Jessie's Dad (2011)

A blue-collar "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," "Jessie's Dad" follows Lunsford's journey from a West Florida trailer park to Capitol Hill and state capitals and as he fights to convince lawmakers to wise up and crack down on sex predators. This hour-long documentary offers a behind-the-scenes look at a grieving father's struggle to make a difference as he adapts to a peculiar brand of celebrity. Lunsford is driven by the knowledge that police could have saved Jessie's life. John Couey, an absconded sex offender living across the street, abducted her from her bedroom on a rainy February night in 2005. Three weeks later, police unearthed her body from a shallow grave in his back yard. Physical evidence proves he raped her and buried her alive. Instead of raging against a system that failed his daughter, Lunsford decides to work within it to effect change. He pushes for legislation requiring severe minimum sentencing for child sex offenders and GPS monitoring for those released. A few months after her death, Florida passes "Jessie's Law." Lunsford treks across the country to convince other states to follow suit. Among his challenges and triumphs, "Jessie's Dad" features his two trips to Utah. During the first one, legislators shun him. Two years later, he aims for a unanimous passing of Jessie's Law. Lunsford goes head to head with legislators, judges and prosecutors who oppose the mandatory minimum and finds himself at a loss when his 18-year-old son faces a charge of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Josh could get life if prosecuted under Ohio's new Jessie's Law. "Jessie's Dad" - winner of a Carole Fielding production grant and the Direct Cinema Limited Outstanding Documentary Award - offers insight into a complex, controversial character who's transforming in front of our eyes and, in the process, transforming our notion of child protection.