Getting Out of Prison

i will wait and watch this with everybody else :D

Very powerful piece! Once you go into the system it is extremely difficult to get back out. I found myself rooting for each person to succeed then saddened by the ones who succumbed to the boredom they all experienced after their release. I know most were there by their own hand but my heart still goes out to each and everyone!

Powerful video, i hope someone would help my nephew get out of prison insouth carolina, he has been in prison since he was 13 years old, 1994

It is sad that these guys who get out of prison and fall out of contact with laura ling. the important thing I think people need to see is that life is boring, life is hard, but I hope these people find some loving support so they don't go back to their old lifestyle.

great film

It's a very moving idea, though I don't think it transfers to the UK. It is a lot easier to get back on the right track after custody here. You've just got to want it enough.

Pure journalistic excellence... I would liked to see where these blokes are in six months.

i thought it was very real and informing about how the people in and out of prison think, and the neighborhoods they live in

Laura, you are an incredibly gifted reporter.
Incredible work, really.

If they were law abiding citizens they would not have to face this problem at all. No pity for convicted felons.

The government needs to get more involve on Rehabilitation Programs to stop the cycle, instead on building more and more prisons.

Great piece Laura.

Unfortunately however, it leaves out the biggest criminal that the planet has ever seen. THE WHITE COLLAR CRIMINAL. Americas problem is that the petty thief is the mindset of what a criminal is. True, they are criminals, but there is a bigger problem. You see them on the streets everyday, but you dont notice them because, for the most part, they are not the minorities that you see in this documentary.Most crooks dont finish high school. The ones that do, and go on to college, are the real problems. They are the smart crooks. They're the ones that have stole this country blind. They didnt use small guns. They start wars and destroy small countries with big guns.They do it with their degrees, titles,influence,briefcases and pens.

How many petty thieves come from loving, drug and alcohol free. two parent homes ? Poverty breeds crime. It always has, and it always will.Pyschologist say that, If you dont reach a child by the time that he is 4, you stand a great chance of losing him or her.My wife and myself keep her grandson. He is 10 years old now.We've had him since he was 5 hers old. His Father is a sorry piece of shit, and his Mother is finally getting her life together, and she works all of the time. My wife helps him with his homework every night, and on the weekends, I take him with me everywhere I go. We spend friday nights at Borders. I will be damned if we loose him to the streets.

If you dont show your children love, somebody else will. Thats a fact. This film is a wake-up call and it does serve a purpose. I hope, however, that it does not embed this image into your mindset as to who the real criminals are.

I need to come back to this film because I am on a very slow connection in a foreign country right now. Thanks Keith for sending me this one. I will book mark and come back later.

Hey Lucien BTW guess what.....I am in Ecuador in Quito. We are going to Ibarra tomorrow and next week we will be going to Ambato, Riobamba, Guaranda, Banos, and Puli.

Isn't that exciting?

I will be posting videos and pics of my trip when I get back. I got some great footage at the bullfights and the protests outside. Could make an interesting pod.

How you been brother?

Another strong and thoughtful provoking topic. Two million inmates is a figure that is hard to grasp and probably involves an equal number in the policing of the prisoners, guards, probation officers,police officers,the court system to mention but a few.

This maybe is one of the reasons to re-circuate the prison population and keep more people employed. I am sure thousands of the prisoners commit the most minor of offences that have them sent back to prison and they never have a good opportunity to go "straight"as it were.

Laura Ling is up against an institution that is blinkered in its outlook and it finds no reason to assist prisoners as they are the ones who keep the system operating. Some of the guys interviewed appear to be resigned to the fact that there is very little hope for them I assume this to be prevalent in the prison system and is truly sad

I cannot suggest anything to help as the problem is so vast with the numbers involved.

Laura, that was an amazing piece. My only complaint is that I wanted to watch more. I would really love to see a follow-up on Justin, Selina, and especially Lucio (he seemed like such a good guy for having spent 11 years in jail for murder). I also would've loved to know the percentage of inmates that are incarcerated in our overcrowded prisons for non-violent drug-related charges. To Laura and everyone responsible for the making of this piece, thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into it, it really turned out great.

Was in prison for 7 years, been on parole for 3. 2 more years to go but not a single problem so far. Staying out of prison isn't hard:

1. Get a job, any job.
2. Stay off drugs.
3. Pay your fees. $18.00 a month (in Texas) will never make or break you.
4. Don't commit any more crimes.

