Why does Hollywood think rape is funny?

[Joanne98]

Stop Prisoner Rape (SPR) Laments Movie's Portrayal of Rape in Detention
Los Angeles, November 20, 2006 – The national human rights organization Stop Prisoner Rape (SPR) deplores the flippant portrayal of sexual violence in a new comedy by Universal Pictures. In Let's Go to Prison, released nationwide last Friday, rape is the subject of back-to-back jokes and crude innuendo.

"While humor can be an effective way to address social anxieties, it can also trivialize and dehumanize. That's why no movie studio would touch a script that makes fun of the rape of women or children," said Lovisa Stannow, Co-Executive Director of SPR. "It is disheartening to see that Universal Pictures still considers the sexual assault of male inmates joke-worthy."

The United States incarcerates a larger proportion of its population than any other country in the world. Currently, 2.2 million men, women, and youth are behind bars. The best available research has found that as many as one in five men suffers sexual violence while incarcerated. Those most frequently targeted for rape are young, non-violent, first-time offenders, especially if they are effeminate, gay, or transgender.

With little or no institutional protection, victims of prisoner rape are left beaten and bloodied, contract HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, and suffer severe psychological harm. Once released – and some 95 percent of American prisoners do eventually get out – they return to their communities with all of the emotional and physical scars derived from prison traumas.

"Sexual violence in detention shatters human dignity and derails justice, but as long as late-night television shows, sitcoms, and movies deem this type of abuse amusing, there will be no public outcry to end it," said Stannow.

For more information, please contact Amber Durfield at 213-384-1400, ext 102.

Stop Prisoner Rape (SPR) is a national human rights organization based in Los Angeles. SPR works to end sexual violence against men, women, and youth in detention. To achieve that goal, SPR seeks to: engender policies that ensure institutional accountability for prisoner rape; change ill-informed public attitudes toward sexual assault behind bars; and promote access to resources for survivors of this type of violence.

http://spr.org/en/pressreleases/2006/11_20_06.asp

[Joanne98]

1. Here's the trailer!

http://www.letsgotoprison.com/

It's Universal. I'm really getting sick of Hollywood. I'm sick of their cops shows too. I've never researched it but I have a feeling that Hollywood is HELPING the thugs put in a police state.

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. It doesn't think rape is funny. It thinks prison rape is funny.

Very sad, but a lot of people do find it funny. We see lots of references here to prison rape being kinda funny, too - like when someone we don't like (Ken Lay, for instance) gets sent to prison, one of the first things we'll read is something like "Can't wait til he finds his first boyfriend!" and so on.

I think it's because we, as a society, dehumanize prisoners and criminals, and so anything that happens to them is okay because they aren't really "us".

Our entire systenm of incarceration and punitive justice needs a major fucking redoing. We had one great redoing a few hundred years ago when we changed from the old British style of imprisonment. But now that progressiveness is far behind the times.

[jobycom]

5. Excellent post. nt

[Moochy]

10. Prison Rape as a special case

Excellent points Rabrr. Dehumanizing a population; Everyone has to pitch in to make it most work, and Hollywood does it's part in reflecting those same values back to a willing public, prison rape humor receiving predictable nervous laughter.

Reversal of fortune is another theme that is prevalent in "Prison Rape Humor" Once powerful men(almost invariably) are subject to an act of humiliation, and dehumanization and rank powerlessness.

For some it seems too that the horror of prison, is held up as a deterrent. IE. No prisoner is redeemable in this world view, and it seems to be the prevalent view of prison wardens and the prison lobby, and incredibly powerful lobby here in California.

[Joanne98]

127. Prisons is CA second largest industry....

I have a cousin who's a firefighter and he told me that CA will spare no expense to pick up it's fugitives from other states. Prison is the hot new "growth industry". Arnold wants to build more.

[burythehatchet]

129. Did you hear about the warden in an Indian jail

who teaches all his inmates to meditate? How simple and cheap and effective.

[Buzz Clik]

3. It's playing on men's homophobia.

Sometimes our fears are played up in a horrible fashion, sometimes we make fun of them.

Making fun of violent homosexual rape is in hideous taste, but it can be framed to make us laugh. Example: Ben Stiller waking up in the cell in "There's Something About Mary". The reality would have been terrible, but the brief scene was funny.

Go figure.

[jobycom]

4. That organization would do better trying to raise awareness of rape

without attacking Hollywood for jokes that are common throughout culture. Hollywood makes jokes about murder, poverty, illiteracy, old age, being male, being female, being gay, being straight, being Christian, being Muslim, being Jewish, and anything else they think will make people laugh.

The problem isn't Hollywood, it's the people who laugh. SPR would do better avoiding their strawman arguments and simply educating people directly. The reason Holywood rarely makes jokes about the rapes of women or children is because no one would laugh.

[fishwax]

78. I think it's worth their time to write a press release

I agree that hollywood is not a root cause, but it is an important symptom, so I disagree that it's pointless or setting up a strawman to try to adjust hollywood's portrayal. Hollywood obviously has an influence on the national attitudes about any number of things--there's a reason that there are battles about characters who smoke, for instance, or writing anti-drug messages into TV shows. I think the organization does try to raise awareness of rape without attacking Hollywood, but since Hollywood is releasing a movie which specifically lends itself to the cause, it would be rather silly not to address the movie, if nothing else as a way to piggy back on the movie's profile.

[jobycom]

104. I despise piggybackers.

It's a cheap attempt to blame Hollywood for a cultural stereotype. Maybe a press release expressing why they think people should change their perceptions, and how they feel this movie illustrates the wrong perceptions, would be in order. But a cheap shot attack on a movie for trying to get chuckles with a tried and true chestnut just seems wrong to me. Like they are trying to win points for their cause by insulting someone else. I just don't like that, I guess. If you do, more power to you.

[Moochy]

107. That's common practice

Since the news media coverage of events pretty much runs off of the promotional cycles on other media products, it can be an effective way to get coverage.

If a PR agent ignores that sad reality of the media circus, they will be miss opportunities to get their message out, and frame the debate.

[fishwax]

110. If you have a pet issue, it's rather stupid not to address it if hollywood does

The organization issued a press release. What in that press release constitutes a cheap shot attack? If they were making a movie getting cheap chuckles out of racist stereotypes, for example, a simple press release from the NAACP would hardly constitute a cheap shot.

Maybe a press release expressing why they think people should change their perceptions, and how they feel this movie illustrates the wrong perceptions, would be in order.
Well, they released a press release indicating why they don't think prisoner rape is funny, and therefore ought not be portrayed flippantly. What about that press release (quoted in full in the OP) screams cheap shot to you? I don't see where they've insulted anybody.

[Joanne98]

126. They're never going to listen to a press release.

They're TOO GREEDY!

[Joanne98]

6. They have a myspace link. It's a total outrage!

http://www.myspace.com/letsgotoprison

[aikoaiko]

7. It could be funny.

I'm not in the habit of declaring that any topic can't be used in humor or redicule.

Some topics, even ones that in real life are horrendous to the victims, can be used in jokes and comedy without supporting the practice. I'll have to wait and see the movie before I think they are exploiting prison rape.

[Joanne98]

8. All the actors in this disgusting movie have myspace sites.

Nelson Biederman

John Lyshitski

Barry Addisen Kay...

Another example of how Ruppert Murdock is a threat to children...

[Joanne98]

9. Oh goody. Universal has a CONTACT page.

Here's my comment.

What is so fucking funny about prison rape? Why are you promoting porn on Myspace? Isn't that site for children?

Please let them know this isn't funny.

http://www.universalstudios.com/homepage/html/contact_us/contact_form.cgi?email_id=9

[k_jerome]

11. i think that movie looks funny. nt.

[Joanne98]

12. Well it's not.

[k_jerome]

13. haven't seen it yet....probably catch it on cable...nt.

[Warren Stupidity]

16. Is it your intention to just piss people off here?

You are doing a fine job of it. Keep it up.

[Moochy]

17. I had the same theory

about this oh-so-friendly and constructive poster, "k_jerome", and that's why I've added it to ignored.

[Warren Stupidity]

23. I rarely do this but it seems a wise move. nt.

[k_jerome]

18. i've read your posts....

you seem pissed off all the time. Happy New Year.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

144. Also noted.

[Lurking Dem]

14. Hollywood thinks war is funny.

We laugh at all kinds of things we wouldn't ordinarily find funny. From Chaplin's The Little Dictator poking fun at Hitler, to the risk of nuclear annihilation in Dr. Stranglove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb we laugh at horrors all the time.

Some of it is whistling in the dark. Some of it is schadenfreude. Some of it is tasteless. Some of it is outrageous.

[Joanne98]

21. Hollywood promotes war. It glorifies it......

And did you know that everytime Hollywood uses the military to help in it's films the Pentagon gets to edit it?

Some people are fighting the make Hollywood put a credit at the end of the movie.

EDITED BY THE PENTAGON!

I think it's a great idea. Liberals MY ASS!

[NYCGirl]

26. That may be the most misguided post I've ever seen here. NT

[Joanne98]

37. Hollywood and the Pentagon............

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8163.htm

[NYCGirl]

39. That's the biggest load of crap I've ever seen. NT

[Joanne98]

42. You didn't even have time to watch it.

[NYCGirl]

46. I read the article and skimmed through the film and the only recent example

they were able to come up with was "Pearl Harbor" (which was garbage). They're grasping at straws.

[Zhade]

135. Within one minute? Unlikely.

NT!

[Joanne98]

41. The media and the military (Militainment INC)

http://rstahl.myweb.uga.edu/militainment.html

BTW. Hollywood is part of the media...

[NYCGirl]

44. Name me 5 films that made in the last 15 years that make war look good. NT

[Joanne98]

51. Here's a list......

Not ALL of them make war look good. BUT it's interesting to note that there are NO peace movies.

TOP 10 WAR MOVIES - Soldiers, Friends, Duty, Conflict, Death - WAR
Jul 19 '03

The Bottom Line A good war movie makes you think about life, love, and morality.

War - a subject that both intrigues and repulses us at the same time. A subject that has sparked many a debate and public protest. A subject that has consumed millions of men, women, and children world wide in its dark clutches. War - no one really wins. Economically, morally, physically, and mentally - war injures, maimes, and kills.

So why are we so fascinated by movies of these tragedies? Especially graphic ones that make you feel as though you are on the battlefield watching it as a spectator would football? Why do we so enjoy movies that make veterans of conflict have flashbacks in the theater and relive the horrors they experienced first hand?

Well, in short because we are all sick and twisted individuals...

...So, on to the movies.

In no particular order:

1) Saving Private Ryan - This 1998 film, by Steven Spielberg, was simply amazing. It was a ground breaking movie that not only set the standard for film-making but more specifically war movies. The action is vivid, gory, and very, very realistic. Tom Hanks, and a great cast, give amazing performances.

