What It’s About
Few outside eyes ever penetrate the walls of state prisons in Alabama, since journalists can’t enter for “safety and security” reasons. Without accountability, the state perpetuates a system characterized by filthy conditions, rampant brutality, and slave labor. Underpaid and understaffed, guards make money selling inmates drugs and cell phones. Risking their lives, incarcerated activists Council, Ray, and others use their phone cameras to finally expose the cruel, inhumane conditions left unaddressed for too long.
Why We Love It
Using raw cellphone footage from inside the walls, directors Jarecki and Kaufman craft a devastating indictment of a corrupt, broken system. Comparing the crusading inmates to the state officials we meet, you have to wonder who the real criminals are A subplot involving the brutal death of inmate Steven Davis only adds to the righteous anger this powerful, important film provokes. Worse yet, these outrages aren’t confined to Alabama. A must-watch.