Problem solved.

...Prisons are big business and one of the largest employers in Texas...are there people that need to be kept away from others..yes...are there many that deserve to be given a chance to experience life as most of us have known it...again yes...it basically comes down to how lucky you have been....whether you were around people that care for you and for all things....it is luck because the choice is not made by you..it is completely out of your hands...everyone has a choice concerning what kind of person they want to be...but if you did not have great parents that shielded you from many of the worlds fears and dangers...then you came to the plate with two strikes against you....Kindness and Love are contagious..there are just so many that have never had their share of either...Golden Ruler...Will

This is a very important piece, Laura. I commend you on your effort to bring this to light. I also commend those who clamp down and make the decision to get their lives together and stay out of jail. Cyrus, I congratulate you... a strong will goes a long way, especially when you're convinced that you're down on your luck...

There are a lot of good comments here as well... keith, it's wonderful that you are saving your wife's grandson from the streets. I've had several employees over the years that have quit the game and got their lives back on track, because they saw the endless path of destruction that lay before them and chose a better path instead...

The statistics regarding the prison system in America are mind boggling. It would seem more appropriate to have more vo-tech, art and educatonal programs to lift the downtrodden up from the lowest depths...help them to believe in themselves...thereby breaking the vicious cycle of corruption and violence...

White collar crime is another beast all its own...

Is it right for employers to find out if you were behind bars before?

It seems like a straightforward answer, yes, but is it? As far as I know, companies have a hard time directly asking you for your date of birth, race, etc.. How can they have these kind of records? When they release these prisoners, aren't they considered re institutionalized? AKA: back to "normal".

If they consider them well behaved enough to be released back into society at any level, then they should have a certain amount of trust to not allow any employer his jail-time info. From what I understand, that seems to be a huge reason a lot of these convicted felons go back to prison. They are trapped in an undertow, unable to advance on in life and get a "sustainable," job.

Maybe not altogether make that private information, but from what I understand, employers can't find out EXACTLY what that person was doing time for; and of course, people always assume the worst.

Another compelling Vanguard piece.
I learned more in this 49 minutes than two hours worth of MSNBC's "Lockdown". The difference, in my mind, being that they exploit the prisoners for the sake of exciting television. The viewer is given the, "oohs and ahs", without substance or sense of purpose.
Excellent camera work by Mitch (I'll assume) while in the "slammer" and everyone else throughout the mega-pod.
The post-production editing and mixing was superb.
My heart goes out to Justin who is fighting to stay out but, apparently, hanging by a thread in his choices.
With each application demanding that a person state whether or not they are a convicted felon, the job situation is almost impossible to overcome. Even if the person gets the job, there will always be someone thinking the worst of them. As one woman interviewed pointed out, it's not what they did so much as where they've been.
I'm glad there was ample time given to 12 step programs and other rehabilitative services.
Thanks, once more, to the staff and crew of Vanguard for such an amazing slice of journalism.

i understand what it is like to be an ex-inmate and come back into the free world and not being able to do things the legal way. i believe the system is set up for these boys to go back. there needs to be more outlets for support and for these inmates to be able to find legal work to help themselves. true, some of these guys have brought these things on themselves however those that are genuine in getting better and being better should not be judged and given a chance because you could be the next one locked up or someone you love before you decide to do something about a failing system.

wahhhhhh!!! im a con who is homeless and been in jail 10 times!!! feel sorry for me! :(

another great piece.
great work

people in prison pretty much do think about doing good, there just is not enough opportunity to practice active social incorporation. walk to the yard be political walk to church be scientifical walk to food thank god. learn the language is clockwork programming, but knowing is a struggle. Depth is like the dirt in your head or the air in your soul. Up^ vDown <>look<> Behave Accordingly_.

If you are under high watch get lost back into the system. Visit probation and call that "criminal justice" phone number. Become a supporting member however it may not come with much reward beyond freedom, take responsibility for the crowd and do it to be the person that can educate the leaders of the neighborhoods. Guidance.

I notice the people when they FEEL themselves in a hopeless position describing an inability that they cannot control themselves.. if in court telling the judge this you will be condemned to resolve that before being given back your freedom of choice.. THE LANGUAGE. I can_. I do think_. I am responsible_. I helped someone_.