2) We Were Soldiers - Vietnam via the 10th Cavalry Division. I felt Mel Gibson did a really good job in this film, a great comeback after What Women Want. Gibson plays Lt. Colonel Harold Moore (later Lt. General Moore ) in the la Drang during Vietnam. This battle lasted over one month. It was adapted to film from the book by Moore. Very touching, full of action, great acting all around.

3) Enemy At The Gates - This is World War II from a Russian point-of-view. This is the true story of Vassili Zaitsev, a Russian sniper credited with over 140 kills during the Battle of Stalingrad. This battle was actually one of Germany's worst failures they lost tens of thousands as casualties and tens of thousands more as POWs. Jud Law and Ed Harris both perform admirably in this film. Rachel Weisz does pretty well herself, some of the...um...views of her aren't bad either...(*ahem*) Two amazing snipers are pitted against one another in a duel to the death.

4) Platoon - A classic. Platoon is about the Vietnam Conflict. Although made in the mid-80's Platoon is one of my most favorite war movies. This was Oliver Stone's breakthrough film that gained him much attention. Tom Berenger, Willim Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, Forest Whitaker, and others put on a fantastic performance in this brutally realistic view of the war. It was good enough for 4 Oscars...

5) Braveheart - Going way back, Braveheart deals will William Wallace's desire to free his country from the tyranny of England. William Wallace inspired hundreds of thousands of Scottish people to fight against England so that they could have control of their country once again. This movie is based upon the real life of William Wallace. Another Mel Gibson performance, one of yet another high caliber. Braveheart has some amazing battle scenes but also some heartwarming scenes as well.

6) Schindler's List - A portrayal of the most depressing part of World War II. Steven Spielberg earned his first Oscar with this amazingly horrid yet touching film which mainly retells the story of Jewish prison camp interns during World War II. This movie was done entirely in black and white which really makes it seem more authentic. The message is powerful and very moving.

7) Full Metal Jacket - The classic military movie, depicting the worst truths about life in Marine Boot Camp. This movie is set during the Vietnam conflict. The film begins at Paris Island and goes from there sharing with us a frightening and hilarious view of boot camp. Private Pyle is always around for a good laugh. Poor kid.

8) The Patriot - The Revolutionary War is the setting for this movie. Another historical piece, focusing on the early years of America and yet another performance by Mel Gibson. The movie was most interesting when it was focused on Gibson's character, I think Heath Ledger got too much attention in the film. That's mainly because he was the new "hunk" of the day and girls wanted to see him. In any case, the movie has some funny parts, some touching moments - pretty much everything you would expect from an epic film.

9) Black Hawk Down - A very interesting movie about a recent conflict - the battle of Mogadishu. The book is far better of course but the movie is certainly entertaining, and sad. Reporter Mark Bowden put together an extremely realistic view of the Battle of Mogadishu a battle best forgotten if you're a part of the DoD. It is a personal look at the situation, although the movie doesn't focus as much on the Somalians view as the book does. It is still a very moving film. Great action, funny pieces, and lots of gore.

10) Behind Enemy Lines - A movie about those Flyboy pansies...actually this is a really good movie starring Owen Wilson. Gene Hackman is also a lead in this movie and he gives a good performance. A Navy pilot is shot down over enemy territory. This is a story of survival - evading the enemy at all costs. Wilson does a great job. This movie was at times very intense.


Honorable Mentions:
- Band Of Brothers (TV Series, Not A Movie)
- M.A.S.H. (TV Series, Not A Movie)
- Patton
- Tora! Tora! Tora!
- Windtalkers
- U-571

[NYCGirl]

55. Do you think most of those GLORIFY war? Then you've never seen them.

What in the hell is a PEACE movie? (Other than every other film than a war movie, that is.)

[Joanne98]

64. A movie that did real damage to war..........

Like "Why We Fight" that didn't get seen by very many people because it had trouble getting DISTRIBUTED! Like all good movies. That's why I'm supporting the independant produces and distributers. I've really had it with the big guys.

God bless Sundance!

[NYCGirl]

69. You can't compare documentaries to scripted films.

I like the indies, too, but I'm not going to condemn the big studios. Believe me, those indie producers would love for their films to get picked up by a big studio.

[tabasco]

75. "We Were Soldiers" blatantly glorified war,specifically the

Battle of Ia Drang.

[NYCGirl]

80. That's one. NT

[mrreowwr_kittty]

60. M.A.S.H was a movie before it was a series.

What's the source of this list. Looks like the person is an real armchair war enthusiast.

[NoPasaran]

137. And an antiwar war movie (and TV series) at that n/t

[Lurking Dem]

62. "BUT it's interesting to note that there are NO peace movies."

I hate to be the one to point this out, but you can't write a story about lack of conflict. Conflict, whether personal, political, or military, is the engine that drives the story.

[Joanne98]

65. What about "Why We Fight"?

[Lurking Dem]

71. That would be a documentary.

Apples/oranges

[SemperEadem]

93. she specifically asked you for 5 that DID make war look good

not a litany of those which didn't.

[Lurking Dem]

32. Does this have anything to do with my post?

I'm confused.

[-..__...]

15. "We'll work up a "Number 6" on 'em".

Hedley Lamarr: "Number 6"? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that one...

Taggart: Well, that's where we go a-ridin' into town, a whampin' and whompin' every livin' thing that moves within an inch of its life. Except the women folks, of course.

Hedley Lamarr: You spare the women?

Taggart: NAW. We rape the shit out of them at the Number 6 Dance later on.

Hedley Lamarr: Marvelous.

Or...

Hedley Lamarr: Qualifications?

Applicant: Rape, murder, arson, and rape.

Hedley Lamarr: You said rape twice.

Applicant: I like rape.

(classic lines from a classic movie)

:rofl:

[Joanne98]

19. Poetry from Survivors of Prisoner Rape

Poetry from Survivors of Prisoner Rape
http://www.spr.org/en/survivorpoetry/main.asp

The Demon of Sickness
k. Paul Faust, 1966-67*

(*) Created in "X-Wing" segregation (the Hole): CTF-Central located in Soledad, California

I am the Blacksheep - I am.
The dreaded bad-seed.
I am a poet; a warrior; and,
its been said, "Akin to a weed."

I am the nature that fails to conform - I am.
I am "tranquillity"...
Then, - I am the storm.

Tested by trial, tempered by fear;
imprisoned, beaten & battered, and turned away;
but, galvanized by those tough & dear.

I know about love; I know of hate; I've seen a lot of
the small; and, I've known some great; moreover,
I've known folks early; but most of all...
I've only known those late.

Now, here I sit after all these years - my epitaph translates:

"Quenched in the Fire of Life's burning Hell;
no an iota less fierce, or bowed, nor bent.
Just a servant, who served his God well..."

The Demon of Sickness
Today my heart is filled with great fear.
For the day of my death grows ever so near.
The demon of sickness has cursed me to death.
My dreadful fate draws closer with my every breath.
I’ve overcome many a sickness in my youthful past,
But now I’ve been cursed with one that will forever last.
For this demon I bear such hate
For these is no escape from his chronic fate.
Listen boy, the demon said,
As he placed his hand upon my head.
Only when you are dead will my job be done,
But it’s no good to fight, for I’ve already won.
I tell you now, fear this demon, he is so real.
He’s an evil demon on a mission to kill,
Searching for victims all about the Earth,
Having no mercy, killing some even before birth.
Where this demon comes from
I’m not real sure.
But this I know, he has no C-U-R-E.
And one day my soul will be put to rest upon a bed of roses.
The demon will then move on,
But only after my body decomposes.
So I have given to the Lord in heaven above
My faith, my soul, and all my love,
And my heart goes out to all whom this demon invades,
For the demon of sickness and death is better known as AIDS.

It Ain’t no Joke!


The Raping of KeViN
One night dark and confused
A man came up to me
And made me take down my jail-issued
Orange ugly jumpsuit

And I was ugly and dirty
And he
Shane was tall and confident and mean
And he looked at me

And his eyes were
True Blue True Blue
Lying True Blue
Steely cold and Lying Eyes

And he grabbed me and came in me
And I felt the hot sperm
Hit my guts
And I wanted to puke

And then they moved me
After I punched him in the face
Over a fucking pencil
That didn’t matter anyways

And there I sat
Waiting to die
In the coldest cell
Of the hottest Florida jail

And before the Easter ended
God came and He Came in Me
And I felt His Love
And I wanted to Live.

September 29, 2003

Abyss

"My world is a cold and isolated abyss,
Filled with chaos and thoughts of a life
I'm sure to miss-
Yet, for some unknown reason I feel
Compelled to reach out,
For what or to whom leaves very little doubt -
I have always been of mind and with heart,
Thus it's my soul which remains in the dark-
Should you extend your thoughts I shall hold tight,
For all that rest beneath the surface must
Eventually come into the light-"
Juan Merced
Pelican Bay Security Housing Unit, 2002
(I'm neither a survivor nor family member, I sent my poem because I was/am interested in your program)



Cat and Mouse
Loneliness stalks me like the cat its mouse
Immersed in books, i see the pages turned by paws
The whiskers brush the earphones from my head
The narrow-slitted pupils follow typing fingers.
Escaped to sex, it meets me there
And licks me raspy, purring nice
And tearing strips of pain from opened heart.

--Stephen Donaldson, in prison, 1982

Branded
Was it but seven years ago, so distant now to me
As i look out thru window barred at city scenery?
The images now seem to be, tho i know they are real,
So distant and intangible, as things i cannot feel,
Like famous grainy photographs of spacemen on the Moon
Or like the Playboy bunnies i have pinned up in my room.
Just so appears the memory of bygone innocense,
When like a stallion i was free and roamed about the map,
No master knew nor fear of men, no danger did i sense.
How could i then have come to ken or even to suspect
That in the zoo of Cell Block Two there'd lie in wait a trap?
No thing of steel but just as real, what i did not expect,
The dreadful snare in which my daring psyche thus was caught.
What might have been in years since then if i had better fought?
If i had been a fighter then, would they have reached their goal?
Would not the searing iron have burned its mark upon my soul?
In nites of terror all my hopes for liberty were sunk
When force of rape first manhood took and branded me a PUNK.

The rope was slipped around my neck, the bridle is secure;
And tho the chain is sometimes long, and freedom doth allure,
I'm at my masters' beck and call, however much i learn;
I am in thrall to power strong; to Punkdom i return.

--Stephen Donaldson, in jail, 1980

The Seventh Rapist
You're different
From the others, i can tell right away.
How strange:
Soft delicate kiss on the back of my neck
As upon me your conquering body you lay,
Meeting my terror and fear
With a tentatie tongue on the lobe of my ear.
What kind of a rapist is this,
Who commences his rape with a kiss?


