Video: http://www.livesinfocus.org/video/prison/hmwv_support.mov

Lives in Focus is vlogging the impact on family relations and dynamics when one or more member of a family is incarcerated. How do some families overcome the separation, financial strain, social stigma and guilt while others crumble? Why is there a greater likelihood that a child of someone who is in prison will also end up in jail at some point? How do society, politics or special interests help or hinder family relations?

For example, many states currently allow telephone companies to penalize inmates and their families by charging a staggering connection surcharge (about $3) and higher per minute rates (upto 16 cents) for collect phone calls–—a regressive toll in an age of unlimited local and long distance calling. This at a time when research and experience shows that inmates who stay in touch with their families are likelier to have a smooth transition back to civil society when released.

I plan to post a video about three minutes in length that focuses on a particular theme showcased through a family’s life. How do such obstacles impact the relationship between a parent and child (both the parent who remains at home and the one in prison)? Between husband and wife? Between siblings? Is there anticipation or dread or tedium at the thought of the long hike on visiting day? How are family relations re-established when a prisoner is released? What are the unforeseen consequences of being released? What efforts do inmates make to stay in touch from within prison walls?

These short, thematic vlogs will show people in their daily lives with relevant audio from interviews. I plan to post on a regular once-a-week schedule for 3 to 6 months.

I also plan to loan video cameras to a few families we select. Lives in Focus has already agreed to set up workshops in conjunction with Prison Families of New York to train these families to document their own lives. We will edit this material and post it to the vlog, giving credit to the families. The videos will be available to the public for free for non-commerical use with a Creative Commons copyright.

Lives in Focus is NOT questioning the guilty verdict that sent people to prison. We also recognize that many crimes upset the lives of others–in extreme cases even depriving families of their own loved ones. Lives in Focus believes, however, that it is important to document and be aware of the repercussions that imprisonment has on an inmate’s family, a large and growing population in America.

As an award-winning journalist who wrote frequently for the New York Times and as a journalism professor at the City University of New York’s Graduate School of Journalism, I have already gained access to prisoners and their families. I have a strong track record working with people who are often ostracized by society. The previous Lives in Focus project, shot in 2005, documented the lives of men, women and children in India who are HIV+ or have AIDS. The stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS in India today is akin to what it was in the United States in the 80s’ and 90s’. The project even managed to interview a young Muslim woman who is HIV+ and her mother speaking frankly about their lives and concerns. That project was profiled twice on the BBC's FiveLive Radio program and in other national and regional publications and Websites.

For the project, I will require:

--Four Canon ZR-500 Mini DV camcorders ($245 each). These cameras will be loaned to the selected families.

-- G-DRIVE COMBO External HD ($350)

--30 SONY Mini DV tapes ($6.99 each).

--Travel costs, ie. gas, tolls, subway fare, motel ($500)

--Misc. ($250)

--Tax for these items ($195)

Total $2500

Thank you!

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