If you did not see it last night, PBS aired a documentary by Ken Burns and others, titled Central Park Five. This documentary tells the story of five youth (Black and Latino) who were arrested in New York City in 1989. Watching the documentary takes you back to a time when crime in New York was high, and racism cast a shadow over the daily lives of millions of citizens – a time when some talked about the coming of a “superpredator generation” and leaders were afraid to be anything but “tough on crime”.

These innocent young men were interrogated for hours by law enforcement and eventually falsely confessed to the rape and physical assault of a white woman jogging in the park. The result for them: convictions and sentences ranging from 6 to 13 years each in the justice system. In many ways, this was the justice system at its worst – inordinately affected by public sentiment – a system that overlooked the ages of the youth involved and shortchanged the procedures that protect not only the youth’s rights but ours as well. The rush to judgment resulted in a miscarriage of justice. Unfortunately, we have to ask ourselves whether we have made the changes that would prevent such a result from occurring again.

You can view the film’s trailer or check out more information about the documentary through PBS.

Katey Collins and Jim Moeser