You're different:
You don't start with the pain of a savage attack
But with feelings of warmth from your chest on my back.
From the heat of your thighs on my sensitive ass;
And your cock not inside but on top of my crack
As you wait for my desolate sobbing to pass.


You're different.
Now soothing you whisper, with head next to mine:
"I'll take it real slow, we got plenty o' time.
It may hurt you at first, no denying the facts,
But things will go better if you can relax."
As you nibble my ear, sending chills down my spine,
How I wonder that rapist so gently attacks!


Are you different?
You wait til i'm quiet,
Then enter real slow,
Holding me down with your arms as you go;
OH!!!
A sharp stab of pain as i struggle in vain to escape from your battering-ram.
Then you soothe me once more
As i'm pierced to the core
And impaled on the flesh of a man.


You're different;
You cover me,
Motionless bodies we lay,
Until i relax
As the pain ebbs away;
Whispering comforting words in my ear,
Telling me how i have nothing to fear;
Waiting for this one to slowly adjust
To being a slave for your masculine lust.
When i am calm
It's your warmth that I feel
As you cover my body from shoulder to heel,
Protectively keeping the next one at bay.
I compare your concern
With their merciless thrust
And i suddenly want you to stay!


You're different --
So you're filling me now with your masculine power,
The seventh to rape me in less than an hour.
The difference is this:
You don't treat me like dirt;
Your body makes love where the others make hurt.
So i don't mind your vigorous fucking so much,
But mentally dwell
On the feel of your touch,
On your maleness inside me,
On being possessed,
On the feelings that girls have, and all of the rest.
--When finally your passion ascends to the height
And you lunge and you kiss me and squeeze me real tight
And you shudder and groan and you fill me with cream,
I know i've been caught
In your sexual dream.


You are different!
You whisper: "I want you to be
My own punk!
I'll keep those jocks off you,
Don't worry no more;
You'll be in my cell, babe,
And sleep in my bunk,
And if anyone hurts you, I'll even the score."
Relaxing beneath you,
Flesh still in my hole,
I consider your offer,
Ponder my role.
It's clear now: the difference is really your goal:
The six took my body,
You're taking my soul.

--Stephen Donaldson, in prison, July 12, 1981

Donny's Song
Dedicated to Bette Midler

He sang a punk's song
a wail for the world to hear
about unspeakable barbarism
in the world's most comfortable nation

Over and over and over and over he told his story
mostly to ears that refused to hear
Of what happened to him and
hundreds of thousands of other men, women and children

Some innocent
Some quilty
Some guilty of disqusting, henious crimes
But nome--no==not one sentenced to be tortured

He sang of the waste of human lives and ummmm taxes
He sang of emotional wrecks, now expensive wards of the state
And horrible monsters created behind bars this way
Rape victims turned rapists like himself and even far worse

Though he throughly knew how throughly crazy-making is rape
And counciled many other rapists to
Stop torturing others as well as themselves.
His own intellect and emotions were far too separated

The pain of his birth never ceased
Was even made far, far worse
When his own country betrayed him
In a jail in his nation's capital

Arrested on the White House lawn
For praying for peace in Vietnam
Navy vet turned Quaker pacifist, young and white he was confined
In a cell with hundreds of young blacks

G. Gordon Liddy knows all about
what happened to Donny that day
He even chronicled it in Will
He may even have caused Donny's torture, he admits
Liddy, the former FBI agent
Turned district attorney
Turned Nixon plumber and superpatriot
Turned media star and arms salesman knows

Senior Captain Clinton Cobb
Of DC Jail Shift #2 also knows
He'd the one who turned the key on Donny
That 23rd of August 1973

Don Collins and I know
We were there
We felt Donny's screams
We heard his pain and will always

The media knows
For decades, centuries even
And has wept oceans of crocodile tears
While busy busy busy selling print and air time

Hollywood too knows
Bette Midler among many many many others
With their clever one-liners in cop shows
About menticide often grossly described

Donny the Punk, as he called himself
Spent his last years
Making a superhuman effort to stop prison rape
And died of AIDS July 18,1996 just shy of 50

I charge the state (read: all of us) with his murder
Weapons were gross stupidity and incomprehensible greed
Motive: many especially
To keep the criminal justice industry humming and expanding

And this in a country that has placed men on the moon
And brought them back alive decades ago
Yet to date hasn't even scratched the surface
In understanding the human mind

So here is my song for my comrade turned martyr
Here are my tears for courageous brother
Here is my eulogy for my selfless friend
Here is my farewell to you, Donny the Great

Tom Cahill
Fort Bragg, California
July 18, 1996

Tom Cahill is the president of the Board of Directors of SPR.<

http://www.spr.org/en/survivorpoetry/main.asp

[AliceWonderland]

113. This post has haunted me for a few hours

Had to come back and say so.

[Joanne98]

142. Sorry.

[spanone]

20. Who is Hollywood? Never heard of him.

[k_jerome]

22. Holly Wood sister of Natalie. nt.

[Joanne98]

24. Universal Studios.....

[NYCGirl]

25. From what I can tell on this post, Hollywood is a right wing guy with a MySpace

page full of pornography, who's funded by Rupert Murdoch.

The OP has a point about the film (the author of a book about his experiences in prison was on the Rachel Maddow Show on Air America a couple of weeks ago and they discussed this movie), but running off on a rant portraying Hollywood as right-wing and in bed with the neocons is just silly. The OP would do much better contacting the producers of this film.

[Joanne98]

29. Thanx for your imput. Universal Studios produced this film..

I did contact them. I hope you will too.

http://www.universalstudios.com/homepage/html/contact_us/contact_form.cgi?email_id=9

[NYCGirl]

31. No, Universal didn't produce it. Here are the companies who did:

http://www.imdb.com/company/co0030713/

http://www.imdb.com/company/co0086710/

[Joanne98]

34. Then why is it on Universal's website?

[NYCGirl]

35. They are the distributor. They did not make the movie. NT

[Joanne98]

45. Well maybe they should be more careful with what they distribute

If nobody distributed crap like this it wouldn't get into the theatre and then people wouldn't make them anymore.

[NYCGirl]

48. If it doesn't make money, they won't distribute it. So DON'T GO SEE IT.

I'm not about to tell filmmakers what they can and cannot do. That's what a real police state does.

[Moochy]

67. No, direct consumer feedback is not what a police state does

You conflate the actions of individuals with collective legal action by state actors.

WE are not a police state. We are individuals. IF you write to universal your actions are hardly on par with those of a "police state" unless you have some legislative or executive power to make prison rape movies illegal.

on edit clarity (hopefully)

[NYCGirl]

70. I'm talking about restricting an artist because you don't like his subject matter.

[Moochy]

76. So these hypothetical restrictions

So these hypothetical restrictions on artists that result from a consumer backlash are tantamount to a police state's censorship of artists...

It just seems like an overreach to compare it to a police state actions.

Cheers!
on edit less bombast :)

[NYCGirl]

81. I was throwing it back at the OP, who said in her second post:

"It's Universal. I'm really getting sick of Hollywood. I'm sick of their cops shows too. I've never researched it but I have a feeling that Hollywood is HELPING the thugs put in a police state."

[Moochy]

85. Got it, I read that but missed the connection

Thanks for clarifying, both claims are overreaches for sure :)

Happy New Year!

[NYCGirl]

88. Yep, that's why I did it.

Happy New Year to you, too!

[Joanne98]

139. CW is headquartered in Studio City

12001 Ventura Place - 6th Floor
Studio City, CA 91604
Building 3

I guess that's not Hollywood.

[Lurking Dem]

30. This used to be code.

In the 50's Hollywood = Jew and they were in bed with Communists out to destroy America.

Now it's the evil neocons.

(Not saying that is what the OP is doing. Merely a bit of history that people who are still living may carry with them, coloring their view.)

[Joanne98]

36. I've never mentioned neo-cons.........

I associate neo-cons with war not movies. But maybe you know something I don't. Care to share?

[Lurking Dem]

68. I meant

that neocon is now being used in certain circles as code for Jew.

[Joanne98]

84. That's not my fault.

[Lurking Dem]

89. Where the fuck did I say it was?

I even specifically pointed out that it was an historical aside.

[Lilith Velkor]

159. You are misinformed

The most notorious neocons are Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rove and Rumsfeld - all of whom are Protestants, IIRC.

This "code" bullshit is an attempt to equate opposition to neoconservatism with anti-Semitism. If the policies of the Bush regime are not your cuppa, please stop spreading it.

[Joanne98]

27. Prisoner Rape in the News 2006

This needs it's own thread....

