSTEM WITH JOE BERLINGER for Al Jazeera America.

About Blumhouse Productions

Blumhouse Productions, founded by Academy Award nominated and two-time Emmy Award winning producer Jason Blum, is a multi-media production company that has pioneered a new model of studio filmmaking: producing high-quality micro-budget films. Blumhouse produced the highly profitable Paranormal ActivityThe PurgeInsidious and Ouija franchises which have grossed more than $1.4 billion worldwide and HBO’s award winning The Jinx: The Life and Death of Robert Durst and The Normal Heart. Recently, Blumhouse produced the two highest grossing horror films of the year- M. Night Shyamalan’s The Visit and Insidious: Chapter 3.

About RadicalMedia

RadicalMedia develops, produces, and distributes feature films (Netflix’s What Happened Miss Simone?, Academy Award® winner The Fog of War, Academy Award® nominated Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, Academy Award® nominated Blue Valentine), television series (Emmy® and Golden Globe® award-winning pilot Mad Men, Emmy® winning series 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America, Emmy®-nominated series Oprah's Master Class), music and branded entertainment programming (Neighborhood Sessions with Jennifer Lopez premiering 2/14 on TNT, Amex Unstaged with Pharrell Williams, Sprint Sound Session with Pharrell Williams, Jay Z Made In America, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, Concert For George), mobile applications (Amex Unstaged: Taylor Swift Experience, Sting 25 App & Gagosian App), and digital content (Emmy®-winning series Park Bench with Steve Buscemi for AOL).

About Investigation Discovery

Investigation Discovery (ID) is the leading mystery-and-suspense network on television. From harrowing crimes and salacious scandals to the in-depth investigations and heart-breaking mysteries that result, the “always revealing” network challenges our everyday understanding of culture, society and the human condition. One of our nation’s fastest growing cable networks, ID delivers the highest-quality programming to 85 million U.S. households and is available in both high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD). For more information, please visit InvestigationDiscovery.com, facebook.com/InvestigationDiscovery, or twitter.com/DiscoveryID. Investigation Discovery is part of Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the world’s #1 pay-TV programmer reaching nearly 3 billion cumulative subscribers in 220 countries and territories.

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