James Burns of Baltimore isn’t just a guy making a documentary about the impact incarceration has on prisoners.
He’s an ex-prisoner who knows its impact firsthand, too.
Burns was in and out of institutions from the early age of 6 and spent many of his teen years in an adult prison after gang involvement. The story of how he turned his life around while in prison with the help of his mentor, a fellow prisoner convicted of murder, is told in the newly released crime drama, “Jamesy Boy.”
Now, years after his prison stint, Burns is exploring all the ways that serving a sentence has affected him and other prisoners in his documentary, “Revolving Doors,” due out in March. The film will follow three ex-prisoners as they work to move on from their pasts.
“I want to know why people keep going back to prison,” says Burns. “If you build a prison, then you have to fill those beds, and if we’re building more prison than we are schools, what does that mean?”
One of his subjects, Jason Bobbitt, spent 32 months in federal prison for illegal drug trade. Bobbitt grew up in a broken home and dropped out of high school, but after serving his sentence, he was able to launch a construction company that provided for him and his family for the next 20 years.
Five years ago, the crumbling economy caught hold of Bobbitt’s business and everything fell apart. Bobbitt returned to illegal drug trading for some fast money, and, last month, was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Bobbitt worries about what a year and a half away means for the provision of his children.
“My family’s going to have to survive a year or so without me,” he says. “I would die if I called home one day and one of them had the same troubles that I’m having.”
Bobbitt’s story highlights the magnetic cycle of crime that envelops so many in our country. While it’s not the happy ending we hope for, it is true to life. Statistics show that two out of three ex-prisoners will re-offend.
Prison Fellowship is active in more than 300 prisons, jails, and detention centers across the country, mentoring prisoners and preparing them to reenter society and win the battle against recidivism. Will you join us? Please visit www.prisonfellowship.org to learn how.
