NCJ Number
139890
Date Published
1992
Length
0 pages
Annotation
Based on more than 800 actual letters written by incarcerated individuals to family members, lovers, and friends, this video presents an insider's view of the impact and conditions of incarceration for male and female, juvenile and adult inmates.
Abstract
The video's basic format consists of 30 well-known actors and actresses reading excerpts from letters written by juvenile and adult inmates in institutions throughout the Nation. While the letters are being read, the routines, conditions, and faces of inmates are portrayed. The comments of a few inmates are presented from interviews. The first set of letters read were written by juveniles recently arrested, booked, and placed in juvenile detention. These letters express the shock, fear, and humiliation of being arrested; the absence of privacy and the loneliness of incarceration; and the longing to undo the crime and lifestyle that led to their arrest and detention. The second set of letters was written by males and females housed in juvenile correctional facilities. Many express regret for their drug and alcohol abuse, their gang activity, their wasted lives, and the personal choices that led to their incarceration. The next two sections of letters were written by male and female inmates in county jails and prisons. They write about the visual, emotional, and physical impact of incarceration. Feelings expressed pertain to lost relationships with parents, spouses, and children; the sense of being of no value to or for anyone; hopelessness about the future; the desire to change; fear for personal safety among inmates who kill fellow inmates without fear of the consequences; and the struggle for daily emotional and physical survival. The video is intended for use on television and in schools so as to deter youth from delinquency and crime. A discussion guide accompanies the video.