Justice and Caryl Chessman (1960)

Caryl Chessman, labeled in the press as "The Red Light Bandit," initially pleaded guilty to multiple counts of robbery, kidnapping, and rape in 1948, confessions he later recanted claiming police coercion. Because of what was known as the "Little Lindbergh" law, a crime that involved kidnapping with bodily harm could be considered a capital offense, therefore Chessman was sentenced to death. The law was repealed by the time his trial began but was in effect at the time of the crimes; the repeal was not applied retroactively. This documentary, produced by his appeal lawyer, interviews the mother of one of the "red light bandit's" victims, the prosecutor in his case, the policeman who arrested him, and others, with the goal of rallying public support for clemency.