On September 27, Vice premiered their documentary, Fixing the System, an hour-long special that interrogates the racial inequities within America’s criminal justice system. The primary focus is on non-violent drug offenders and how the United States’ War on Drugs created their disproportionate representation in prisons. Moreover, the film pays special attention to the effect those policies have had on communities and the families within them. The documentary also features an interview with President Obama as he tours a federal prison, the first sitting president to do so.

Fixing the System begins with the story of Bobby Reed, who has been in prison for more than 19 years on charges of conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute. Reed explains that when the economy soured, he borrowed money that he couldn’t afford to pay back. To make even, he was asked to deliver drugs. Reed, as he puts it, was “just trying to survive.” Sharing his thoughts on the prison industrial complex, Reed asserts, “It doesn’t take five or 10 years for a person to be rehabilitated. And it surely doesn’t take 20, 30, 40, 50 years. Because your life is gone. Your life’s completely gone.”

These personal stories are the most moving and informative parts of the documentary. They bring troubling statistics to life, make evident why reform is necessary, and highlight the extent to which the system is shattered. For example, Randell, an inmate in Pennsylvania explains that when he was released from prison, he had to pay fines to the state for his incarceration. Many former inmates, upon release, rack up thousands of dollars in fees for housing, probation costs and sometimes even public defender services. Randell noted that he had to sell drugs “to pay back Pennsylvania,” which heightened his sentence even further. His story is just one of many that underscore how ludicrous the realities of the criminal justice system have become.

When discussing solutions to this horrific American problem, President Obama lays out a variety of suggestions. Though he spends a significant amount of time highlighting personal responsibility as a primary fix (as he often does), he also advocates for policy changes. He notes that he is working on getting employers to stop asking about applicants’ criminal history during the application process, which would give formerly incarcerated persons the opportunity to explain their past in person, increasing their chances of being hired. He also addresses the necessity of education, rehabilitation and vocational programs within prisons, all of which will help lower recidivism rates.

Effectively, Fixing the System provides important insight into how prisons, law enforcement and courts interact to perpetuate mass incarceration. If you have any interest in America’s highly flawed criminal “justice” system or empathy for those currently behind bars, this documentary is a must see. You can stream it on Vice‘s website, access it on HBOGo or check it out below.

https://youtu.be/oTL_3WL5gfw

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Fixing the System

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