Project Overview

 

Research indicates that allowing people who are incarcerated to maintain family bonds increases the likelihood of a smooth transition back to civil society when they are released. The time and money required to travel to visit distant prisons can be oppressive for many families, which makes a relationship by telephone instrumental. In New York, however, that simple phone call is heavily penalized. Families must pay a $3 surcharge and 16 cents per minute--an oppressive toll in an age of unlimited local and long distance calling. New York State has pocketed about $178 million over the past 10 years from these fees. California, Pennsylvania, Florida and other states have already eliminated or reduced these regressive costs, realizing that it costs the state far less if a released prisoner returns successfully to society.

 

We plan to use this underlying issue to create videos to show the impact an imprisoned family member has on family relations. We plan to build on the model we have developed with the Lives in Focus site, which harnesses video, audio and photographs to present that stories and voices of those who are rarely given space or time in traditional media.

 

Video Pieces

 

Preliminary plans are to:

 

1. capture the details of how having a family member in prison affects the relationship between child and parent (the one at home and the one in prison), husband and wife, and other family dynamics.

 

2. find families in various situations, including those where a imprisoned family member has returned home. How is that relationship being re-established? What are the unforeseen consequences of returning to the family?

 

3. portray these people by showing their daily lives—with a voice over from their interviews.

 

4. accompany a family during visiting day, portraying the entire process—from putting together a care package to thoughts on what they hope to talk about during that brief visit.

 

5. interview prisoners whose families we are interviewing outside the prison walls.

 

6. show a family dealing with their situation during the holiday season--we plan to film at someone's Thanksgiving dinner and during Christmas.

 

Collaboration with Audience

 

We plan to provide a few families we select with video cameras, allowing them to document their owns lives. We will edit this material post onto Lives in Focus, giving credit to the families. We will also put out a call on the website asking people who are in relevant situations to send us video commentary or footage inspired by the Lives in Focus content.

 

 

Budget

 

Item Price (tax included) Quantity Total

gas, tolls $250 $250

Lavalier MicrophoneDavis & Sanford Steady Stick $110 1 $110

 

Davis & Sanford ProVista $270 1 $270

Airlift Tripod with Pneumatic

Centerpost with FM18

Fluid Head

 

Camcorder

K&M Extra Long Boom $118 1 $118

with Counter Weight

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