Gideon's Army

This is one of the finest documentaries I have ever seen and I have viewed many such films. It brought me to tears at numerous places. This documentary does what I believe only the very best documentaries do: it informs, it carries a powerful message, it inspires, it raises deep emotions and, most of all, it stays with you. It is a gift that keeps on giving. This is movie about heroes, unknown heroes. It is a film MADE by a hero. I congratulate and thank Travis Williams, Brandy Alexander and June Hardwick and wish them MUCH success in their vital work (and much higher and richly deserved compensation!). I congratulate and thank the filmmaker, Dawn Porter, and wish her continued success in HER vital work. I wish good luck and blessings to the men and women represented by the public defenders in the film and all across our nation. This is a magnificent film. I am grateful beyond words for the privilege of having viewed it. All I can say is "thank you" to everyone who made it a reality.

Gideon's Army is a documentary film that tears the rusted lid off of the justice system to expose the hidden truths behind why Lady Justice wears a tear stained blindfold.

Dawn Porter is the founder of Trilogy Films and along with Motto Pictures and HBO Documentaries they follow the lives of three Public Defenders who give everything they have to strive to prove that a person accused of a crime shall indeed be held innocent until proved guilty in a court of law. Travis Williams, Brandy Alexander and June Hardwick confirm the nightmares that anyone who has ever served as a juror knows first hand, that our justice system is flawed, and that the assumptions of guilt can quite easily be the downfall of the innocent.

The film deals heavily with the morality of personal struggle and in no way, shape, or form does it endorse or celebrate the protection of the heinous criminals who feed like parasites off of the dedication and hope of those who are there to attempt to counter balance the heavily laden scales of justice to give everyone a fair fight in court.

It is far too easy for those who have never experienced the cold hard glare of the American Justice System to sit back and assume that all is well, and that no person can be found guilty unless they are guilty. I mean, they must have done something to be arrested in the first place, right? Wrong! Gideon's Army is the gavel slamming hard against the well oiled and waxed table top of preconceived notions. Before you find yourself in front of a judge in a court of law as a defendant you should know just how stacked against you the deck truly is. Gideon's Army will give you a glimpse of the horrors that await, and also show you that through dedication and hard work, there are indeed a small group of people out there who are fighting just as hard as you are to keep you innocent until proved guilty.

Every American should watch this documentary to find out what really goes in inside the criminal justice system. The incredible work that Public Defenders do is brought to life in this truly astonishing documentary.

The film follows the private and professional lives of three Public Defenders, revealing the extreme pressure under which they work, the level of connection and commitment they show to their clients, and the sense of privilege and honor they bring to their job. This is in spite of the fact that the pay they receive barely covers their grocery bills, and that they are required to manage up to 150 cases at a time.

Millions of Americans are arrested each year, many of them obviously for crimes they did not commit. and the only legal representation that more than half of these people receive is provided by just a few thousand Public Defenders across the country. This heart-warming and heart-breaking documentary gives viewers a realistic picture of the consequences.