DEI Educator Guide

For decades, the state of Louisiana has been known as the incarceration capital of America. But over the past year, the state has been trying to shed that reputation with new reforms that decrease the prison population and save money. William Brangham went to find how it's playing out for former prisoners, in a story produced by Frank Carlson in partnership with the Pulitzer Center.

This Academy Award-nominated program uses dramatic reenactments, old lithographs, and photographs to trace the fascinating history of the world's first full-scale penitentiary-Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia. Conceived as a humane alternative to the overcrowding and debauchery of smaller jails, the prison's fortress-like design and policy of separate confinement and meaningful labor became the correctional model for prisons worldwide. Important events in the prison's history are detailed, including the arrival of its first prisoner in 1829, and a visit by its only detractor-Charles Dickens. This is an interesting historical window on an early experiment in the humane treatment and rehabilitation of criminals.

FRONTLINE investigates the impact of mass incarceration in America.

The math, according to many experts, is simple: it costs $75,000 a year to incarcerate a nonviolent offender but only $5,000 to help that individual live productively in freedom. Meanwhile, the number of Americans behind bars has reached an astonishing level with virtually no sign of falling. This film explores the troubling realities that lie behind those statistics-the revolving door of institutionalization, the complexities of reform, and the frequent disregard for programs that can help ex-offenders succeed in society. Featuring interviews with more than 25 experts in the fields of law, policy-making, criminal justice, addiction treatment, and child development, the film also profiles nonviolent offenders who have turned their lives around after completing remediation and literacy programs. Viewers learn about facilities that have proven track records for helping both juvenile and adult offenders find lawful, rewarding paths to the future.