When Women Kill explores life inside women’s prisons across the United States and the circumstances that led to the incarceration of various inmates. Including Manson Family member Leslie Van Houten, these women were convicted of crimes ranging from drug abuse to first-degree murder.

An intimate look at life behind prison bars, When Women Kill erases the lurid sheen attached to tales of female criminals. Exposing the systematic and gendered abuse that drives women to violence, this poignant documentary vividly attests to Lee Grant’s talents as a filmmaker and an interviewer.