Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 340: Films on Prison Labor, Reentry and Birth Behind Bars

Three filmmakers whose lives have been shaped by the criminal legal system join Everyday Injustice for a conversation about using storytelling to expose systemic injustice and advance meaningful change. In Episode 340, host David Greenwald speaks with Represent Justice ambassadors Marcus Kelly, Courtenie Jackson and Starling Thomas about their films, their personal experiences and the policies they hope to transform. Their projects examine the constitutional exception permitting involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime, the lifelong consequences of a criminal record and the treatment of pregnant women in custody. Kelly, a Michigan organizer who served nine years following what he describes as a wrongful conviction, discusses his documentary, No Exception to the Promise, and his work to remove slavery and involuntary servitude from state and federal constitutions. He recounts organizing a prison hunger strike, experiencing solitary confinement and discovering the 13th Amendment’s punishment exception while incarcerated. Kelly argues that the exception continues to shape prison labor, economic exploitation and the treatment of incarcerated people, and he explains why he believes constitutional abolition is necessary to build a system rooted in care rather than punishment. Jackson, an Oklahoma workforce development and reentry advocate, discusses Shackled in Freedom, a documentary examining how criminal records restrict access to employment, housing, civic participation and economic opportunity. Drawing on her experience as a mother who struggled to find work after becoming justice-involved, she describes how employment barriers can deepen economic desperation and undermine successful reentry. Thomas, a Houston-based filmmaker whose federal convictions were overturned on appeal, discusses Born Captive, a narrative film about a pregnant woman incarcerated after a probation violation involving unpaid fees. Inspired in part by her mother’s incarceration while pregnant, Thomas connects the history of Black women giving birth in bondage to contemporary prison births and argues for community-based alternatives that protect mothers and children. The conversation also explores wrongful convictions, the pressure to accept plea agreements, the importance of preserving appeal rights and the role of directly impacted people in shaping public policy. Each filmmaker reflects on the support provided by Represent Justice and the opportunity to bring their work beyond traditional criminal justice audiences to employers, lawmakers and the broader public. Kelly says No Exception to the Promise is scheduled for release Sept. 14, while Jackson says Shackled in Freedom will be available beginning Sept. 15. Thomas explains that Born Captive remains in post-production and the film festival circuit, with viewing information available through Represent Justice and the film’s website.