Changing the Narrative

FROM INCARCERATION TO EDUCATION
 

 

It’s an alarming fact: with more than 2.3 million people held in federal prisons, state prisons, and local jails, the US imprisons more of its population than any other industrialized nation in the world. The vast majority of these 2.3 million people will not remain in custody forever - more than 97% of all US prisoners are eventually released - but there is a good chance they return to incarceration. In fact, most crimes in America are committed by individuals who have committed crimes before, with about 67% of state prisoners and 40% of federal prisoners facing rearrest within three years.

 

Recidivism, which refers to a person's relapse into criminal behavior, remains an active issue today, at a time when the US prison population has quadrupled since 1980.

 

We aim to combat these high rates of recidivism through documentary film that will be screened in prison and youth detention facilities. Shot and filmed specifically with an audience of the currently incarcerated in mind, it will engage and guide the viewer, directly connecting him or her to beneficial programs and resources available in his or her area with the aid of a resources database and program we are creating in tandem with the film. Studies show that higher education upon societal re-entry is key to lower recidivism and higher social mobility — contributing to enhanced earnings, increased civic engagement, and stronger families.