Summary: “No Brother of Mine” offers an unflinching look at U.S. sex offender policy that reaches beyond the headlines and into the lives of real people. Reported over four years by award-winning independent producers Todd Melby and Diane Richard, this hour-long documentary combines audio-rich storytelling that puts the listener in the scene with expert interviews that lend perspective and propel the narrative forward. It provides a nuanced examination of issues surrounding federal online registration laws, residency restrictions, Romeo and Juliet laws and the growing use of civil commitment.
Where else but in public radio do you get to hear a documentary produced by two people who literally spent years gathering tape and following subjects around? My hat's off to Melby and Richard for grappling with such a hot-button issue. I am someone who had a horrific crime committed against my child and I did not expect to be receptive to this doc. But the producers managed to tell the stories of these sex offenders without coddling them. I also applaud the producers for examining the civil liberties implications of the essentially permanent incarceration advocated by hardliners in the sex offender debate. This is just a solid, well-constructed doc and I am the wiser for having listened to it.
Jon Kalish, NYC-based podcast and radio producer
Todd Melby and Diane Richard tackle a subject that no one really wants to talk about. Sex crimes. As this documentary points out, people prosecuted of sex crimes are hit with a broad label that covers many different degrees of offenses (people who are caught urinating in public, or sexually active teens, for example, can be labeled as sex offenders). As we learn, the label carries significant criminal and social consequences. The social consequences can last a lifetime, and the criminal consequences can, at times, stretch the Constitution (see ‘civil commitment’). The most amazing thing about this documentary is that we get to know people who have been prosecuted as sex offenders. Diane and Todd spent years interviewing people – following them from their time in prison through their reintroduction into society. By learning about their histories and their lives, listeners will come to a better understanding of how their perceptions of sex offenders are sometimes simplistic and misinformed. This is a documentary that is sure to spark a conversation about how our society deals with sex crimes.
Comments for No Brother of Mine
Produced by Diane Richard and Todd Melby
Other pieces by Todd Melby
Rating Summary
5 comments
Jon Kalish
Posted on April 14, 2010 at 09:22 AM | Permalink
Years Spent on this Doc Pay off
Where else but in public radio do you get to hear a documentary produced by two people who literally spent years gathering tape and following subjects around? My hat's off to Melby and Richard for grappling with such a hot-button issue. I am someone who had a horrific crime committed against my child and I did not expect to be receptive to this doc. But the producers managed to tell the stories of these sex offenders without coddling them. I also applaud the producers for examining the civil liberties implications of the essentially permanent incarceration advocated by hardliners in the sex offender debate. This is just a solid, well-constructed doc and I am the wiser for having listened to it.
Jon Kalish, NYC-based podcast and radio producer
Becky Clawson
Posted on March 15, 2010 at 10:03 PM | Permalink
Great reporting
A nuanced look at a complicated issue - very informative and thought-provoking.
Rogi Riverstone
Posted on March 09, 2010 at 01:01 PM | Permalink
So, what do we do?
This is a well produced and thoughtful documentary.
Because it's such an unpopular and tangled subject, what work do we need to do?
Am I hearing the popular opinion that sex offenders can't be rehabilitated is a myth?
Calm, thoughtful, no apologies for perpetrators.
People need to hear this. That's about my highest recommendation.
Mark Brush
Posted on March 08, 2010 at 04:40 PM | Permalink
A better understanding of an uncomfortable subject
Todd Melby and Diane Richard tackle a subject that no one really wants to talk about. Sex crimes. As this documentary points out, people prosecuted of sex crimes are hit with a broad label that covers many different degrees of offenses (people who are caught urinating in public, or sexually active teens, for example, can be labeled as sex offenders). As we learn, the label carries significant criminal and social consequences. The social consequences can last a lifetime, and the criminal consequences can, at times, stretch the Constitution (see ‘civil commitment’). The most amazing thing about this documentary is that we get to know people who have been prosecuted as sex offenders. Diane and Todd spent years interviewing people – following them from their time in prison through their reintroduction into society. By learning about their histories and their lives, listeners will come to a better understanding of how their perceptions of sex offenders are sometimes simplistic and misinformed. This is a documentary that is sure to spark a conversation about how our society deals with sex crimes.
J Zanner
Posted on March 06, 2010 at 03:23 PM | Permalink
What a great piece!
Awesome interviews and production.