Jania Ashlynn
Common curiosity leads us to wonder what it might be like to live a life behind bars; and while we’ve had plenty of shows that give us a glimpse, the docuseries space hasn’t quite had a show like this — where the main perspective is coming from people that have actually been behind bars.
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Shedding Light
Inside Story is new series currently streaming on YouTube, Plex, and The Marshall Project website. In every episode, viewers will get a perspective on the lifestyle and setbacks that come with prison life. The series also discusses the impact of having young children serve their sentences in adult prisons.
The lead voice on this project is executive producer Lawrence Bartley. Bartley was once an inmate himself and he is using his experience to spread awareness about life while incarcerated. Bartley is also the founder and director of the News Inside print publication. This outlet is distributed to jails and prisons all over the nation providing inmates with current events and updates on outside society.
Bartley has also decided to use the series to address the issues of employed prisoners receiving below minimum wage.
Inside Out
In a talk show interview with CBS Mornings, Bartley describes the 27 years he spent in a maximum security prison. He began his sentence when he was just a child. “I was learning how to shave. I was just a kid. My brain was developing at that period, and to inject violence, to inject despair, to inject sadness, and separation. It can take a person for a loop,” Bartley states.
He goes on to discuss how important it is to shed light on the struggles that inmates face behind bars because once they’re released, they become members of society. He stresses the need for improved news and education. “It affects us all,” Bartley urges.
