An Ex-Con's Journey Back to Prison: Revolving Doors

it's been 15 years since I've been in trouble and I'm actually charged with the same exact charges that I had 15 years ago I can't believe you know I have 40 years old here it is I'm coming back to jail again [Music] when you're locked up every CEO expects to see you back the judge tells you I better not see you back in my courtroom knowing that statistically you're coming back [Music] everything that I do everything that I am is because of the childhood did I had my dad would come and go whenever you felt like it I mean he might be there today he might not be back for a month you're now gonna see a geometry oh yeah yeah it's gonna bring you up are you gonna make it Abby I guess I miss doing without that's why you gotta give us believing when you're sick mmm you gotta make sure you keep up with your medicine look don't tell your mother that last minute okay then you won't have any and then you'll be out like a maniac the most important thing that I teach to my children is their family is everything there's nothing more important nobody can ever take your family away from you [Music] I'm a Jason back in 1990 94 I was 16 I think that he is a phenomenal day [Music] right now on the kids at one point they're on top of their schoolwork they're getting the school back and forth to school every day my biggest fears are falling behind [Music] I sit my kids down probably at least one or two of them every day and have some sort of conversation about personal responsibility nobody ever helped me think about what I was gonna do in my future and because of that I lived in the moment I want them to live in the moment but planning for tomorrow planning for the future I would die if I called him one day and one of them had two singing troubles and I'm mad because I'm not here [Music] when a parent goes to prison the first and very obvious result is that they're not they're almost anything that a parent does makes it more likely that the child will do that I've had several father-and-son cellmates and they didn't serve time together approximately 50% of people who come out of prison go back into prison and I think that you'd have to be blind to not recognize that our system in so many different ways I don't know that I like to use the word broken but it's certainly been right now my family and I are driving to the federal courthouse in Maryland for a sentencing date I really hope that everything that I've done in my life leading up to this will give the judge their picture of who I really am not who they're gonna make me out to be I try to get jobs and like Home Depot in other places and you know people want to pay me eight $9 an hour I can't take care of a family on $9 an hour one day I just decided I gotta do something I'm not gonna let my kids be homeless when times get tough for people people make tough choices I take my kids to school every day so that morning I drop them off at school but nobody ever comes back together they took both of our vehicles they destroyed our house now they have to come home to a home that's destroyed and be told that their father's in jail and they have no idea when he's coming home so they were had to clean up my mess I know we don't wanna leave but it's like we're believed about how long he has because he's not gonna be gone as long as we thought he would I graduate um this upcoming March and he won't be able to make it but hopefully everybody else comes and supports me and I know he's gonna be proud of me you know my sister he shall graduated is like my dad happy to be there for to see it is it it means a lot to us does he how proud are dad is applause cuz he's so busy it we're all family and I think it tear us apart at this point and that's what I don't want to go because he brought us together for a reason [Music] I don't know what's gonna happen with them I'm not capable of supporting five children when he goes away it worries me a lot but I'm hoping because of this experience they're going through now with their father and they see the outcome of it that they'll make better choices time to go let's go [Music] it was never about fame and glory to me TV movies make this life seem glamorous there's nothing glamorous about watching over your shoulder all the time worried about being arrested all the time if you did it wrong there's only one outcome in the end nobody rides off into the sunset with a bag of money it just doesn't happen [Music] and make sure that the water speaks [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] I was released in February of 2015 I've always pretty much been self-employed so I've been lucky enough that I have people that believe in me and give me opportunities because I know that if I have to write a resume and go for a job interview I'm not getting it I like working so idle time in jail is not for me but I really can never truly be happy until I know my kids are okay I can just tell everything was so different within a short period of time people were getting kicked out of school and their grades were just dropping I just got progressively worse about everybody's drug dealer almost everybody is yes whether it's it's just selling a dime bag in the park it doesn't matter everybody's trying to make some type of money I really don't see myself going to college and getting a career where you're on sound making $15 an hour I really don't it doesn't seem as if it's realistic for do like me who isn't done love like you see the stuff that we do on a daily basis there's nothing like like something somebody successful would do my dad wasn't there I kind of met all these people and they kind of made me feel wanted it might have been bad that we were getting here too but we did it together that was all that mattered we're just a big family and trying to make it out together I'm scared for my kids future because the road did their own right now is gonna put on dead or in prison I would love to be close for my siblings I just feel as if the past they have chosen and the decisions they've made aren't beneficial and though I love them I feel as if being around them more he's gonna put us all in a bad place instead of someone was actually being successful as I thought of school I had a bad attitude um I didn't really want to be there I don't want to be around people I was just really negative and I wasn't thinking about bettering my future I was just thinking about me being mad at the time I don't have any long-term goals because I'm like trying to do it right now pretty much way right except for Jason failed last year and I got kicked out of school dropped out so I mean honestly nothing came positive of us making our own decisions and doing what we wanted I tell you when they say you reap what you sow that's that's my life right now I don't know whose lives I've hurt by selling drugs but now I'm on the other side watching my family go through what maybe they see their family with them I don't wish that upon anybody worrying about your kids you just it takes all the joy out of everything else you know people say you got to let them learn the hard way the hard way is prison or death how's that an option how do you how do you let your kid learn the hard way and I can't imagine losing any of my kids to these treats I hope there's enough time left to fix it I can tell you I'll never give up I'll never accept my kids being anything but great and I tell them all the time you don't measure success with money you measure success with happiness are you happy doing what you're doing if you can take care of your family and you're proud of what you do and you're successful [Music] you [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Music] you [Music]

Channel: VICE

Views: 1,690,775

Keywords: documentary, documentaries, docs, interview, culture, lifestyle, world, exclusive, independent, underground, videos, journalism, vice guide, vice.com, vice, vice magazine, vice mag, vice videos, film, short films, movies, revolving doors, prison, crime, video, kids, cocaine, family, Criminal Justice, jail, criminal justice reform, Recidivism, VICE SPECIAL, vice video, James Burns, jason bobbitt

Id: bjPs2ibGkIU

Length: 18min 15sec (1095 seconds)

Published: Thu May 03 2018