Murder in the First (1995)

Mia Kirshner as Adult Rosetta Young
Directed by Marc Rocco
Written by Dan Gordon
Cast Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman, Embeth Davidtz, William H. Macy, Kyra Sedgwick
Genre Drama
MPAA rating R (for strong images of prison brutalities, sexuality and language)
Gallery | IMDB

Synopsis

The true story of Henri Young, a 1930′s convict who has been sent to prison for stealing five dollars. But when Young and others attempt to escape, they are caught. As punishment, a naked and wet Young is thrown into a dark, damp, rat-infested cell, where he is his beaten continuously. He emerges from this hellhole three years later a virtual madman — and promptly kills the inmate who snitched about the escape attempt. Now facing a charge of murder in the first degree, Young is defended by inexperienced go-getter James Stamphill. Although the cards are stacked high against him, the lawyer makes Young plead innocent. Stamphill’s plan: to put Alcatraz, and the whole prison system on trial, as both institutions have turned his client into a homicidal maniac.