"I see you." This is the least we can offer to incarcerated people in our society. Our inability to see people who are behind bars, to understand their lives journeys, and who they are as human beings is one of the significant failings of the U.S. judicial system. Many people are quick to label incarcerated people, slapping a number on them, and shoving them away in prison. Society seems content to forget about them as the rest of the world continues to swirl on.
In Nicole Jones' outstanding debut documentary, The Third Strike, we get an inside look at crippling "Third Strike" legislation. For more than two decades, this law has devastated Black and brown communities. People have been forced to give up their entire lives for non-violent, and often low-level drug-related crimes. All the while, those who've committed much more heinous acts have cut deals and continued wreaking havoc upon society with their get-out-of-jail-free cards.
The Third Strike unpacks these laws and what they mean today, especially in a world that currently celebrates the use of cannabis. Jones focuses on the women doing the work to get people out of prison while simultaneously upholding communities most vulnerable to these laws. With their Chicago-based Decarceration Project, Black women like Attorney MiAngel Cody, Attorney LaSheda Brooks, and activist Bella Bahhs have worked tirelessly to advocate for the release of dozens of people enchained by the Third Strike rule.
More than a story about hardship, injustices, and lives lost, Jones' The Third Strike soars because of its uplifting moments, something we don't often see in films about this subject. We get to experience the joyous news of Cody telling client Edward Douglas he will be released. Jones was there to capture the pure warmth of his reunion with his family. Also, there were the hilarious circumstances he found himself in as he tried to navigate the world again. The documentary is a reminder that we take for granted our daily freedoms along with our ability to keep up with the ever-changing world. For those who are released, freedom is not merely time lost; it's an overload on the senses as they try and catch up to the present.
Celebrities like Kim Kardashian West are often centered in the media for the work they are doing with prison reform. While this activism helps the cause, Cody's work has been a life long journey. She insists that the focus remains on the people that she's helping — above all else. Cody's personal story, as well as a Brooks' and Bahhs', are also centered here, showing how much laws like The Third Strike have truly impacted the Black community and the Black women who are often left behind.
Jones' presents a well-balanced story. In addition to hearing from the women of The Decarceration Project, incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, we also hear from expert criminologists who truly unpack the Third Strike Law. They explain why it's been so traumatizing and what it means to be imprisoned on a state versus a federal level. Additionally, we hear from lawmakers like Senator Cory Booker and Senator Dick Durbin, who are working at a national level to get laws like these overturned.
The Third Strike is powerful and outstanding and will hopefully draw attention (and funding) to The Decarceration Project. While many films about prison reform center their narratives in courtrooms or within prison walls, Jones' story does the one thing Cody implores of the justice system. "You don't get to put someone in prison for life, and not listen to who they are," she says.
The Third Strike is an official selection at the Run & Shoot Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival and also at the Black Harvest Film Festival.