http://www.spr.org/en/news/2006main.asp

PRISONER RAPE IN THE NEWS - 2006

Inmate decides on trial on rape charge, The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), December 21, 2006.
Lori Glenn, Accused jailer free on bond, The Moultrie Observer (Moultrie, GA), December 20, 2006.
Rick Holmes, Portsmouth police investigate rape claim at Hampton Roads Regional Jail, WTKR-TV Channel 3 (Norfolk, VA), December 20, 2006.
Demetria Gallegos, Court worker arrested for sex assault, The Denver Post, December 19, 2006.
Sheriff’s deputy busted for alleged sex with inmates, WTEN-TV Channel 10 (Albany, NY), December 19, 2006.
Paul Turenne, Native elder fired amid jail-sex allegations, The Winnipeg Sun (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), December 19, 2006.
Scott E. Williams, Guard faces inmate sex charge, The Galveston Daily News (Galveston, TX), December 19, 2006.
Cheryl Winkelman, AIDS in jail a cold reality, The Tri-Valley Herald (Pleasanton, CA), December 18, 2006.
Former corrections employee arrested, WIS-TV Channel 10 (Columbia, SC), December 13, 2006.
Brendan Smith, For prisoners, a separate kind of punishment, Legal Times, December 18, 2006.
Peter Y. Hong, Woman recalls attack by jail guard, Los Angeles Times, December 14, 2006.
Carol D. Leonnig, Two women sue D.C., alleging rape by jail guards, Washington Post, December 14, 2006.
David Royse, Guards in prison sex scandal sentenced, Washington Post, December 14, 2006.
Psychologist pleads guilty to sex with inmate, KOVR-TV Channel 13 (Sacramento, CA), December 14, 2006.
Lori Glenn, Sheriff: Jailer admits sex with inmate, The Moultrie Observer (Moultrie, GA), December 14, 2006.
Andrew Glazer, Congressional prison rape panel hears from immigrant victim in LA, San Jose Mercury News, December 13, 2006.
Clay Carey, TBI probing sex claims at Jackson County jail, The Tennessean (Nashville, TN), December 13, 2006.
Ryan LaFontaine, Lawsuit against Hancock jail settled, The SunHerald (Biloxi, MS), December 11, 2006.
Correction officer fired after allegedly having sex with inmate, KATV-TV Channel 7 (Little Rock, AR), December 11, 2006.
Matt Dunn, Corrections officer charged with misconduct, Bridgeton News (Bridgeton, NJ), December 9, 2006.
Mike McWilliams, Man pleads to lesser charge in prison rape incident, Iowa City Press-Citizen, December 8, 2006.
Daniel Walsh, S. Woods guard facing charges, PressofAtlanticCity.com, December 8, 2006.
Mike McWilliams, Man pleads guilty in prison rape case, Iowa City Press-Citizen, December 7, 2006.
Brandon Lacic, Jail officer fired, investigated for sexual misconduct with inmate, Ionia Sentinel-Standard (Ionia, MI), December 5, 2006.
Correction officers indicted on charges they had sex with inmates, The Boston Herald, December 5, 2006.
Mike Carter, Inquiry into jail begins, The Seattle Times, December 5, 2006.
Saed Bannoura, Child detainee threatened with rape during interrogation, International Middle East Media Center News, December 5, 2006.
Dave Gathman, Editorial: Horrible, funny: Do they mix? The Courier-News (Elgin, IL), December 3, 2006.
Former corrections officer charged with having sex with inmate, The Fort Wayne News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, IN), December 2, 2006.
Natalie Singer, County jail officer to become an inmate, The Seattle Times, December 2, 2006.
Mark Hebert, Prison sex not limited to inmates, WHAS-TV Channel 11 (Louisville, KY), November 30, 2006.
Joe Elias, Prison cook admits sex with inmate, The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, PA), November 30, 2006.
Jerry Large, Editorial: There’s nothing funny about real prison rape, The Seattle Times, November 30, 2006.
Amanda Milkovits, ACI officials balk at distributing condoms in prison, The Providence Journal, November 29, 2006.
Wyoming Briefs: Officials drop counts in jail sex case, The Casper Star-Tribune (Casper, WY), November 29, 2006.
Theresa Freeman, Advocacy group works to slow AIDS spread, The MetroWest Daily News (Framingham, MA), November 28, 2006.
Inmate pleads not guilty in Dixon prison rape, standoff, WLS-TV Channel 7 (Chicago), November 28, 2006.
Editorial: Independent evaluator a better choice, Sauk Valley Newspapers (Dixon, IL), November 28, 2006.
Meghan Lewit, Woman alleges sexual assault by sheriff’s corporal, The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA), November 27, 2006.
Former corrections officer pleads guilty to sex offense, MidHudsonNews.com (Middletown, NY), November 27, 2006.
Frank Green, New prison comedy no laughing matter, The Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond, VA), November 25, 2006.
Man acquitted of raping cellmate, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 25, 2006.
Jennifer Sullivan, Jury acquits prisoner of raping his cellmate, The Seattle Times, November 23, 2006.
Frank Green and Kiran Krishnamurthy, Sex offender suffers burns, The Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond, VA), November 22, 2006.
Feds want life term in ex-cop’s rape case, The San Antonio Express-News, November 21, 2006.
Sarah Etter, Legal Roundup: PREA predictions, The Corrections Connection Network News, November 21, 2006.
Richard Serrano, 9/11 prisoner abuse suit could be landmark, The Los Angeles Times, November 20, 2006.
Jail guard found not guilty of having sex with inmate, WLTX-TV Channel 19 (Columbia, SC), November 20, 2006.
Frank Green, Inmate acts with inmates are alleged, The Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond, VA), November 19, 2006.
Rohrmiller sentenced, Capital News 9 (Albany, NY), November 18, 2006.
James Franco, Jailer sentenced to prison, The Record (Troy, NY), November 18, 2006.
Bob Gardinier, Jail guard gets 1 to 3 years on rape charges, Albany Times Union, November 17, 2006.
Union defends efforts of Risdon officers, ABC Tasmania (Australia), November 17, 2006.
Jail guard sentenced for sex with inmates, North Country Gazette (Chestertown, NY), November 17, 2006.
T.J. Parsell, Radio interview: Prisoner sex abuse in the U.S., Air Talk, 89.3 FM KPCC (Pasadena, CA), November 16, 2006.
Bryce Mursch, Corrections counselor accused of having sex with inmate, WIS-TV Channel 10 (Columbia, SC), November 16, 2006.
Jim Haley, Monroe inmate on trial for alleged prison rape, The Herald (Everett, WA), November 15, 2006.
Former Barnes County inmate sues over jail assault, The Bismarck Tribune (Bismarck, ND), November 15, 2006.
Man accused of sex trysts with inmate, The News-Review (Roseburg, OR), November 15, 2006.
Study finds “sexualized working environment” at King County Jail, Examiner.com, November 14, 2006.
Don Thompson, Federal panel begins hearings on curbing prison rape, The San Jose Mercury News, November 14, 2006.
Hector Castro, “Sexualized atmosphere” in county jail, study says, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 14, 2006.
Jennifer Sullivan, Rare criminal trial focuses attention on “huge problem” of prison rape, The Seattle Times, November 14, 2006.
Tom Bennett, Sex and beer at Transition Center, The Daily Astorian (Astoria, OR), November 10, 2006.
Ex-jail guard sentenced for lying to grand jury, North Country Gazette (Chestertown, NY), November 9, 2006.
Bob Gardinier, Former guard sentenced to 8 years, Albany Times Union, November 9, 2006.
Editorial: Protect citizens from rogue cops, The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 8, 2006.
Ex-jail officer pleads guilty to felonys, Billings Gazette (Billings, MT), November 7, 2006.
Keith Rhoades, Inmate who escaped suing county, former chaplain, Reporter-Times (Martinsville, IN), November 7, 2006.
Christopher Lisotta, Boy behind bars, The Advocate, November 7, 2006.
Mike Deeson, Pregnant inmate claims affair with married jail chaplain, WTSP-TV (Tampa, FL), November 6, 2006.
Carl Hamilton, 2nd ex-guard pleads guilty in jail case, Cecil Whig (Elkton, MD), November 6, 2006.
Jail officer pleads guilty in sex case, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 4, 2006.
Renee Winkler, Prison worker sentenced for sex, Courier-Post, November 3, 2006.
Craig R. McCoy and Nancy Phillips, City freed from police-sex suit, The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 3, 2006.
WNBC-TV Channel 4 (New York), Jail guard admits sex with inmates, November 3, 2006.
RCMP officer gets three years for sexual assault, The Globe and Mail, November 3, 2006
David Pierce, Jail sex probe ends without charges, Pocono Record, November 2, 2006.
Denise Heilbrun, Former jailer pleads guilty, The Casper Star-Tribune (Casper, WY), November 1, 2006.
Frank Green, Officer in sex case: "I'm.guilty", Richmond Times-Dispatch, November 1, 2006.
Melissa Walker, Dallas jail official charged in sex case, The Des Moines Register, November 1, 2006.
Kirk Mitchell, Guard charged with sex assault, The Denver Post, November 1, 2006.
KCNC-TV Channel 4 (Denver), Officer accused of sexual relationship with inmate, November 1, 2006.
Jeffrey Wolf, Corrections officer accused of sexual misconduct, KUSA-TV Channel 9 (Denver), November 1, 2006.
Kristy Armstrong, Corrections officer accused of having sex with inmate, KMGH-TV 7 (Denver), October 31, 2006.
Nick Squires, PNG police accused of torture, rape of women and children, New Zealand Herald, October 31, 2006.
DOC worker charged with having sex with inmate, Denver Daily News, October 31, 2006.
Human Rights Watch, Papua New Guinea: Government must end continuing police brutality against children, Reuters AlertNet, October 30, 2006.
Julie Webb-Pullman, Report confirms rape and torture of prisoners, Green Left Weekly Online, October 30, 2006.
Beth Wilson, County investigating jail sexual assault accusation, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, October 30, 2006.
Officers dismissed most often for sex offenses, The Spectrum, October 30, 2006.
Records show earlier jail assaults in Barnes County, The Bismarck Tribune, October 29, 2006.
Lisa Rosetta and Nate Carlisle, Sex offenses ensnaring officers, The Salt Lake Tribune, October 29, 2006.
Laura Duncan, Additional deputy booked in Purgatory sex scandal, The Spectrum, October 28, 2006.
Lise Fisher, Lawsuit: County officials knew of dangers at jail before rape, The Gainesville Sun, October 28, 2006.
KSL-TV 5 (Salt Lake City), Former sheriff's deputy booked in sex scandal, October 28, 2006.
David Pierce, Two jail guards resign in sex probe, Pocono Record, October 28, 2006.
Monica Keen, City jailer accused of sex crime, Sequoyah County Times, October 27, 2006.
Scott E. Williams, Prison guard indicted in inmate fondling case, The Galveston County Daily News, October 27, 2006.
Fikile-Ntsikelelo Moya, Popcru too powerful, The Mail & Guardian, October 27, 2006.
Laura Duncan, Former deputy charged in sex scandal, The Spectrum, October 27, 2006.
Steven Elbow, Former prison cook faces sexual assault charge, The Capital Times, October 26, 2006.
Matthew Watkins, Ex-prison supervisor admits to sexual misconduct with inmate, The Bryan-College Station Eagle, October 26, 2006.
WLS-TV 7 (Chicago), Probation for former guards accused of sex with inmate, October 26, 2006.
Mike Miller, 2nd guard at Oakhill gets probation for inmate sex, The Capital Times, October 26, 2006.
WBAY-TV 2 (Green Bay, WI), Probation for former guards accused of sex with inmate, October 26, 2006.
KMGH-TV 7 (Denver), Corrections employee arrested on suspicion of sexual misconduct, October 26, 2006.
WBAL-TV 11 (Baltimore), Jail guard pleads guilty in inmate sex scandal, October 25, 2006.
Darren Bernhardt, Officer guilty of sexual assault, The StarPhoenix, October 25, 2006.
Federal corrections officer pleads guilty to sexual misconduct violations, PressZoom.com, October 25, 2006.
Erin Calandriello, Activist: City prisons need to update condom policy, Metro Philadelphia, October 25, 2006.
Amanda Banks, Jail officers face crime for sex with prisoners, The West Australian, October 21, 2006.
Craig Kapitan, Grand jury indicts assault suspect, The Bryan-College Station Eagle, October 21, 2006.
Federal corrections officer pleads guilty to sexual misconduct violations, U.S. Newswire, October 20, 2006.
Lovisa Stannow, Memo to Canada: Don't ape U.S. crime policy, Toronto Star, October 20, 2006.
Harlingen jailer indicted on jail house sex charges, KGBT4.com (TX), October 19, 2006.
Reed Williams, Teacher accused of sex crimes against jail inmates, The Roanoke Times, October 19, 2006.
Kayla Gahagan, Usitalo Sentenced, The Daily Mining Gazetter, October 14, 2006.
Lou Grieco and Lawrence Budd, Few Reports, fear of reprisal make it hard to say how often inmates, guards have sex, Dayton Daily News, October 14, 2006.

