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At the Death House Door

A compelling documentary about the death penalty

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How ethical is the death penalty?

Dec 17, 2008

by kjbcog

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At The Death House Door is one of the most important documentaries of the twenty-first century and will continue to be on that list for many years to come. The subject of the death penalty is explored by the makers of the film Hoop Dreams who tell the story of Pastor Carroll Pickett who was the death house chaplain at the prison in Huntsville, Texas. He stayed with the prisoners for the last 24 hours of their lives and heard their confessions. When Pickett got home after the executions he recorded his deepest thoughts and feelings on cassette tape. There were 95 tapes, one for each man who was put to death.

When Pickett started his job as death row minister he was for the death penalty but after 15 years he became convinced that the death penalty was wrong. He witnessed the execution of one man who was proved later to be innocent and the film makes one wonder how many others were wrongly killed.

At The Death House Door is on the short list of films to be nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary of 2008. It is a 'must see' for everyone especially for those who think it is okay to kill another person .

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stephaniezhu January 15, 2009

Definitely a really controversial issue.. I'll have to see this. Hearing about someone who was executed and then later proved innocent must be something really hard to swallow. I'm really interested to see what the documentary has to say... especially about the fact that a great number of these could really be innocent.. and now dead.

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