SYNOPSIS

LOGLINE: A rare, intimate look inside Maine State Prison, where efforts to reform the historically brutal institution (the inspiration for Stephen King's story "Shawshank Redemption") have dramatically transformed the prison culture, dynamics and environment, the way "residents" do their time and, ultimately, how they return to their communities. SYNOPSIS Imagine a residential community where you spend your days growing vegetables and herbs, making pesto, pickles, and preserves, practicing mindfulness and yoga, writing, playing with puppies, and working on your personal growth in a supportive, nurturing environment. Now imagine doing all that behind razor-wire fencing. Welcome to Maine State Prison in Warren, Maine—population (approx.) 900—where inmates are referred to as “residents.” It’s all part of a prison reform movement based on the Scandinavian model that aims to treat incarcerated people with dignity and humanity, give them a sense of agency and to better prepare them to re-enter society. For long-timers and lifers, it provides a better quality of life behind bars, pursuits, and purpose. Not everyone agrees that they deserve these comforts and opportunities, but recidivism rates suggest these progressive reforms make a difference. Everyone from Shaun, who’s doing 47 years for kidnapping and murder, to Maine’s Department of Corrections Commissioner, Randall Liberty (yes, that’s his real name!) who was central to introducing the reforms, have a stake in its success. So do the communities where the former residents will return. As Scott Drake, a former guard, declares in the film: “A lot of these guys get out. And you know where they move to? Next to you! I don’t want a guy who’s messed up and has issues living next to me. I want him to get his mind right, or at least try.”

GÉNÉRIQUE

• Director

  Jacqueline Hartzenbusch

• Production

  Jacqueline Hartzenbusch

• Referent

  Jacqueline Hartzenbusch

• Sales

  Jacqueline Hartzenbusch