Crime + Punishment

Directed by Stephen Maing

Rating: 🔥 that’s hot

Crime + Punishment is a documentary that chronicles the NYPD 12, a group of whistleblowers within the NYPD. Although arrest quotas (requiring cops to make a certain amount of arrests and/or issue citations) is illegal, this documentary displays that this practice is still alive and well within the NYPD. This practice disproportionately affects communities of color as the boroughs with the highest crime rates in New York City are full of minority communities. Many police officers refuse to make arrests simply for the sake of meeting their quota. These officers often face retaliation for this choice. Cue the NYPD 12. These 12 brave officers chose to speak out against this discriminatory and illegal practice by opening up a lawsuit against the NYPD.

This documentary does a great job of placing the audience right in the action. There is a lot of footage of the police officers while they’re on duty, and even secretly recorded audio and video footage shot inside the precinct. What you see and hear will blow your mind. Officers being passed up for promotions based on low arrest numbers, a pregnant officer being switched to the overnight shift in retaliation for her performance, and other officers losing their cars, partners, etc. It’s truly tragic to watch the consequences faced by the officers who are standing up for what’s right. I highly encourage everyone to become informed about this issue and learn more about the NYPD 12.

Crime + Punishment is now streaming on Hulu.

Review written by Zianna Weston