Domestic Violence 2 2002

Directed by Frederick Wiseman

Opening on an arrest in Hillsborough County, FL, a woman scratches her husband as he tries to restrain her from getting back in her car and leaving after an argument; officers explain that she has committed a battery and thereby earned herself an inescapable arrest and overnight stay in jail because by law, they have no discretion. This miscarriage of justice sets the stage for court proceedings before three different judges, each trying to apply the Florida domestic violence laws.