16 BARS

Todd “Speech” Thomas, Grammy-award winning rapper who led the Afrocentric 1980s hip-hop group Arrested Development is the focus of 16 Bars, a the new documentary filmed in a Richmond, Virginia jail, the documentary following inmates’ paths to recovery and self discovery. Thomas works with the jail’s “REAL” program, acronym for “Recovering from Everyday Addictive Lifestyles,” which gives inmates a chance to reveal their talents. In Thomas’ musical workshop, “REAL” inmates compose and perform songs, showing their audience that, for the US, which has nearly 25% of all prisoners in the world, it’s time for prison and police reform. More>

LEFT. Badges awarded to 16 Bars by POW! viewers