Lou Grieco and Lawrence Budd, Illicit sex casts glare on guards, Dayton Daily News, October 14, 2006.
Patrick Sullivan, Fired corrections officer says panel advises reinstatement, Traverse City Record Eagle, October 14, 2006.
Leann Holt, Grand jury adds charges in juvenile jail rape; D.A. wants adult sentences for teens, Albuquerque Journal, October 11, 2006.
Tom Cambell, Chaplain acquitted for sex with inmate, Richmond Times-Dispatch, October 9, 2006.
Anabel Marquez, Harlingen Jailer Accused of Having Oral Sex with Inmate, KGBT 4 -Harlingen, TX, October 9, 2006.
Kim Trobee, Prison Experts Look for Ways to Tackle Inmate Abuse, Especially Among Women, Family News, October 9, 2006.
Tyrone Reid, Gay colony in prisons, Jamaica Gleaner, October 8, 2006.
Tiffany Latta, Corrections officer allegedly has sex with prisoner, Dayton Daily News, October 6, 2006.
Leann Holt, Facility sought for accused teens; CYFD must decide by end of week where to put three accused of rape, Albuquerque Journal, October 4, 2006.
Leann Holt, Judge wanted victim in treatment; Court advised teen not be sent to YDDC, Albuquerque Journal, October 3, 2006.
YDCC assault investigated, Albuquerque Journal, October 2, 2006.
Leann Holt, Memo spoke of dangers at YDDC; 2 Charged in teen’s rape, Albuquerque Journal, September 29, 2006.
Leann Holt, 3rd Teen charged in jail rape; Mother of accused apologizes to alleged victim’s mother, Albuquerque Journal, September 30, 2006.
Denise Heilbrun, Two others face trial in Platte jail sex case, Jackson Hole Star Tribune, September 27, 2006.
U.S.: Girls Abused in New York's Juvenile Prisons, Human Rights Watch, September 25, 2006.
Tamara Lush, Behind bars, sex charges the air, St. Petersburg Times, September 24, 2006.
Tamara Lush, Guards rarely go to prison on sex charges, St Petersburg Times, September 24, 2006.
Alan Gustafson, Prison guard is charged with sex misconduct, Statesman Journal, September 21, 2006.
Mozambique: Recognizing the reality of HIV/AIDS in prisons saves lives, Reuters Foundation: AlertNet, September 21, 2006.
Corrections Officer Arrested for Sex with Inmate, The Oregonian, September 20, 2006.
Mike Miller, Sex with inmate brings probation, The Capital Times, September 19, 2006.
Rachanee Srisavasdi, Juvenile officer charged with having sex with teenage inmate, The Orange County Register, September 16, 2006.
Prison guard charged in Florida sex-for-contraband scandal pleads guilty, Court TV, September 15, 2006.
Janice Morse, Deputy accused of sex with prisoner, The Cincinnati Enquirer, September 14, 2006.
Patrick Sullivan, Corrections officer fired over relationship with former inmate, Traverse City Record Eagle, September 13, 2006.
Ysabel Bilbao, Deputy accused of having sex with inmates, KTVB News Group (Idaho), September 12, 2006.
Guard will serve jail time for having sex with inmate, WJACTV.com (PA), September 12, 2006.
Bob Gardinier, Ex-Inmate at Rensselaer Jail Files Lawsuit over Rapes, Times Union (Albany, NY), September 8, 2006.
Chitra Subramanyam, Federal Prison Guard Pleads Guilty, Tallahassee Democrat, September 7, 2006.
Kate Turnbow, A Complete Overhaul: County Sherriff says a Recent Suicide Shows Jail Facility is in Need of…, The Capital Journal (Pierre, SD), September 6, 2006.
Missouri Corrections Secures $1.4 Million in Grants, Kansas City infozine, September 4, 2006.
Jennifer Kavanaugh, Ex-inmate accuses guard of rape, Metro West Daily News, September 1, 2006.
Kim Carollo, Corrections officer who had sex with a former inmate is fired, Heart of Illinois (HOI) Online, September 1, 2006.
Angela Mack, Brunswick jail officer is facing charges, Star News Online, September 1, 2006.
Tracy Johnson, Jurors deadlock in jail sex trial, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 31, 2006
Hurst Laviana, Crime & Courts Briefs: Charges filed in Butler County jail sex scandal, The Wichita Eagle, August 31, 2006.
Frank Green, Prison, jail staff cited in sex cases, Richmond Times-Dispatch, August 27, 2006
Increased Prison Sexual Violence, Criminal Justice Forum (radio show archives), August 26, 2006.

Dealing with Sex in Prison, The Nation News, Barbados, August 26, 2006.
Charlie Frago, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Officer-Inmate Liaison Investigated, August 25, 2006.
Rebekah Kendal, Inside Pollsmoor: The grim reality, iafrica.com. August 24, 2006.
Eric Rich: Crimes at State Prisons a Burden on County Prosecutors, Washington Post, August 17, 2006
Craig R. McCoy and Nancy Phillips: Police Turned Predators:Allegation of sex act languishes, Philadelphia Inquirer, August 14, 2006
Joe Elias: Police accuse cook of having sex with inmate, The Patriot-News, August 11, 2006
Tracy Johnson: Jail guard allegedly accepted offer of sex: But defense denies misconduct charges, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, August 10, 2006
Laura Michels: Corrections officer investigated, HOI-19 News, August 7, 2006
Michael Newsom: Jailer arrested for sex with inmate He resigned his post when questioned, August 6, 2006
David Conti: Former Inmates Settle Lawsuit, Pittsburgh Tribune- Review, August 4, 2006
Prison Legal News, Vol. 17, No. 8, August 2006.
Norman Sinclair: Wayne won't take prison rape cases: Prosecutor testifies county lacks resources to prosecute female inmates' complaints, The Detroit News, August 4, 2006
Michelle Chen, Activists Call for Real Remedies to Prisoner Rape, The New Standard, August 3, 2006.
Rick Anderson: The Sweet 16A sex scandal widens among guards at the county jails and juvie hall, Seattle Weekly, August 2, 2006
Jim Williamson & Greg Bischof: Ex-jail commissary manager pleads innocent, Texarkana Gazette, August 2, 2006
Josh Montez: Prison Sex Crimes Under Reported, www.family.org, August 1, 2006
Natalie Singer: Corrections officer pleads not guilty to sexual misconduct, Seattle Times, August 1, 2006
Sue Waldram, Outlook, BBC World Service. August 2006.
Prison Legal News, Vol. 17, No. 8, August 2006.
Bente Birkeland, High Country Community Radio Coalition (HCCRC), KRCC Western Skies. August 2006.
Leslie Miller: Study: Inmates often don't report sex abuse, The Star Ledger, July 31, 2006
Study Cites Unreported Prison Sexual Violence, NATION IN BRIEF, July 31, 2006
Geoffrey Fattah: Utah prisons buck U.S. trend, Sexual assaults up 16% in U.S.; Utah official reports a decline, Desert Morning News, July 31, 2006
Corrections Officials Report More Than 6,200 Sexual Violations Occurred in the Nation's Prisons and Jails in 2005, www.Forensicnursemag.com. July 31, 2006
Charlie Frago: Sexual violence in prison studied: Increase in allegations reported, ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE. July 31, 2006
Claudia Rowe and Hector Castro: Female guard faces felony sex charges Prosecutors says she seduced two teen inmates, www.Seattlepi.com. Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Mia Thomas, Oakalla prison guard ordered to pay ex-prisoner $10,000 for sexual assault in 1979, The Vancouver Sun. July 15, 2006
Nate Carlisle, Sexual trysts in prison may beget three lawsuits, The Salt Lake Tribune. July 14, 2006 Friday
Dan Bell, They Deserve It, The Nation. July 10, 2006.
Former prison employee accused of having sex with inmate, The Associated Press State & Local Wire. July 9, 2006
Tony Parra, Former deputy gets five years on sex charge, The Portales. July 7, 2006
Thomas Zambito, FEMALE CONS FILE SUIT. 15 claim sex abuse from male guards, Daily News. July 3, 2006
Joey Thompson, Tough to put dollar figure on inmate's pain: Court torn over compensation for subsequent jail time. The Vancouver Province. July 3, 2006
Midlands prison guard charged with having sex with inmate, Associated Press. June 28, 2006
Andrea Fanta, 3 guards in prison sex scandal held without bond, 2 released. Associated Press. June 23, 2006
Emma Fitzsimmons, NATIONWIDE PANEL STUDIES ERADICATION OF PRISON RAPE, The Boston Globe. June 02, 2006
Denise Lavoie, Juvenile inmates describe sexual abuse at Boston hearing, The Associated Press State & Local Wire, June 1, 2006.
National Prison Rape Elimination Commission to Hold Public Hearing in Boston, U.S. Newswire, May 30, 2006.
Bradley S. Klapper, U.S. must do more to combat sexual violence in its prisons, U.N. report says. Associated Press. May 19, 2006
Hector Castro, County gets help in curbing jail sex offenses, Seattle Post Intelligencer, May 17, 2006.
Lisa Schuetz, When staffers have sex with the prisoners, Wisconsin State Journal, April 24, 2006.
Lisa Schuetz, Fight Aginst Prison Rape Has Heated Up, Wisconsin State Journal, April 23, 2006
Patrick Letellier, PlanetOut Network, April 22, 2006.
David Brown, Few Men Found to Get HIV in Prison, The Washington Post, April 21, 2006.
Samira Jafari: Prison system takes steps to crack down on inmate sexual violence, The Associated Press. March 31, 2006
Mike McWilliams, Man charged with jail rape, Iowa City Press-Citizen, March 20, 2006.
Tali Woodward, Life in hell, The San Francisco Bay Guardian, March 15, 2006.
Dept of Justice wants prison overcrowding case dismissed, Mail & Guardian Online (South Africa), March 13, 2006.
Scott Gutierrez, Two face prison sex charges, The Olympian, March 11, 2006.
Georgia inmates charged with sexually assaulting fellow inmate, WIStv.com (Columbia, SC), March 8, 2006.
Nathaniel Jones, Former jailer guilty of violating inmate's rights, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, March 7, 2006.
Darrell Todd Maurina, County jailer charged in sexual assault of inmate, The Waynesville (MO) Daily Guide, March 7, 2006.
Jail guard freed after admitting to sex with inmate, Associated Press, March 3, 2006.
News Sentinel staff: Former jailer indicted on rape charge; Case includes official misconduct count, Knoxville News-Sentinel Co. March 1, 2006
Matthew Hathaway, Settlement expected over rape allegation Woman says she was assaulted by male inmate placed in her county jail cell. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Inc. February 17, 2006
Study that shows rape is rare in prisons is disputed. LRP Publications Corrections Professional. February 10, 2006
Michelle Wiese Bockmann, Convicted sex killer 'raped' fellow jail inmate, The Australian, January 30, 2006.
Prison rape claim inquiry, Nationwide News Pty Limited. January 30, 2006
Seema Mehta, Arrest at Inmate Work Program, Los Angeles Times, January 27, 2006.
Ex-deputy sentenced for sex assault, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, January 25, 2006.
Cal Skinner: Prison rape isn't rare, Chicago Sun Times. January 24, 2006
Tony Rizzo, New study sheds light on prisons' sexual predators, Concord Monitor, January 23, 2006.
Report: Majority of prison sexual violence instigated by staffers. The Associated Press State & Local Wire. January 23, 2006
Prison sex litigation costly for state, Associated Press, January 19, 2006.
Patrick Hurley, Dropping your Soap in the Shower, and that's okay!, www.theonerepublic.com, January 19, 2006.
Annmarie Timmins, Sex cases in prisons cost state $719,000, Concord Monitor, January 18, 2006.
Women inmates claim rape and sue ex-sergeant and state. The Associated Press State & Local Wire, January 18, 2006
Kim Curtis, Disputed study: Rape rare in prisons, Associated Press, January 17, 2006.
Jonathan Abel, Report has no clarity about rape of inmate, St. Petersburg (FL) Times, January 14, 2006.
Beverley Wang, Court papers report ex-sergeant repeatedly assaulted inmates, The Associated Press State & Local Wire. January 13, 2006
Amanda Arthur, Sex offender accused of jailhouse rape, The (Longmont, CO) Daily Times-Call, January 11, 2006.
Kari Lydersen, Red Tape Lets Guards Rape Women Prisoners, Suit Argues, The NewStandard, January 6, 2006.

