"25 to Life" is the eleventh episode of Season Six and the 125th overall of Criminal Minds.
Summary[]
Morgan believes a convicted murderer has been rehabilitated and aids in his parole, but subsequently regrets his decision when the man commits murder after being released from prison.
Guest Cast[]
- Jayne Atkinson - FBI Section Chief Erin Strauss
- Edita Brychta - Mrs. Stanworth
- Philip Casnoff - James Stanworth
- Greg Collins - Detective Bill Codwin
- Joy Darash - Young Mary Rutka
- Megan Kathleen Duffy - Carrie Sanderson
- Nikki Hahn - Abby Sanderson
- Mike Hoagland - Young James Stanworth
- Chrys Ryan Johnson - Young Thomas Gregory Wittman
- Phil Levesque - Thomas Gregory Wittman
- Paula Mattioli - Mary Rutka
- Rachel Nichols - Agent Ashley Seaver
- Chris Prangley - Joshua Sanderson
- Kyle Secor - Donald Sanderson
Bookend Quotes[]
- Derek Morgan: "There is no such thing as part freedom." Nelson Mandela
- Derek Morgan: "All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them." Galileo
Trivia[]
- "25 to Life" refers to the maximum sentence if one is convicted of murder.
- In the scenes where Morgan talks one-on-one with Sanderson, the music of the same style as that in The Shawshank Redemption plays in the background.
- Greg Collins, the actor who portrays Detective Bill Codwin, previously appeared on Criminal Minds. He portrayed Captain Warner in the Season Four episode, "Mayhem".
- Despite being credited in the opening sequence, Thomas Gibson, who portrays Hotch, doesn't appear in the episode. This is the 7th of 29 episodes in which characters are credited despite not appearing in the episodes. The others are:
- Season One
- "Broken Mirror" - A.J. Cook is credited even though JJ doesn't appear. Penelope Garcia, portrayed by Kirsten Vangsness, also doesn't appear.
- Season Four
- "Masterpiece" - A.J. Cook is credited even though JJ doesn't appear.
- "52 Pickup"- A.J. Cook is credited even though JJ doesn't appear.
- "Brothers in Arms" - A.J. Cook is credited even though JJ doesn't appear.
- "Soul Mates" - A.J. Cook is credited even though JJ doesn't appear.
- "Bloodline"- A.J. Cook is credited even though JJ doesn't appear.
- Season Eleven
- "The Witness" - A.J. Cook is credited even though JJ doesn't appear.
- "'Til Death Do Us Part" - A.J. Cook is credited even though JJ doesn't appear.
- "Outlaw"- A.J. Cook is credited even though JJ doesn't appear.
- "The Night Watch"- A.J. Cook is credited even though JJ doesn't appear.
- "Pariahville"- A.J. Cook is credited even though JJ doesn't appear.
- "Awake" - Matthew Gray Gubler is credited even though Reid doesn't appear.
- "Internal Affairs" - Matthew Gray Gubler is credited even though Reid doesn't appear.
- "Future Perfect" - Matthew Gray Gubler is credited even though Reid doesn't appear.
- Season Twelve
- "Taboo" - Aisha Tyler is credited even though Lewis doesn't appear.
- "The Anti-Terrorism Squad" - Aisha Tyler is credited even though Lewis doesn't appear.
- "Profiling 202" - Matthew Gray Gubler is credited even though Reid doesn't appear.
- "Seek and Destroy" - Matthew Gray Gubler and Aisha Tyler are credited even though Reid and Lewis don't appear.
- "Hell's Kitchen" Aisha Tyler is credited even though Lewis doesn't appear.
- Season Thirteen
- "Dust and Bones" - Aisha Tyler is credited even though Lewis doesn't appear.
- "Neon Terror" - Matthew Gray Gubler and Aisha Tyler are credited even though Reid and Lewis don't appear.
- "False Flag" - Matthew Gray Gubler is credited even though Reid doesn't appear.
- "Submerged" - Matthew Gray Gubler is credited even though Reid doesn't appear.
- "All You Can Eat" - Matthew Gray Gubler is credited even though Reid doesn't appear.
- "Mixed Signals" - Matthew Gray Gubler is credited even though Reid doesn't appear.
- Season Fourteen
- "Broken Wing" - Matthew Gray Gubler is credited even though Reid doesn't appear.
- "Flesh and Blood" - Matthew Gray Gubler is credited even though Reid doesn't appear in present day and is only seen in flashbacks.
- "Sick and Evil" - Matthew Gray Gubler is credited even though Reid doesn't appear.
- Season One