Jodi Arias: Bad Behind Bars (3 Stars)

The title of this film is misleading. The film isn't about Jodi Arias herself, it's about Donovan Bering, a friend that Jodi made while in prison. It follows Donovan's progression. At first she was overwhelmed by Jodi and was convinced of her innocence, but she went on to think of her as pure evil.

Donovan Bering

Tracy Brown

Jodi's cellmate while she was held in prison awaiting trial was Tracy Brown. Tracy was in a romantic relationship with Donovan Bering. Jodi was happy to see that love could develop in a cold place like prison. Donovan was a Buddhist and Tracy was a Wiccan. Jodi told them that she was a Mormon, but she loved all religions. Jodi performed a Wiccan wedding ceremony for the couple in her cell. Maybe it wasn't legally binding, but it felt good.

Donovan and Tracy couldn't stay together. Tracy had to serve ten years in prison, Donovan only five months. After Donovan was released from prison her contact with Jodi intensified. Jodi didn't have computer access in prison, so she needed someone on the outside to operate her social media accounts. Jodi dictated by phone exactly what should be posted. Donovan also became a spokesperson for Jodi. In television interviews she told the world that Jodi was a good person who would never hurt anyone.

The problems started when Donovan caught Jodi lying. In prison Jodi had said that her boyfriend Travis was murdered by two home invaders. This was also Jodi's first story to the police. At the trial Jodi said that she'd killed Travis herself in self defence. This disturbed Donovan, but Jodi explained on the phone that she'd only said what her lawyers wanted her to say. That was enough to convince Donovan, so she continued to support Jodi. Donovan soon became close friends with Jodi's parents.

But the biggest problem came later in the trial. Jodi testified that she'd been physically abused by her parents. Her mother had used a wooden spoon to hit her, and her father had used a belt. In prison Jodi had always said that she'd had a happy childhood. But Donovan recognised the stories. Jodi was repeating the stories that Tracy had told about her childhood mistreatment, word for word. It wasn't just a lie, she was copying someone else's story.

This alienated Jodi's parents, and it turned Donovan against her. Jodi's biggest defender became her biggest accuser.

I have the greatest sympathy for Donovan, but I regret that the film doesn't concentrate on Jodi herself. I watched every day of the trial when it was broadcast live in 2013. I read every article I could find about her. She was and still is a fascinating person. Her public image was the opposite of what she'd done. She insisted on her innocence from the very beginning, even though her story about what happened changed several times.

Was Jodi a liar? Yes and No. She frequently said things that were later proved to be untrue. But she sounds so convincing that I'm sure she believes it herself. She would probably pass a lie detector test. In her mind she has never been a murderess.

What makes Jodi so dangerous is that she's charismatic. Many men and women have fallen under her spell and support her unconditionally. She can be particularly manipulative with men. The film tells us that she gave some prison guards blow jobs, and she flashed her breasts at others. Men are too easy.

Jodi is media hungry. She doesn't want to be forgotten. She sells pictures that she's painted in prison. She still has friends outside through whom she can give messages. Despite her frequent appeals, she treats her prison as a holiday camp. 

The English actress Celina Sinden who plays Jodi Arias fits the role, as far as her looks are concerned. It's a shame that she doesn't get more screen time, and we don't see any character development. The film assumes that the viewer already knows who Jodi is. That's a good assumption, as far as America goes. Jodi is frequently called the most hated women in America. Celina says that she knew nothing about Jodi before the film. That detachment probably helped her play the role.

I don't hate Jodi. I think she needs psychiatric help more than prison. I find a lifelong prison sentence too extreme for her. Yes, she committed a heinous crime, but if she were freed it's unlikely she would ever kill anyone again. It's all down to the four reasons for imprisonment:

• Revenge
• Rehabilitation
• Deterrence
• Protection

American prisons are primarily about revenge. It's the old lynch mob mentality of the Wild West. If someone commits a crime they have to pay for it.

Rehabilitation is a more noble goal. Prison can teach a person to change. That's the main goal of English prisons, though I question whether there's a high success rate. Would rehabilitation work for Jodi? Probably not. Rehabilitation demands insight, but Jodi still proclaims her innocence.

Deterrence is a matter not for the prisoner himself but for those on the outside. If I know that committing murder will put me in prison it will make me less likely to kill someone. It might not stop an act of passion, but in Jodi's case it was never an act of passion. She spent weeks planning the murder.

Protection is a matter of preventing the prisoner from harming anyone else. As I said above, I don't think anyone needs to be protected from Jodi. She fell in love, she was dumped, she killed her lover, and it's over. She wouldn't kill anyone else if she were released.