News
Broken On All Sides – The Documentary
The United States has one of the largest growing prison population in the world. And the largest growing population within US prisons are people of color. Some theorize that this has become “The New Jim Crow.”
In February 2012, Matthew Pillischer directed a movie titled, “Broken On All Sides,” which is a documentary whose focus is on mass incarceration across the nation and the intersection of race and poverty within the criminal justice world. According to people who have worked on the documentary, people of color are more likely to be targeted at higher rates for stops, searches, arrests, prosecutions and harsher sentences.
The Documentary Film – "The Grey Area"- Feminism Behind Bars
Please take a moment to read these sobering facts about women in the criminal justice system: (Women’s Prison Association, 2009)
• Over 200,000 women are in prison and jail in the United States, and more than one million women are under criminal justice supervision.
• The number of women in prison has grown by over 800% in the past three decades.
• Two thirds of women in prison are there for non-violent offenses, many for drug- related crimes.
Sin by Silence – AB 593 The Sin by Silence Bill
Domestic violence is rampant in the United States. Thousands of women are incarcerated, often for life, for killing a partner that threatened their lives or the lives of their children. And today, these women are trapped behind bars because the only way to protect themselves was by killing their abusers.
A California state prison study found that 93% of the women who had killed their significant others had been battered by them; 67% of these women indicated the homicide resulted from an attempt to protect themselves or their children. These numbers are staggering and sobering.
“From behind prison walls, Sin by Silence reveals the lives of extraordinary women who advocate for a future free from domestic violence.”
"From Jail to Yale: Serving Time on Stage"
Charles S. Dutton, Tony award-winning stage actor, TV and movie actor is currently on tour to perform a narrative one-man show about his experiences growing up and being in and out of prison, titled, “From Jail to Yale: Serving Time on Stage.”
When he was a young man, Dutton, know as ‘Roc,’ was sentenced for manslaughter, and then robbery and various other crimes. While spending time in solitary confinement, he picked up a play and it changed his life forever. Once released from solitary, Dutton began a drama group in prison and learned three very important aspects of life through drama – perseverance, discipline and endurance.
San Quentin Film School
The San Quentin Film School is the brain child of award winning documentary film director, Bruce Sinofsky. Sinofsky is best known for his documentaries, Paradise lost, Brother’s Keeper and Hollywood High. Sinofsky has won a Directors Guild Award and two Emmys for his films.
"Zero Percent" Hudson Link Documentary
Following the last review of Hudson Link For Higher Education In Prison, we would like to introduce further a fabulous trailer to the documentary “Zero Percent”, which focuses on the college program inside Sing Sing correctional Facility in New York state.
What is really exciting about “Zero Percent” is the accolades and awards that the documentary is winning. “Zero Percent” has won the first-ever Silver Heart Award at the Dallas International Film Festival; the Best documentary at the Breckenridge, Bronx and Las Vegas Film Festivals, the Audience Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival and an Indie Award of Excellence. Wow! That is a lot of accolades and awards.
