A new US television program that shows the videotaped confessions of killers and rapists is stirring controversy.
Critics say the series is twisted and nothing more than a lurid grab for ratings.
Court TV counters that it is fulfilling its mission to cover the true face of crime and punishment. Nate Holden, a Los Angeles city councillor, is unconvinced. He sent a letter to Court TV coowner Time Warner imploring the company to reconsider the series. Comparisons between TV police dramas and the real deal are inescapable. While series like the show Homicide turn the art of interrogation into high drama, Confessions enters the scene when the accused are ready to talk.