Private Project

Two Strikes

Mark Jones wanted to serve his country in the U.S. Army and possibly to become an FBI agent like his father. But several years after he was a cadet at West Point, his life took a turn. 
 
In 2011, Jones grabbed the arm of a woman who was sitting in her car at a Publix grocery store parking lot in Altamonte Springs, Florida, and demanded her keys. At age 39, Jones was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole for the attempted carjacking. Under Florida’s sentencing laws, he is likely to spend the rest of his days behind bars. 
 
The state’s 1997 Prison Releasee Reoffender Act directs prosecutors to charge individuals convicted of a felony within three years of sentencing for another crime with the maximum punishment. A number of those convicted are being punished for crimes the general public might not assume would merit a life sentence without the possibility of parole – ever.
 
Florida is more than just the home of Disney World, beaches, swamps, and gators — it locks up more prisoners forever than any other state in America.

  • Ursula Liang
    Director
  • Ursula Liang
    Producer
  • Tessa Travis
    Producer
  • Eugene Yi
    Edited By
  • Cary Aspinwall
    Co-Producer & Reporter
  • Carla Borrás
    Senior Producer
  • Monika Navarro
    Senior Producer
  • Andrew Orkin
    Original Music By
  • John Beder
    Assistan Editor
  • Miles Alvord
    Graphics and Motion Design
  • Althea Pace
    Archival Producer
  • Hilmari Gaines
    Production Assistant
  • James Valdez
    Production Assistant
  • Raney Aronson-Rath
    Executive Producer, FRONTLINE
  • Andrew Metz
    Managing Editor, FRONTLINE
  • Lauren Ezell Kinlaw
    Senior Editor, FRONTLINE
  • Carla Borrás
    Senior Producer Special Projects, FRONTLINE
  • Dale Cohen
    Special Counsel, FRONTLINE
  • Katherine Griwert
    Editorial Coordinating Producer, FRONTLINE
  • Miles Alvord
    Senior Digital Editor / Producer, FRONTLINE
  • Joanna Hou
    Intern
  • Marcia Smith
    President, Firelight Media
  • Monika Navarro
    Senior Director Artist Program, Firelight Media
  • Julia Pontecorvo
    Supervising Producer, Firelight Media
  • Nicole Docta
    Special Initiatives Producer, Firelight Media
  • Fernando Ramirez
    Legal Counsel, Firelight Media
  • Susan Chira
    Editor-In-Chief, The Marshall Project
  • Leslie Eaton
    Senior Editor, The Marshall Project
  • Raghuram Vadarevu
    Senior Editor / Storytelling, The Marshall Project
  • Weihua Li
    Reporter, The Marshall Project
  • Dan Sullivan
    Reporter, The Marshall Project
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Justice, Politics, Crime, Social Issues, Law, Government, Military
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes 47 seconds
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Ursula Liang

Ursula Liang is an award-winning director and producer with 25 years of experience in storytelling. Her debut feature, 9-Man, was broadcast on public television and called “an absorbing documentary” by the New York Times. Her second film, Down a Dark Stairwell, had its premiere at True/False and was called “a vital picture of a tumultuous time” by Vox. Her latest documentary, Jeanette Lee Vs., is part of ESPN’s acclaimed 30 for 30 series. Her work has been supported by ITVS, Ford Foundation, Sundance Institute, Firelight Media, and the Center for Asian American Media. Before becoming a filmmaker, Ursula held staff positions at The New York Times Op-Docs, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, ESPN The Magazine, Asia Pacific Forum and Hyphen magazine. She also produced for television (UFC Primetime, NBC Spartan Ultimate Team Challenge). Ursula is a member of Film Fatales, A-DOC, IDD, and is the Vice President of Brown Girls Doc Mafia. She is from Newton, Mass. and currently freelances from Oakland, Calif.

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