Politicsprison systemPoliticscriminal justice

Almost Everyone In This Neighborhood Has Been Locked Up At Some Point

Almost Everyone In This Neighborhood Has Been To Jail
Open Image Modal
By 

Senior Editor, The Huffington Post

|

Welcome to Beecher Terrace, a housing project in Louisville, Kentucky where nearly everyone has been to jail or prison.

"Prison State," the second half of Frontline's "Locked Up In America" series premiering Tuesday night on PBS, follows four residents of Beecher Terrace as they make their way in and out of the corrections system.

About 1 in 6 adult residents of the housing complex will cycle in and out of prison each year, according to Frontline. Filmmaker Dan Edge said that all of the current and former inmates he met from the neighborhood told the same story: "Basically, once you've been to prison once, it is hugely challenging not to get sucked back in."

Kentucky had one of the country's fastest-growing prison populations between 1999 and 2009, according to the Pew Center on the States, though the state's rate of serious crime did not increase during that period.

The booming growth was fueled, in part, by people returning to prison for technical violations -- not adhering to the conditions of their release in some way, rather than committing a new crime.

"Your punishment doesn't end when you get out of prison," Edge said. "There are restrictions on where you can live. There are restrictions on the type of job you can do. It's often difficult to get aid, to get food stamps, and it's particularly difficult for a convicted felon to get employment. So all these things stack up to make it very, very difficult for someone who's just got out of prison to actually make any money -- quite simply, to actually get by."

"I don't want to take out the element of personal responsibility in this," Edge added, "but it's certainly the case that we stack the cards against people when they get out of prison and make it far more likely that they'll go back to prison. And we make it far more likely that we'll be paying for them to be there."

(Story continues after the video.)

Kentucky spends more than $15 million a year locking up people from Beecher Terrace and the surrounding neighborhoods, according to Frontline's reporting. But that money hasn't made Beecher Terrace a better place to live.

"What sort of struck us as we were making this film is that all this money is essentially being invested in a neighborhood, and what do we have to show for it?" Edge said. "We have a lot of people in prison and a neighborhood that isn't safe. That's what drew us into this film: whether it's a defensible way of spending tax dollars."

Many of those incarcerated are serving time for nonviolent crimes. In particular, between 2000 and 2009, 1 out of every 4 inmates in Kentucky was in for a drug crime of some kind, according to Pew.

And while Kentucky is trying to reform its adult prison system, it's also locking up more children than most other states -- a practice that, research suggests, makes young people more likely to return to prison as adults.

Locking up all these people takes a toll on the communities they're from, said Edge.

"If you incarcerate people to the extent that you have in Beecher Terrace, where you have no family that isn't touched by prison or jail in some way, it actually breaks up the social fabric of these communities," he said. "Kids misbehave more and get sucked into crime more. Prison becomes the problem rather than the solution."

Watch a clip from the documentary above.

Support HuffPost

At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.

Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.

Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your will go a long way.

