The Outer Limits · S2, E22
The Sentence
Let the punishment fit the crime: an ambitious inventor Dr. Jack Henson (David Hyde Pierce) creates a virtual prison and wants the government to adopt it nation-wide. Using his invention convicts serve a life sentence in just a few hours. Henson claims the harsh sentences will ensure that criminals never offend again while the short time required cuts prison costs. He seems to be making his point until they connect an innocent man to the apparatus and the demonstration goes sour. To save the young man's life Henson must submit to his own invention -- and to a lesson in the true meaning of justice.
