TWO STRIKES

Two Strikes, a short film produced as part of FRONTLINE’s fellowship with Firelight Media, tells the story of how Mark Jones, a former West Point cadet struggling with PTSD and alcoholism got life in prison in Florida after an attempted carjacking.

Through the lens of Jones’ case, the documentary explores how statutes like Florida’s so-called “two-strikes” law, more formally called the Prison Releasee Reoffender law, can result in people getting mandatory maximum sentences, including life in prison, for crimes in which no one is injured. While Florida’s statute is among the strictest, many states have laws that increase prison time for repeat offenses.

“Two Strikes” is a FRONTLINE Production with Noncompliant Films in association with Firelight Media & The Marshall Project.

Watch the full film below.