Robert May is an American film producer. He was a producer of The War Tapes[1] and The Station Agent,[2] an executive producer of Stevie[3] and The Fog of War,[4] and the director and a producer of Kids for Cash.[5][6] The Fog of War won the Academy Award for Best Documentary.

Kids for cash

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In the Kids for cash scandal, judge Mark Ciavarella, who promoted a platform of zero tolerance, received kickbacks for constructing a private prison that housed juvenile offenders, and then proceeded to fill the prison by sentencing children to extended stays in juvenile detention for offenses as minimal as mocking a principal on Myspace, scuffles in hallways, trespassing in a vacant building, and shoplifting DVDs from Wal-mart. Critics of zero-tolerance policies argue that harsh punishments for minor offences are normalized.

May directed Kids for Cash, a 2013 documentary film about the "kids for cash" scandal which unfolded in 2008 over judicial kickbacks in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. May is a critic of the School-to-prison pipeline and zero tolerance law enforcement for juveniles.[7][8][9][10] In the documentary, May interviews experts on adolescent behaviour, who argue that the zero tolerance model has become a dominant approach to policing juvenile offences after the Columbine shooting.[11][12]

Critical response for Kids for Cash has been positive. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film an approval rating of 92% based on 36 reviews.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "The War Tapes (2006)". IMDB.
  2. ^ "The Station Agent (2003)". IMDB.
  3. ^ "Stevie (2002)". IMDB.
  4. ^ "The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara (2003)". IMDB.
  5. ^ "Kids for Cash". rottentomatoes.com. 7 February 2014.
  6. ^ "Kids for Cash". IMDB. August 2015.
  7. ^ KIDS FOR CASH Documentary with Filmmaker Robert May. The Lip TV. 2 June 2014.
  8. ^ Ronnie Scheib (3 December 2013). "'Kids for Cash' Review: Robert May's Shocking Documentary - Variety". Variety.
  9. ^ "Post Magazine - Director's Chair: Robert May - 'Kids for Cash'".
  10. ^ Zachary Shevich (December 2014). "'Kids For Cash' Director Robert May Talks Moral Judgments In Documentaries Interview - Way Too Indie". Way Too Indie.
  11. ^ "A Plot with a Scandal: A Closer Look at 'Kids for Cash' Documentary". 10 February 2014.
  12. ^ "Kids for Cash (2014) film".
  13. ^ "Kids for Cash". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
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