http://www.spr.org/en/news/2006main.asp

[k_jerome]

28. is there an approved list somewhere...

on what is acceptable to put in movies? do you supply this list?

[Joanne98]

33. No. Do you think making fun of rape is acceptable?

If you do please explain why?

[k_jerome]

38. i can't explain why...

how about comedies where people are killed?

how about comedians that talk about rape? or murder? or child molestation? or racial stereotypes?

how about dramas that portray so-called sensitive subjects?

how about Chappelles Show, where he has skits about slavery? or prostitution?

how about comedians that curse?

how about Andy Kaufman? Richard Pryor? Chris Rock?

how about Larry Flynt?

please tell me what subjects you would like to censor? who should not be shocked or offended?

liberals my ass.

[Joanne98]

47. There are ways to talk about those subjects without endorsing them.

I never seen any comedian make jokes about rape until now.

[k_jerome]

49. you've never seen comedians make prison rape jokes?...

how about child molestation jokes?

who do you watch? sinbad or old bob hope reruns?

movies are made all that time that shock and offend. comedians cross and redraw lines all the time.

if a comedian makes racial stereotype jokes, they are not endorsing racism.

lighten up. don't watch the stupid movie. i am constantly offended by entertainment. i don't watch it. problem solved.

[trumad]

52. "if a comedian makes racial stereotype jokes"

LOL---tell that to Michael Richards.

[k_jerome]

53. no lines crossed there. lol. nt.

[trumad]

87. what?

[k_jerome]

90. tongue in cheek...

i made an assumption that you are intelligent enough to know that he was not doing an act when he made that rant.

i was referring to such giants as Richard Pryor, Freddie Prinze, Redd Foxx. of course, they are minorities, and busted mostly on white folks, so may not be so familiar to some here.

maybe George Carlin or Andy Kaufman are more recognizable?

shocking, insensitive at times. legendary.

of course, you can always listen to Sinbad and watch Hannah Montana for safe entertainment.

[trumad]

95. assumptions...

I'm pretty sure that quite a few DUers have made some about you.

[k_jerome]

97. yes. i will not make assumptions again. thus my explanation. nt.

[Joanne98]

59. I was wondering why I never watch movies or TV anymore.

Somethings just aren't funny.

[k_jerome]

63. and that is a great reason not to watch....if its not funny.

and i believe the movie in question did not do well at the box office.

[trumad]

40. I just went to see the new James Bond movie and loved it...

But he killed people. Lots of people. BUT---barely a ripple from my fellow DUers about those killings. Hummm...me-thinks that fake killing is just as bad as uh fake rape.

The point is---can't we find in almost all the movies something to get all bent on?

[Beelzebud]

43. We still have the 1st Amendment. Sorry.

[Lex]

50. The 1st Amendment applies only to the Government

trying to suppress the right of free expression.

Not sure how that applies in this situation.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

54. To some folks

Criticism = Censorship. They don't get that free speech doesn't mean freedom from other people using their free speech to call them on their bullshit.

[Lex]

57. Exactly.

Very well put.

[Joanne98]

56. We still have BOYCOTTS too....

[Beelzebud]

79. Yes you do. Go for it. You have your 1st amendment rights, and so do movie makers.

[fishwax]

91. how does that apply to the OP?

[Beelzebud]

92. It applies because the 1st Amendment protects things some of us don't agree with.

Boycott, complain, stomp your feet. Those are your first amendment rights.

But at the end of the day they have their 1st Amendment rights, and film makers can make whatever type of films they want. Even ones that offend.

[fishwax]

96. was the OP doing something that would interfere with 1st ammendment rights

Of course they can make whatever type of films they want. They can do a remake of birth of a nation, using michael richards in blackface to play the lead. And a post on DU that criticized that project wouldn't have anything to do with first ammendment rights.

Incidentally, I liked the "If you're never offended, you're not living in a free society" comment downthread.

[Beelzebud]

98. One of my favorite quotes. Prime Minister Kim Campbell from Canada said it.

[Dogmudgeon]

58. Cue the laff track -- We LOVE prison rape!

And in about 75% of the prison rape gags, the rapist is named "Bubba". I guess that actually saying that the anal aggressor is black is out of style in these (with eye rolling from the conservatives) politically correct days -- maybe because prison has "ironically" become the surrogate of college for young black men. The current crop of "beer guy" comedians lives on these kinds of jokes -- fear, violence, rape, and thinly-veiled self-pitying poor-white-guy rage. Such is the interior world of the "Fascist Funny" comedian.

"But wait -- there's more!" It isn't just the Artie Langes of the comedy world who thrive on fears of meeting "Bubba" in the prison shower room. Über-hip Conan O'Brien is also fond of prison rape jokes -- at least his writers are. I wonder how "Conesy" would fare after telling even a single man-on-woman rape joke?

Prison rape statistics are so high that they beggar belief. Even some years ago (early 1990s?) I had read that about 200,000 men had been raped in prison -- and this was an "official" estimate, from one of the law enforcement agencies, not from an advocacy group. The number, according to Stop Prison Rape, has now doubled. During the era of the often emotionally intense anti-rape marches in the early 1990s, many women disbelieved that so many men experienced rape. This was the era in which women realized that man-on-woman rape was a bigger problem than they had previously thought; the idea that men could also be victims was temporarily out of their view. But a few years later, as candle-light marches turned into sustained activism, anti-rape efforts went behind prison bars as well.

Unfortunately, so many Americans are still bloodthirsty AND have a taste for sexualized violence, and take pleasure in hearing of prison rape. The justification is typically "well, he deserved it". We still think in terms of rigid "Personal Responsibility", that anyone who finds himself behind bars deserves whatever he gets, because everybody knows that only bad people go to jail. A good amount of this includes homophobia -- not simply the hate part of homophobia, but the phobia part of homophobia. The USA, in spite of its romanticized outlaw culture, is the most heavily carcerial (prison-ized) country in history. From terbaccy-chawing Stetson-wearing NASCAR fans to shave-headed iPod-carrying denizens of art schools and the gentrified inner cities, the prospect of a young, weak, effeminate man being forcibly buggered elicits giggles, snickers, chortles, and peals of laughter. And in the country where a young man has the greatest chance of being put in prison -- even at random, over the most trivial of offenses -- we have a widespread approval of prison rape.

In the late 1960s, when a greater number of affluent young people faced long prison sentences for possession of trivial amounts of marijuana, LSD, and amphetamines, an anti-prison movement got started. But, it never received much attention or support. Certainly, dangerous people require confinement, but most of the people now behind bars are not dangerous, and over half are there for narcotics violations. Truly dangerous criminals may comprise less than 5% of the prison and jail population overall. With upwards of 3% of our population either in prison or on probation now, it's time for that movement to be revived.

But I have no illusions about this; the law enforcement industry is huge and powerful, and even many liberal Democrats support prison-mania. With media saturation of CourtTV, Geraldo-ism, Law and Order and other prime-time police procedurals, moral panics over pedophilia, blond-o-cide, OJ and Michael, et cetera, our perverse fascination with crime and (especially) punishment isn't apt to go away any time soon. Wackenhut Law Enforcement Industries, Inc., is likely to be a good investment for many years to come, and the prison rape joke will be in style as long as morning drive-time radio stays in business.

Fear can sell anything -- especially anti-social law, and even sexualized violence. And as for the comedy? In the words of Mary Poppins, "just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down". Or, in the case of prison rape, the poison.

--p!
Full Disclosure: Two uncles in law enforcement; high school friends with a Wackenhut heir; two-time victim of violent crime; fan of Conan O'Brien.

[Joanne98]

72. Thankyou Pigwidgeon! Your post is a must read.....

[hedgehog]

61. The key is not the subject but the attitude

Dr. Strangelove certainly made fun of nuclear war, but it hardly endorsed it. I've only seen the trailer, so I couldn't say whether this movie endorses our acceptance of prison violence or mocks us.

[Joanne98]

74. Dr Strangelove was a good anti-war movie...

I taking the word of the Stop Prison Rape Organization. They are saying it's dehumanizing to prisoners. See their website.

[SemperEadem]

101. and usually, the trailer is better than the movie n/t

[NorthernSpy]

66. 'cause it's not Hollywood getting raped...

On the subject of video piracy, different story. Then Hollywood screams like it's getting -- well, you know.

[Jiyah]

73. As george carlin said on his parental advisory album

"I think rape is hilarious, how do you like that? I can prove to you rape is funny; picture porky pig raping elmer fudd. hey, no wonder they call him porky, huh?"

And from his life is worth losing album.

"cornholing is a public event in prison. right there up on the bulletin board: checkers, shuffleboad, cornholing."

[k_jerome]

77. i forgot Carlin. so offensive. nt.

[Moochy]

83. Cartoon characters

and prisoners. Notice even Carlin avoided the third-rail of female rape victims.
And not directed at you Jiyah... but I wish Ignored would read #19, and stop being so pleased with itself.

[Beelzebud]

86. If you are never offended, you aren't living in a free society.

[Dogmudgeon]

99. Truth in comedy and the common prison-rape gag

You made a great point, a point that demands more attention.

