Guilt by Association is a US television drama (based on a true story) which premiered in 2002.
The topic is the American legal system, with special focus on the system which is known as Mandatory Minimum Sentencing (MMS).
Here is some basic information about this drama:
** Directed by Graeme Campbell
** Produced by Terry Gold
** Written by Alan Hines
** Released on DVD in 2005
** Run time: 86 minutes
The cast includes the following:
The first group
** Mercedes Ruehl as Susan Walker
** Alex Carter as Russell – Susan’s boyfriend
** Alberta Watson as Angie – Susan’s friend
** Mallory Margel as Hannah – Susan’s daughter as a child
** Asia Viera as Hannah – Susan’s daughter as a teenager
** Daniel Magder as Max - Susan’s son as a child
** Trevor Blumas as Max – Susan’s son as a teenager
The second group
** Karen Glave as Roxanne – a prison inmate
** Rachel McAdams as Danielle – a prison inmate
** Karen LeBlanc as Ramona – a prison inmate
** Brandi Marie Ward as June – a prison inmate
** Elisa Moolecherry as Marguerite – a prison chaplain
** Jeff Clarke as Jimmy – a lawyer
Susan is a widow, whose husband died a few years ago. She has two children, Hannah and Max. She works as a nurse. Her boyfriend Russell seems to be a nice man, but he smokes pot and sometimes he also sells pot to others.
Susan tells him to stop it. She cannot have this around her kids. He promises to stop, but when he breaks his promise, she says she has to break up with him.
Shortly after the break-up, Susan is arrested: agents of the DEA raid her house and arrest her for being part of a conspiracy to sell drugs.
Susan does not understand what is going on. She is innocent. She did not smoke pot, nor did she sell it to others.
She is about to be caught up in the notorious system which is known as Mandatory Minimum Sentencing (MMS).
Anybody who is in some way connected to someone who breaks the law on drugs is considered to be part of a drug conspiracy.
In other words: she is guilty by association.
Hence the title of the drama.
The criminal who breaks the law, for instance Russell, can work with the prosecution. He can name names, and this means he may get a reduced sentence.
But Susan, who did not know anything about what was going on, cannot help the prosecution in any way. She will get the maximum sentence: 20 years in prison without the possibility of parole!
What did she do?
(1) She received and passed on a message to Russell. The message was from one of his customers, so she is guilty, although she did not know and could not know who was calling when she answered the phone.
(2) She brought a bag containing Russell’s gym clothes to his work place, so she is guilty of delivering drugs, although she did not know what was in the bag.
The judge explains that he has no choice in the matter. He must follow the law. Even though the consequences of the law are absurd and clearly unjust.
Is this really true?
Could Susan, who was innocent, get a longer sentence than Russell, who knowingly broke the law?
Yes, this is true.
Mandatory Minimum Sentencing was introduced by the US Congress in 1986.
This system gives draconian sentences to anyone who is connected in any way to someone who breaks the laws about drugs.
This system is a part of the so-called “war on drugs.” This war has sent thousands to prison for many years, but the war has not been won: drugs are still a serious problem.
Once in prison, Susan must try to survive. Her kids are placed with her friend Angie, who tries to cope as well as she can.
While in prison, Susan meets the chaplain Marguerite, who is aware of the serious problems connected with MMS.
Marguerite is in contact with an organisation that tries to help the victims of MMS. The name is FAMM: Families against Mandatory Minimums.
FAMM was founded by Julie Stewart in 1991.
A representative of this organisation meets with Susan in the prison. FAMM wants to help Susan and other inmates who have suffered because of the MMS system.
The aim is to get a pardon. Sometimes FAMM can help. Some victims get a pardon. Can they help Susan?
Guilt by Association is a realistic story of what can happen if you are connected in any way to someone who breaks the law on drugs.
Susan’s family is broken up. Her friend tries to take care of the children, but this is not an easy task.
Susan wants to know what is going on with her children, but since she is in prison, it is not easy for her to be a good mother.
The system which is supposed to solve the drug problem is causing huge problems for the families who are affected by the system!
What do reviewers say about this drama?
Here are some results:
58 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)
61 percent = IMDb
On Amazon there are at the moment 56 ratings of this product, including 28 with reviews.
The average rating is 4.4 stars, which corresponds to a rating of 88 percent.
In my opinion, the first two ratings ratings are too low, while the rating on Amazon is much more appropriate.
Why do I say so?
I have four reasons:
(1) The drama covers a serious problem
(2) The script is well-written
(3) The actors play their roles well
(4) The drama is based on a true story
This is why it deserves a much better rating than what is offered by Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb.
I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).
PS # 1. The topic MMS is the subject of the movie Locked Up: A Mother’s Rage starring Cheryl Ladd.
This US television movie premiered in 1991. In 2002, it was released on DVD under the title The Other Side of Love. Here are some ratings of this movie:
62 percent = Rotten Tomatoes
65 percent = IMDb
PS # 2. The movie Guilt by Association (2002) should not be confused with the movie Guilty by Association (2003). The movie from 2003 has very poor ratings:
** 19 percent on Rotten Tomatoes
** 23 percent on IMDb
REFERENCES
# 1. Some items available online
Jay Rorty
“The Human Cost of Mandatory Minimums,”
ACLU
28 May 2010
Alison Siegler
“End Mandatory Minimums,”
Brennan Center for Justice
18 October 2021
Ashley Nellis
“How Mandatory Minimums Perpetuate Mass Incarceration and What to Do About It,”
The Sentencing Project
14 February 2024
# 2. Some books
The War on Drugs:
A Failed Experiment
By Paula Mallea
(2014)
The Downfall of American Corrections: How Privatization, Mandatory Minimum Sentencing, and the Abandonment of Rehabilitation have Perverted the System beyond Repair
By Natalie Faulk
(2016)
*****
Guilt by Association
(premiered in 2002)
The True Stories Collection
(released on DVD in 2005)
He did the crime...
She did the time
*****
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