MSNBC And Documentary+ Combine For Release Of ‘The Sentence Of Michael Thompson,’ Doc On Man Imprisoned For 25 Years On Non-Violent Pot Charge
13.10.2022 - 20:01
/ deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: The timely documentary The Sentence of Michael Thompson will be reaching a big audience soon, courtesy of MSNBC and XTR’s streaming service Documentary+.
The cable news channel will premiere the short film on October 30, with the Documentary+ debut coming on November 1. The film, directed by Kyle Thrash and Haley Elizabeth Anderson, focuses on Thompson, “the longest serving non-violent offender in Michigan history,” who became the subject of an intense legal battle to win his freedom. [See teaser below]
“In 1994, Thompson was sentenced to 42 to 60 years in prison for selling three pounds of cannabis to a close friend turned police informant, and he remained there even as Michigan legalized the recreational use of marijuana,” a release about the film said. Prior drug possession convictions contributed to his draconian sentence, as did a dubious weapons charge (police searched his residence after his arrest and found some antique guns and some other weapons that Thompson’s wife said belonged to her). He was classified as a habitual offender, which gave a judge latitude to sentence him harshly. Which is exactly what happened.
“Habitual offender is what I was up under. I would have never got out if it wasn’t for the people” who took up his cause, Thompson said after a screening of the documentary at the HollyShorts Film Festival in August. “If it weren’t for the people, I wouldn’t have got out until 2038! 2038!”
In early 2021, Thompson was granted clemency by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, after he had served a quarter of a century behind bars for a non-violent offense. While he was imprisoned, Thompson’s parents died, as did his only son. His release allowed him to be reunited with his two daughters, one of
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