Support HuffPost

Before You Go

10 Major Crimes That Shocked the Nation (SLIDESHOW)
"Young L.A. Girl Slain; Body Slashed in Two" ― L.A.'s Daily News(01 of10)
Open Image Modal
On Jan. 15, 1947, the remains of Elizabeth Short were found in a vacant lot in Los Angeles. What made this discovery the stuff of tabloid sensation, however, was the Glasgow smile left on the aspiring actress' face ― made with 3-inch slashes on each side. This, coupled with Short's dark hair, fair complexion and reputation for sporting a dahlia in her hair, led her to be dubbed "The Black Dahlia" in headlines. What followed was a media circus filled with rumors and speculation about the 22-year-old's checkered past. What haunts theorists to this day, apart from the victim's uniquely nightmarish visage, is that the case remains unsolved after some 200 suspects were interviewed and ultimately released, making it one of Hollywood's most lurid legends. (credit:WikiMedia: Trijnstel)
"I Am Not Guilty - Thus Lizzie Borden Pleads Before Judge Hammond at New Bedford." ― Boston Journal(02 of10)
Open Image Modal
"Lizzie Borden took an axe And gave her mother forty whacks. And when she saw what she had done, She gave her father forty-one." So goes the lurid nursery rhyme to one of the most mystifying crimes ever. The nature of the deaths of Andrew J. Borden and his wife, Abby, are trumped only by the identity of the alleged perpetrator: their daughter Lizzie. Inexplicably found "not guilty" in contrast to the era's more usual swift justice, Lizzie's legacy was to be immortalized as one of the most perplexing cases of parricide in history. (credit:WikiMedia: Wikilug)
"Texas Mother Charged with Killing Her 5 Children" ― CNN(03 of10)
Open Image Modal
In a case of mother-gone-mad that startled a nation, Andrea Yates appeared to her few friends and family to be a recluse suffering from postpartum depression leading up to the birth of her fifth child. That all changed on June 20, 2001, when she drowned five of her children in their home's bathtub. She was convicted in 2002 of capital murder, carrying a sentence of life in prison with possible parole. In a 2006 retrial, however, a Texas jury found her not guilty by reason of insanity. She was committed to a mental health facility. (credit:Getty Images)
"Buttafuoco Admits to Sex with Amy Fisher" ― New York Times(04 of10)
Open Image Modal
Known as the "Long Island Lolita," Amy Fisher became involved with Joey Buttafuoco in May 1991. Shortly after the two began a sexual relationship (she was 16, while he was 35 and married with two children), his presence and influence in her life became all she cared for. Although he's since denied this, Buttafuoco would go on to help Fisher plan the murder of his wife, culminating in Fisher putting a bullet in Mary Jo Buttafuoco's head, but failing to kill her. In the highly publicized trial that ensued, Fisher accepted a plea deal for 15 years in prison in exchange for a testimony against Joey, who served out charges of statutory rape. (credit:Getty Images)
"Murder of a Little Beauty" ― People Magazine(05 of10)
Open Image Modal
With her face gracing the covers of nearly every news and gossip rag during the winter of 1996, it's hard to suggest that the death of child beauty pageant queen JonBenét Ramsey had little effect outside the city of Boulder, Colorado. She was found dead from a blow to the head and strangulation in the family's basement. There was a ransom note left on the staircase asking for $118,000 (conveniently or coincidentally, nearly the same amount Mr. Ramsey received as a bonus that year) and no obvious signs of forced entry into the house. The evidence appeared to be stacked against parents John and Patsy, who maintained their innocence throughout the investigation. The case reopened in 2010, but critics cite poor handling of the crime scene as why the mystery of the events of that Christmas day continues. (credit:wikipedia.org)
"F.B.I. Joins Probe in Slaughter of 8 Nurses" ― Nashua Telegraph(06 of10)
Open Image Modal
Tattooed with "Born to Raise Hell" on his arm, Richard Speck made good on his mantra through a history of violence, theft, alcoholism and spousal abuse. He achieved infamy when, on July 13, 1966, he walked into a dormitory armed with a knife and left eight student nurses dead in his wake. Only one, Cora Amurao, was spared, hiding under a bed until 6 a.m. Speck was found guilty of murder and died of a heart attack in prison. As one of the most press-worthy crimes of the decade, the grim events were used as the backdrop for an episode of "Mad Men." (credit:thesmokinggun.com)
"Sharon Tate, Four Others Murdered" ― Los Angeles Times(07 of10)
Open Image Modal
Perhaps the most terrifying figure in American crime to have never actually killed anyone himself, Charles Manson founded a "family" of wayward individuals who hailed him as a prophet. So strong was his manipulation that on the night of Aug. 8, 1969, he ordered four of his followers to kill everyone at the residence of 10050 Cielo Drive ― including movie director Roman Polanski's wife, Sharon Tate, and her unborn child. Tate was stabbed 16 times, and her blood was used to write "pig" on the house's front door. The next night, Manson accompanied six of his family to the residence of supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife, helping to bind them before ordering their deaths. In 1971, Manson and three of his fellow defendants were found guilty of murder in the first degree and several other crimes. At the time, it was the longest murder trial in American history, spanning nine and a half months, as well as the most expensive, estimating $1 million. Manson died in prison in 2017 at age 83. (credit:AP Images)
"Lindbergh Baby Kidnapped from Home of Parents on Farm Near Princeton; Taken from His Crib; Wide Search on" ― The New York Times(08 of10)
Open Image Modal
Used as the basis for an Agatha Christie novel (Murder on the Orient Express) and dubbed "the biggest story since the Resurrection" by famed journalist H.L. Mencken, the kidnapping and murder of aviator Charles Lindbergh's infant son continues to fascinate theorists today. Charles Jr. was discovered missing from his second-floor bedroom on March 1, 1932, along with a note demanding a then-unimaginable $50,000, igniting a media frenzy like no other. The tabloid pandemonium prompted many tips and leads, but none as concrete as a package containing the boy's pajamas and another message demanding the ransom. After some misdirection from the presumed kidnapper, Lindbergh's child was discovered in the woods along a road near the family residence. Notwithstanding the evidence stockpiled against the easily vilified illegal German immigrant Bruno Hauptmann (who was sentenced to death), speculation prevails as to the true identity of the individual responsible for this tragic tale. (credit:Getty Images)
"Not Guilty as Sin" ― New York Post(09 of10)
Open Image Modal
Still fresh in the minds of many and not to be easily forgotten, the trial of Casey Anthony turned Orlando, Florida, into anything but the "happiest place on earth." Following a series of lies, misdirection and manipulation by then-22-year-old Casey, her daughter Caylee's skeletal remains were found five months into the investigation, setting the stage for what could only be described as the most incessantly publicized and shocking trial in recent memory. The media had a field day that went on for months, highlighting the young, pretty party-girl image used against Casey Anthony in court as the prosecution tore apart an aimless defense ― or so it seemed. After throwing her own family under the bus, incriminating people entirely made-up ("Zanny the Nanny"), and fabricating elaborate stories for the police, Anthony was found not guilty of murder due to evidence deemed mostly circumstantial and not meeting the burden of "beyond reasonable doubt," inciting much debate regarding whether true justice was served. (credit:Associated Press)
"An American Tragedy" ― Time(10 of10)
Open Image Modal
It was heralded as the "trial of the century." Former football star and actor O.J. Simpson found himself in the middle of the nation's biggest, most-televised trial following the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, but not before fleeing an all-points bulletin in his Ford Bronco with 20 units in tow, interrupting game 5 of the NBA Finals. With a dream legal team including Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro, and Robert Kardashian, the defense claimed Simpson was merely a victim of police fraud with regard to contaminated DNA evidence. Cochran famously quipped, "If it [the glove] doesn't fit, you must acquit." On Oct. 3, 1995, an estimated 100 million people from around the world tuned in to watch the jury hand down a verdict of not guilty, costing an estimated $480 million in lost productivity. The case incited a discussion of race in the judicial system that continues to this day. (credit:Alamy Images)
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip