The animated series — part of The Marshall Project/VICE News’ show Inside Story — examines the criminal justice system through first-person essays from those whose lives have intersected with it.
Visiting her son in jail for the first time, Ymilul Bates knew that she couldn’t protect him. Although he is too young to drink, the criminal justice system regards him as an adult.
Bobby Bostic was sentenced to 241 years at age 16. In prison, he found his way to gardening. He says gardening kept him growing.
Matthew Azzano, who served two years in New York prisons, reported for this essay through a grant from the Solitary Confinement Reporting Project.
Ravi Shankar was born in D.C. to South Indian parents. But it wasn’t until he had to navigate the criminal justice system that he realized what many Americans of color deal with
Credits
Contributors from The Marshall Project:
Lawrence Bartley, Celina Fang, Akiba Solomon, Raghuram Vadarevu, Donald Washington, Jr.