Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story

In 2004, Cyntoia Brown was arrested for murder. There was no question that a 43-year-old man is dead and that she killed him. What mystified filmmaker Daniel Birman was just how common violence among youth is, and just how rarely we stop to question our assumptions about it. He wondered in this case what led a girl -- who grew-up in a reasonable home environment -- to this tragic end?

In 2004, Cyntoia Brown was arrested for murder. There was no question that a 43-year-old man is dead and that she killed him. What mystified filmmaker Daniel Birman was just how common violence among youth is, and just how rarely we stop to question our assumptions about it. He wondered in this case what led a girl -- who grew-up in a reasonable home environment -- to this tragic end?

In 2004, Cyntoia Brown was arrested for murder. There was no question that a 43-year-old man is dead and that she killed him. What mystified filmmaker Daniel Birman was just how common violence among youth is, and just how rarely we stop to question our assumptions about it. He wondered in this case what led a girl -- who grew-up in a reasonable home environment -- to this tragic end?

In 2004, Cyntoia Brown was arrested for murder. There was no question that a 43-year-old man is dead and that she killed him. What mystified filmmaker Daniel Birman was just how common violence among youth is, and just how rarely we stop to question our assumptions about it. He wondered in this case what led a girl -- who grew-up in a reasonable home environment -- to this tragic end?

In this Community Classroom module from Me Facing Life, viewers meet Cyntoia, a teen girl currently serving a life sentence in an adult state prison in Tennessee for murder. Viewers get a snapshot of the factors that led to where she is today. Part of the Women and Girls Lead, Volume 3 curriculum titled Women, Girls and the Criminal Justice System.

This Community Classroom module from Girls on the Wall interviews Rosa, a teen girl currently serving a short sentence in an Illinois juvenile detention center. Viewers get a snapshot of her childhood and the adversity she has faced in her life. Part of the Women and Girls Lead, Volume 3 curriculum titled Women, Girls and the Criminal Justice System.

In this Community Classroom module from Me Facing Life, we hear Cyntoia analyze and reflect on her past sexual history and victimization as well as one step she recently took in prison in response to that past. Part of the Women and Girls Lead, Volume 3 curriculum titled Women, Girls and the Criminal Justice System.

This Community Classroom module hears from a range of people weighing in on the result of Cyntoia’s case, including a court-appointed forensic psychologist, the prosecuting attorney, and members of Cyntoia’s family. Questions such as whether teens should be tried as adults are addressed. Part of the Women and Girls Lead, Volume 3 curriculum titled Women, Girls and the Criminal Justice System.

This Community Classroom module details the relationships between mothers in prison and the daughters left behind. The viewer watches as several girls visit their mothers in jail as part of a Girl Scout troop program and think about the ways that families are impacted by incarceration. Part of the Women and Girls Lead, Volume 3 curriculum titled Women, Girls and the Criminal Justice System.

This Community Classroom module takes a look at a drama therapy program at a juvenile detention center for girls in Illinois. Viewers watch as the girls struggle to make sense of their own stories and how they can be used collectively to tell a larger, transformative narrative. Part of the Women and Girls Lead, Volume 3 curriculum titled Women, Girls and the Criminal Justice System.

This Community Classroom module introduces the Girl Scouts Beyond Bars program, which brings together daughters with their incarcerated moms. Viewers see examples of activities that are designed to strengthen the bond between mothers and daughters even when these mothers are locked up. Part of the Women and Girls Lead, Volume 3 curriculum titled Women, Girls and the Criminal Justice System.

This Community Classroom module features Cyntoia, a teen girl serving a life sentence, as she reflects on her choices and the difficult circumstances that led her to where she is today. Viewers examine the ways that individuals, even under difficult circumstances, can inspire us. Part of the Women and Girls Lead, Volume 3 curriculum titled Women, Girls and the Criminal Justice System.