Lock-Up: The Prisoners of Rikers Island

Clearly everyone on camera was their best behavior inmates and all that but they ask honest questions at one point asking the guard if he is willing to die to try and stop the inmate sitting in front of him. I thought that was pretty visceral, but they also highlight the more empathetic and almost comedic aspect of prison. Amidst all the negativity and terror that is prison it seems there emerged a humorous side that can be seen in this documentary. The camera man makes some especially funny comments towards some of the inmates and their banter between inmates and inmates and the camera crew were funny thought out the documentary. It's interesting to see a dark side of humor from this sort of environment.

not quite "Oz" but similar. I think much of footage was "softened" by the fact that the guards and prisoners were on best behavior for the cameras. Many of the prisoners just seem emotionally messed up people, depressed and unloved, but other like the "Eddie White" guy just seems to actually enjoy playing the legal system and what you would call a "bad apple". For the others, it seems highly cruel punishment to lock up emotionally unbalanced people in solitary confinement, it is too bad that we can't somehow identify the Eddie Whites and somehow rehabilitate the others who just seem lost, desperate, poor and lonely. The female prison was especially sad since many of them were pregnant and one of the mothers gave birth in the prison. The other had a miscarriage although they wouldn't tell her why or let her see the body. Another male prisoner comments how he was "born in prison". At first you think it is a figure of speech but then you realize it really happens. What kind of life can a child like that expect to have, especially in the unforgiving United States?