“Witch Hunt” Premieres Sunday on MSNBC

"Witch Hunt," a new documentary on wrongful sexual abuse convictions in California narrated by Oscar-winner Sean Penn is set to premiere Sunday at 10 p.m. EST on MSNBC.

The film explores the unraveling of justice in Bakersfield, California, in the early 1980s, as a newly elected District Attorney charged and convicted dozens of parents for allegedly abusing their own children. Years later, many of the convictions have been overturned and the wrongfully convicted parents have won their freedom, but their lives and those of their children have been changed forever. Meanwhile, the DA who brought the charges remains in office, enjoying the support of local law enforcement and unopposed in his campaigns for re-election.

 

Using archival footage and incorporating new interviews, the film is a graphic illustration of the perils of unchecked prosecutorial power and its human cost.

 


Read more about the film and watch a trailer here

.

 


Watch more footage and interact with the film’s subjects and filmmakers on MSNBC’s site

.