Musings on... Inside Death Row With Trevor McDonald.

In mind of my last post, I managed to grab some time to watch "Inside Death Row With Trevor McDonald". A warning now: I have a serious soft spot for him. In this two part documentary on ITV, Trevor heads to Indiana State Prison, one of the most notorious maximum security prisons in America. There, he meets various inmates from across the prison, but also comes face to face with the twelve on death row. What is immediately obvious, and what every inmate on death row has in common, are the deplorable and disgusting acts that have landed them there. The prison's most hated offender, Fredrick Baer, was convicted of murdering a 24 year old mother and her 4 year old child by slitting their throats, and has been on death row for 8 years. With most inmates beyond death row convicted of similarly gruesome crimes, the prison is not for the faint hearted. 

One of the most bizarre aspects of the prison is its pet programme, where an inmate can request a pet as a privilege. In light of the general nature of the people in Indiana State, this seems a curious feature. Apart from being a little cruel in my eyes (the pets, in most cases cats, were locked up with the inmates for 23 hours a day), it was really unnerving to see a man convicted of slitting a child's throat, love and care for a a pet. Errrrr... what? 

Poor kitty. 

The greatest thing about Trevor is that he seems to rationalise what you're hearing by being calm, softly spoken and brave. Instead of being repulsed by what these guys had done, I was more able to listen to what they were saying (that said, I was still a little bit repulsed). I could almost (stressing the word almost) imagine myself in the same situation. I also liked the shots of Trevor walking along through the prison with his guide, and the camera following from behind - he seemed to plod along like it was a normal place to take a stroll.  

Trevor McDonald has some similarities, in my mind, with Louis Theroux in terms of his style. He asks extremely probing questions that almost make you cringe (and in this case worry for his safety), but inevitably achieves the most interesting answers. And his probing questions served an important aim: to look seriously at capital punishment and the people that are affected by it. What are the differences between serving a jail sentence of 150 years, and living in the shadow of a death sentence? 

The single and most important difference is hope, or the absence of it. Trevor interviewed a man who had managed to get off death row, and although he will die in prison nonetheless, he said it was easier to live knowing that there is a (really) small chance to be free. 

The inmates were all presented in a humane way, all (0f those that were spoken to) given the time to explain their reasons for being in prison. I couldn't help but emphasise with them while listening to the circumstances of their crimes and their usually less-than-ideal upbringing. One that particularly struck a chord was Robert L. Sanford, convicted of killing two elderly women at the age of 13. He is eligible for parole in 100 years time. He has never been to prom, never driven a car, never been abroad. Despite his horrific crime, it still evoked a sense of sadness in me. It also resonated with the British case of James Bulger (aged 3) who was murdered by Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, both 10, in 1993. They were both released on license and have new identities, a chance to live again. Although it is probably something to do with the law on the age at which a child knows right from wrong, and completely apart from your own opinion on their deserved sentences, it is interesting that they should be allowed to have that chance, while Sanford will die in prison. 

By far the most chilling was the visit to the execution room, where the bed is always laid out ready for the administration of the lethal injection. Trevor interviews the Superintendent, and it becomes clear that being responsible for the execution of inmates on death row takes its own personal toll. He will have a connection with most of them and visits death row once a week. 

Well worth a watch on ITV Player (how cool is their new app/rebrand?) if you can deal with the morbid subject matter. But Trevor will almost certainly get you through.