Film Review: The 50
Film Review: The 50 Is Changing Lives
By Margaret Irwin
The 50 is the story – set in California – of a unique way to give incarcerated people a second chance: by training them to become addiction counselors. In March, EXPO sponsored a showing of this documentary at the Urban League’s handsome new Black Business Hub on South Park Street.
In 2006, the federal government decreed that California must reduce its prison population by 50,000 to relieve overcrowding. At that time, more than 85% of prison residents were involved in drug use. In response, and for the first time, the state legislature budgeted money specifically for rehabilitation. This funding enabled some determined individuals to introduce an offender/ mentor certification program for 50 residents of Solano State Prison.
The program was met with suspicion to start with, but the positive impact it had on participants eventually persuaded many others to join. The program has since spread to other California prisons, and other groups of 50 have had the opportunity to turn their lives around, proving the truth of The 50’s motto: “There is life after death.”
What makes “The 50” program so effective is that in order to become addiction counselors, the men have to deal with their own selves first. This involves looking deep within to review the traumas from their past, examine their core beliefs, and identify the roadblocks that keep them from moving forward. They not only have to answer these questions for themselves; they also have to share them with the others in the group. Some brave men allowed themselves to be filmed telling their stories, in the hope of encouraging others. As one noted: “We are experts in the field when it comes to loneliness, fear, and pain.”
At the conclusion of the film, a panel of people with lived experience, including James Morgan, shared their reactions. As one participant noted, if the world shows you you’re not worth anything, it’s vitally important to be part of a community that tells you otherwise. The panelists pointed out that similar deep trauma work is now happening in Wisconsin prisons. It took some 20 years to get the Department of Corrections to allow the training of peer-support specialists to work in the prisons. Having relatable mentors has made a huge difference, one panelist said.
The speakers agreed that family plays a crucial role in the fate of young people. An unhealthy family is very hard to break away from; young people often turn to gangs as a substitute for the community they miss at home. Therefore, it is imperative to invest in families before children find themselves on the road to incarceration. One recommended model for youthful offenders is an academy run by counselors with lived experience. The youth are given everything they need – food, housing, therapy, skills training, and, most importantly, love. They are seeking what we all need: a sense of worth and value.
You can find a link to view the film at the50film.com.