Listen, and listen closely, to Carlin. His jokes on rape and prison rapes carry a lot of weight because Carlin has a conscience -- he isn't selling fear-n-giggles. There is a BIG difference between Carlin making you laugh and squirm simultaneously with recognition, and with Artie or Conesy saying, "don't pick up the soap in the shower, or wheeeee!"

This topic may over-simplify the prison rape gag as sugar-coating, but the truth/falsehood inherent in comedy should still be recognizable. There are prison rape jokes that provoke thought, and prison rape jokes that simply push the buttons of sexually insecure men.

I recall that Amy Sedaris once had a routine where she would come on stage with a lot of stage make-up to make her look bruised, beaten, and injured. Sedaris would then purr, "I'm in loooove!" It was the same kind of thing in a different context, man-to-woman rape rather than prison rape. And it's why Sedaris is so popular. A "joke" like that doesn't numb the pain; it rips the scab off. It does not glamorize or romanticize rape and intimate violence, it makes it impossible to avoid dealing with it.

The idea of "truth in comedy" is a big topic of conversation among comedians, especially among improvisers, and was the core of Del Close's teaching -- Close was the guru for an entire generation of improvisers, including most of the comedians on SNL, Upright Citizens' Brigade, Second City and the Groundlings after the 1960s, and myriads of smaller troupes. Close died a few years ago, but a collection of his essays (co-authored with Charna Halpern, his long-time partner) called Truth In Comedy is required reading for actors in improv -- and speaking personally, it's valuable for writers as well.

The thing I'm railing against, the usual prison-rape gag, is NOT truth in comedy. Being raped, no matter in what context, is painful, terrifying, and debasing; it is soul murder. Comedy that delivers the truth forces you to recognize that; otherwise, it is just sugar-coated panic that reinforces the status quo, the nervous laughter of the slaves as the lash falls on that day's scapegoat.

--p!

[Joanne98]

102. Another must read by Pigwidgeon ....

Damn you're good.

[k_jerome]

106. how about when Carlin performs oral on the truck driver...

in the high culture of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back? Have you seen that movie? Where was the conscience there?

Carlin himself would defend this idiotic movie.

[Jiyah]

143. As a strong supporter of free speech and a huge Carlin fan,

I would hope he would. the movie is not to be taken seriously. . .even director Kevin Smith says that.

For fuck sakes, get a damn sense of humor. Enlighten us as to what comedians you think are funny.

[Joanne98]

82. FOR LURKERS who have love ones in prison.....

There are things you can do to help. You can get e-mail updates and free newsletters from this organization
http://www.november.org/

and this organization is for families fighting minimum/mandatory sentencing.. They will also send you a free newsletter..
http://www.famm.org/

Please spread the word on these issues. Especially to young people since they are being attacked daily by the police state.

[Joanne98]

94. For Christians who want to help stop prison rape....

Who want to join a Christian group..

http://www.justicefellowship.org/contentindex.asp?ID=2573

[Joanne98]

100. The National Prison Rape Elimination Commission

Under the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 ("PREA"), 42 U.S.C. § 15601, et seq., the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission is to study Federal, State, and local government policies and practices respecting the prevention, detection and punishment of prison sexual assaults. In that regard, the Commission will carry out a comprehensive legal and factual study of the penalogical, physical, mental, medical, social, and economic impacts of prison sexual assaults on Federal, State, and local governments in the United States and on communities and social institutions generally.

At the conclusion of its term, the Commission will report its findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the President, Congress, and other Federal and State officials. Among its recommendations, the Commission will include national standards for enhancing the detection, prevention, reduction, and punishment of prison sexual assault. Consistent with the Prison Rape Elimination Act, the Commission's recommendations will be designed to make the prevention of prison rape a top priority in every prison system in the United States; to establish a zero-tolerance standard for the incidence of prison sexual assault in America's lockups, jails, juvenile facilities, and prisons; and to protect the Eighth Amendment rights of Federal, State and local prisoners.

http://www.nprec.us/

PLEASE KEEP THIS COMMISSION UNDER PRESSURE! Prisoners are getting raped everyday and we don't have time for a LONG study.

[SemperEadem]

103. the problem is not the commission; it's not Hollywood; it's not comedians--

the problem are your neighbors who mainline fear every day--who think that anyone who is in prison is there for a good reason and doesn't deserve any better than what he's getting. The same ones who are glued to CourtTV/Law and Order/CSI/Cops--the ones for 3 strikes law; the ones who are lulled into a stupor to vote for 'tough on crime' politicians who they think will keep them safe from those criminals who deserve to be locked up. The ones who back politicians who lure prison industry to their town. They are the first to believe that same politician's smear campaign about their opponent being 'soft on crime'. That is who you need to be talking to because they are so dull and slow that they believe that prison rape doesn't occur and if it does, why should they be bothered to care--he's in prison for a reason.

We here can discern the difference. They, however, can't.

[Joanne98]

111. But Hollywood isn't helping matters......

The COP SHOWS are another whole story. In fact, cops shows are a huge part of the problem. The goodguy/badguy bullshit. The cops are always good, the criminals are NEVER innocent, the prosecuters never prosecute innocent people...Oh and how could I forget..

Prisoners all have cable tv in their cells.

[SemperEadem]

164. and Hollywood isn't in the business of 'helping matters'

they only put out there what people will watch. Right now, people love to mainline fear. They are on their knees every night glued to shows that give them a huge dose of fear. When the viewing public begins demanding other types of programming, Hollywood will follow suit because they're not in the business of putting out material that doesn't sell. Anything denegrating prison and prisoners sells... if it wasn't being watched en masse, it wouldn't be distributed. When it stops selling, it will stop being produced and distributed.

As I said, you're barking up the wrong tree. Who you need to be complaining to are your neighbors who are addicted to anything that strikes fear in their hearts. When they stop mainlining fear, the programming will change.

[Nutmegger]

105. Funny how all of a sudden the pro-prison rape DUers are quiet now.

Thank you for bringing this information here.

I'm anti-prison rape and pro-human rights. Yes, I extend human rights to criminals and thugs. We can't pick and choose.

[k_jerome]

116. who are the pro-prison rape DU'ers?

what drivel.

[Joanne98]

124. Probably the same ones who think the super-max prisons are not

cruel and inhumane. I really love they way people are outraged over torture in other countries but when it's in ours it's "what they deserve"......

[k_jerome]

130. i saw the links below and...

stand corrected.

while we disagree on the portrayal of these events in movies, i agree wholeheatedly that it is a problem that should be addressed and eliminated in our correctional facilities.

[Joanne98]

136. Thanx

[alcibiades_mystery]

125. Here are a couple of thread with pro-rape DUers

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=2900457

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2647253

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2651363

The last has this wonderful thought from a long-time DUer:

"3. all inmates cells should have webcams mounted in the ceiling...

so that the general public can verify that the guilty are actually there...

and getting a shot of skilling tossing somebody's salad might be fun too."

To which I responded: "So you're into watching gay rape porn? Creepy."

And the poster REAFFIRMED his desire to watch a prison rape!:

"6. not generally...

but if jefferey skilling is on the bill- i could be."

Wouldn't you call that a pro prison rape DUer?

[k_jerome]

128. well, that is disgusting...

and i am surprised. while i have no problem with some stupid movies showing controversial or shocking images, i do not condone this behavior by any means.

[Nutmegger]

163. Drivel?

Check out the threads about some rapist or murderer getting caught. There's always vitriol about "oh he'll get it from Bubbha" or "don't sleep at night". Sick, putrid comments coming out of the mouths of DUers. The most sickening are the comments where people will say "I don't support prison rape but I'll look the other way".

If you look the other way, then you are enabling prison rape. Before you shout "drivel" look around.

Sick. :puke:

[Joanne98]

123. Thanx Nutmegger....

[AZBlue]

108. Vote with your $$. That's all Hollywood listens to anyway.

If you, like me, don't agree with the film, then don't go see it - and encourage others to stay away as well.

Or, go a step further and donate the cost of a movie ticket to SPR - and then send a copy of your donation letter to the distributor and filmmakers.

[Joanne98]

112. I'm going to go farther. I'm going to the video rental stores and demand

They pull it from the shelves.

[fujiyama]

141. That attitude sounds a bit too much like religious fundies

demanding "Last Temptation of Christ" from being pulled from theaters.

[Joanne98]

154. Then fundies are the ones who keep voting "Tough on crime"

They are a whole other subject. THEY JUST WANT A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE!

Maybe Hollywood and the fundies will get together and make a movie about putting us all in jail for breathing.

Coming to a theatre near you.

[mitchum]

109. Because it's filled with hacks and whores chasing $$$$$$$$$$$

[Joanne98]

114. Here's a good website. morebadcopnews.com

http://www.morebadcopnews.com/inmate-says-new-big-springs-kentucky-federal-prison-is-rife-with-violence-drugs-alcohol-and-gang-violence-two-unsolved-murders-string-of-assaults-support-his-contentions.html

This should be sent to all the cop show lovers...

Reality based crime stories

HERE'S A GOOD STORY for the bastards at Law and Order!

July 3, 2006
Man Haunted by Arrest for Crime He Didn’t Commit That Happened 1200 Miles Away While He Was At Work As Security Guard In Florida, Sat In Polk County Florida Jail for 4 Months For Nothing - Almost 4 Years of Suffering Because Of Connecticut’s Bad Cops and Prosecutors
WINTER HAVEN, FLORIDA – It is a December night he will never forget. Christmas was a week away, and Joseph Lehr, his wife and three stepchildren were preparing to go to bed.

A knock on the door of his home on Avenue G Southeast in Winter Haven on Dec. 18, 2002, would put him behind bars that Christmas Day on an arrest warrant for a robbery that happened about 1,200 miles away in Connecticut — while he was at work in Winter Haven.

He would stay in the Polk County Jail for nearly 120 days fighting to prove his innocence.“I opened the door and (the officers) immediately grabbed me and dragged me across the lawn,” he said in a recent interview. “Guns were pointed at me and my family.”

“I said, `You’ve got the wrong guy! You’ve got the wrong guy!’ But they told me I was going to spend 25 years in jail,” Lehr said.

And despite being cleared of a robbery that happened while he was at work in Winter Haven, Lehr, 37, is still struggling with the fallout of what turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.

It has taken Lehr 3 1/2 years to get his life back. He got his job as a security guard back Thursday, but still feels bitter about his experience.

Life changed for Lehr and his family shortly after 9:45 p.m. that December night when FBI agents, assisted by Winter Haven Police Department officers, served a fugitive warrant from the state of Connecticut to arrest Joseph Lehr.Lehr was charged with first degree robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery in the first degree and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution in his native state.

He was born May 18, 1969, in New Haven, Conn., and moved to Florida in 2001. Lehr’s wife, Paulette, said the family decided to stay in Florida because the children didn’t want to return to Connecticut after visiting her sister that summer.

