Shawshank Redemption and Murder in the First are two eminently engaging films about corrupt prisons and issues such as brutality occurring within the walls.

             "The Shawshank Redemption" is a compelling film about two imprisoned convicted murderers. Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), is innocent, however. Convicted of killing his wife and her lover (a crime for which he clearly had a strong motive), he really "didn't do". Of course, as his jailbird friend "Red" (Morgan Freeman) puts it, "Everybody in here is innocent." Well, Red is "the only guilty man" in Shawshank Prison. As their friendship develops, Andy learns the ropes of prison. Meanwhile, the warden (Bob Gunton) decides that Andy, a well- educated former banker could carry out something more useful than laundry. So, he places Andy as the prison librarian, and later, as his an accountant (he does taxes for all the jail's employees). Andy also assists the warden in money scams (as he tells Red, "I was always an honest man - I had to come to jail to become a crook!").

             Murder in the First takes a more realistic scenario and engages at a more full on approach. Henri Young (Kevin Bacon), arrived in the prison of Alcatraz after stealing $5 from a food store to feed his young sister. Young's second mistake was an attempted escaped from the inescapable fortress, bringing public humiliation to the sadistic associate warden, Milton Glenn (Gary Oldman). In violation of the federal guidelines that mandate 19-day maximums for solitary confinement, Glenn orders three years of physical torture and isolation in a black dungeon five feet high. No light, no water. The broken, twisted man who emerges three years later immediately murders fellow inmate Rufus McCain, the informer who betrayed him, and is now on trial.Christian Slater portrays the young lawyer assigned to deal with the case as a learning experience, thus not expecting to win it. As the trial goes on, Slater proves to be more than a match.