Discussion Panel Questions for the Screening of
Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story
Thursday, February 10, 2010 at WQED

Follow the story of Cyntoia Brown, who is serving a life sentence for murder at the age of 16. ME FACING LIFE challenges our assumptions about violence and explores how factors such as biology and family history can doom some young people from the start.

1. Introduction to the discussion panelists and discussing whether Cyntoia's story differs from what we typically see in the media. Listen

2. Dr. Beatriz Luna and Dr. Sara Goodkind discuss the line between rehabilitation and punishment. Listen

3. Is the line between rehabilitation and punishment crossed when a juvenile enters the adult justice system? Listen

4. Do the circumstances of a person's upbringing excuse their behavior, and should these circumstances be considered in the sentencing process? Listen

5. Dr. Sara Goodkind discusses whether men and women are treated differently in the justice system. Listen

6. Is there a difference between how males and females, both juvenile and adult, going through the judicial system are portrayed in the media? Listen

7. Pennsylvania is often cited as the state with the largest number of individuals serving life in prison without parole that were convicted as juveniles, in the entire country. Is this statistic a symptom of a larger social problem within Pennsylvania? Listen

8. How are juvenile offenders portrayed in fictional and non-fictional media? Listen

9. Donna Pfender and Dr. Beatriz Luna comment on the ability for rehabilitation. Listen

10. Characterizing our current justice system and how average citizens can affect change within this system. Listen

11. What factors, including adoption, may have played a role in Cyntoia's behavior? Listen

12. Discussing our current judicial system as it is portrayed in the film and as it currently exists. Listen

13. Why does the United States' judicial system tend to differ so greatly from other countries in its balance between rehabilitation and punishment? Listen

Panelists for Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story:

Dr. Nancy Condee, Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Sara Goodkind, Assistant Professor of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Beatriz Luna, Director, Laboratory of Neurocognitive Development at the University of Pittsburgh
Donna Pfender, President of the Fight for Lifers organization