"This evening’s Prison Pipeline presents three short pieces produced by students in the media program at Portland Youth Builders. All three pieces provide interesting perspectives on prison life. The first piece talks about how the media portrays the prison lifestyle as glamorous. The students analyze a song, a movie and a news clip, and find that in general the media perceives prison as a macho place. The second piece compares the difference between prison myths and reality. It features two interviews, one with someone who has never been to prison but has ideas of what it may be like, and one with someone who has just gotten out of prison after serving eighteen months, who is able to share what it really is like to be locked down. The final piece presents a compelling interview with a reformed youth who is struggling to break free from the criminal mindset. She discusses her past behaviors and how she has turned her life around. The episode ends with a raw and honest poem that accurately depicts the reality of life in prison and the challenges of trying to change."
- KBOO