Connecticut authorities said Lehr had been identified by a Metro Transportation Authority conductor and security officer through a photo lineup as the man who robbed a 25-year-old woman at knifepoint of $30 at a Bridgeport train station 11 months earlier.

On Dec. 23, 2002, five days after his arrest, Lehr submitted time sheets to Polk County and Connecticut law enforcement officials showing that he was working at the Publix supermarket on Cypress Gardens Boulevard in Winter Haven as a deli salesperson from 1:01 to 10:02 p.m. during the time of the robbery.

On Dec. 23, 2002, five days after his arrest, Lehr submitted time sheets to Polk County and Connecticut law enforcement officials showing that he was working at the Publix supermarket on Cypress Gardens Boulevard in Winter Haven as a deli salesperson from 1:01 to 10:02 p.m. during the time of the robbery.“He couldn’t be in two places at one time,” said J. David Pobjecky, a Winter Haven lawyer who did pro bono work on the case after Lehr’s wife, Paulette, appealed to him for help. She knew him through their landlord, for whom Pobjecky had done some civil work.But being in Winter Haven at the time of the robbery in Connecticut wasn’t enough. Lehr was detained without bail and would not leave the Polk County Jail until April 15, 2003 — four months later.

“It was a nightmare,” said Pobjecky. “I asked myself: `Is this our country where someone can go to a nondescriptive picture, ID a person, and they spend four months in jail?’ ”

THE CRIME

According to the Connecticut arrest warrant, records and the sworn testimony of witnesses, here’s what happened:

About 9:10 p.m. on Jan. 28, 2002, Stacey Tookey, 25, arrived at the Bridgeport station to take a train home to New York. She was recovering from a knee injury and walking with crutches.

Tookey said two men approached her. One she described as a white or Mexican man in his 20s about 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-9, thin, clean-shaven with possibly dyed yellow or orange hair, and the other as a black man in his 20s, about 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-11.

Suddenly the white or Mexican male pulled a large knife, pointed it at her stomach and demanded her money. After she gave him the $30 in her purse, he ran off.

Tookey informed security guards close to the scene of the robbery.

That evening as a police officer and Tookey searched the surrounding area for suspects, Tookey spotted the black man involved in the robbery.

Daniel Shears was arrested, charged and convicted for the crime.

A Metro security guard and a train conductor at the scene soon identified Lehr as the robber through a photo lineup. That was the only link police ever found between Lehr and the crime.

Nathaniel White, a Polk County defense lawyer, said photo lineups, a form of eyewitness identification, are not always reliable.

“It’s pretty well-concluded that eyewitness testimony is the least reliable form of identification in criminal cases,” White said.

But, he said, “For two different people to pick the wrong person, it would be a heck of a coincidence.”

Lehr is white, 5-foot-8-inches tall, red haired and, at the time, clean-shaven. He did not own a car at the time and he regularly bicycled or walked to Publix for work.

Co-workers and employee work records showed that Lehr was working during the time of the crime.

“Basically, by the payroll records . . . he would have had to get in a jet plane, flown to Connecticut, gone down to a train station . . . and robbed someone of $30 and jumped back in the plane to return here just to have an alibi,” Pobjecky said.

“He had plenty of people around here that he could rob without going through all that trouble,” Pobjecky said.

But that wasn’t good enough for Connecticut officials.

“We never accept alibis immediately,” said Jonathan C. Benedict, the Connecticut state attorney for the Judicial District of Fairfield.“We ask a local department to check it out and this is the process we have to go through for a person to be cleared,” Benedict said.

ONLY PHOTO FOR EVIDENCE

Detective Sgt. John Rizzitelli of the Metro Transportation Authority in Connecticut and New York still thinks Lehr is guilty.

“We think he’s our guy. No other suspects were ever pursued for the crime,” Rizzitelli said. “The evidence wasn’t strong enough to have him extradited.”

But, the detective said, “If he came up here, we would pursue it.”

Rizzitelli said the victim, Stacey Tookey, never identified Lehr from a photo lineup and was unable to be reached for further questioning during the course of investigation.

No other evidence besides the two photo identifications linking Lehr to the robbery was ever found.

“They never did a proper investigation. I was ID’d and they just stuck with that,” Lehr said. “They didn’t do their job respectfully.”

When Lehr was initially jailed, he signed a waiver of extradition, which allowed Connecticut officials to take him back to await trial.

Lehr said the only reason he signed the waiver was because he thought it would allow him to return home to his family.

Pobjecky had the extradition orders withdrawn because Lehr did not have a lawyer before he signed it.

This would only give them limited time, however.

According to audio recordings, on Jan. 7, 2003, Judge Mark Carpanini ruled the state of Connecticut would be allowed 90 days to secure a Florida governor’s warrant for Lehr.

The judge said Lehr would have to remain in jail without bail until the warrant was secured or the charges dropped by Connecticut.

Lehr had already spent 30 days in jail before the judge’s decision.

During the following 90 days, Lehr said, he sank into depression.

“Many times I felt like I wanted to commit suicide and get it over with,” he said. “I didn’t eat for about 21/2 months.”

A Florida governor’s warrant was issued in March 2003, but a month later the felony charges were dropped by Connecticut because of lack of evidence.

Lehr thought his release from the Polk County Jail was the end to his horrific ordeal.

FREEDOM DIDN’T END ORDEAL

Now, three years later, Lehr’s proof of innocence still doesn’t seem to be enough.

After leaving his Publix position and then working several different jobs, Lehr said he still couldn’t seem to shake his past.

Two weeks ago, Lehr lost his job because of the incident.

“I was laid off my job because my record is not clear,” Lehr said.

For the past three months, Lehr had been working as a security guard for Valor Security in Lake Wales.

But the Florida Division of Licensing denied him a security guard license because of the felony charge from Connecticut and requested additional information about his criminal history.

This resulted in Lehr losing his job until the matter was settled.

Susan Harrell, the bureau chief of License Issuance within the Florida Division of Licensing, said she could not comment on Lehr’s case directly. But she said that when her office conducts background checks for security guard license applicants, it sometimes gets limited information.

“Sometimes we get complete information, sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we ask for additional information,” Harrell said.

The Ledger used the Polk County Sheriff’s Web site and searched Lehr’s criminal record. It showed that Lehr was arrested and charged for the robbery but did not show that Lehr had been cleared of all charges. It is his only arrest in Polk County.

For people taken into custody in Polk County, the Sheriff’s Office site only shows the arrest charges and whether they have been released from jail. It does not show any action taken by a court. Information about court action is available through the Clerk of the Courts Office for the 10th Judicial Circuit.

“My name and face is out there as a guilty person — but I’m not,” Lehr said. “This impacts my life a lot. When I go apply for a job, I’ll always have to explain and go through the details of my personal life.”

When he went to work for Valor Security, Lehr said, he gave the company a letter from the state attorney of Connecticut explaining that Lehr was in Florida at the time of the crime and the charges were dropped. He thinks the company passed it on to the state agency.

The company spokesman wouldn’t discuss the incident because of its policy against commenting on employees.

Despite his layoff, Lehr defended the company.

“Valor Security was supportive and they knew the situation from the beginning and my boss was supportive of the situation by contacting the state board in Tallahassee,” he said.

Lehr returned to Valor Security as a security guard, but the battle is not over yet.

He said he plans to sue the state of Connecticut for civil rights violations and wrongful imprisonment.“I will always be fearful. My freedom just got taken away at the drop of a dime,” Lehr said. “I think I deserve some answers.”

“This can happen to anybody,” his lawyer, Pobjecky, said.

[Beaverhausen]

115. Hollywood also distributed "Fahrenheit 9/11", "Good Night and Good Luck' ...

...."Syriana", "An Inconvenient Truth", "Platoon" etc- all left leaning themed films.

Don't make such a broad generalization. Hollywood tends to be liberal.

[Joanne98]

119. Canada distributed "Fahrenheit 9/11"

Hollywood would never do that. It would hurt it's war movie profits.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions_Gate_Entertainment

Lions Gate Entertainment
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Lions Gate Entertainment

Type Public (NYSE: LGF)
Founded 1976
Headquarters Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Key people Robert Altman (founder)
Jon Feltheimer, CEO & co-chairman
Harald Ludwig, co-chairman
Industry Entertainment
Products Motion Pictures, Home Entertainment, Family Home Entertainment, CinemaNow, Television
Revenue US$218 million USD
Website www.lionsgate.com
"Lions Gate" redirects here. For the bridge in Vancouver, Canada, see Lions' Gate Bridge.
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, (NYSE: LGF) is a Canadian entertainment company, based in Vancouver. As of 2004, it is the most commercially-successful film and television distribution company based outside of the United States.

In 2003, the company bought the assets of Artisan Entertainment, which was best known for the release of The Blair Witch Project in 1999.

Contents
1 The Name
2 Divisions
2.1 Film Distribution
3 List of Lionsgate films
3.1 1990s
3.2 2000s
3.3 Music
3.4 Television
3.5 Studios
3.6 Video
4 External links



The Name
Lions Gate was named after the bridge of the same name that crosses the narrows of Burrard Inlet in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Lions' Gate Bridge). It is also referenced to a commemorative gate erected by Alexander The Great, upon the death of Hephaestion in 324 BC in Hamadan, Iran (Persia) called the 'Lions Gate' (Hamedan Stone Lion). In 2006 the brand name was changed to Lionsgate.


Divisions

Film Distribution
Lionsgate Films is a Canadian production-distributor company, a subsidiary of Lions Gate Entertainment. It is currently the largest and most successful independent film distributor-studio in North America. It focuses mainly on foreign and independent films, and is perhaps best known for distributing films that are too controversial for the large American companies like Fahrenheit 9/11 and American Psycho. Sometimes, films which are distributed by Lions Gate theatrically will have their DVDs distributed by other studios.

Lionsgate has differed greatly under different managers. The original company was founded by director Robert Altman, who named it after a Vancouver landmark, the Lions' Gate Bridge (also referred to as the first narrows bridge). Among Lionsgate's first films included 3 Women (1977) and A Wedding (1979). In 1981, Altman sold the company to Jonathan Taplin.

The current incarnation was initiated in 1997 by Frank Guistra, a Vancouver investment banker hoping to capitalize on the growing film industry in his home town. The company bought a number of small production facilities and distributors. Its first success was American Psycho, which began a trend of producing and distributing films far too controversial for the major American studios. Other successes included Affliction, Gods and Monsters, Dogma, and the Michael Moore documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 (which turned out to be the studio's highest grossing film in their history).

In 2000, Guistra left the firm and it was taken over by Jon Feltheimer and Micheal Burns. They decided to focus on the profits of videos and DVDs and began buying struggling firms that controlled large libraries. The two most notable acquisitions were Trimark Pictures Inc. and Artisan Entertainment. These two along with other firms gave Lionsgate the second largest DVD library of any company which includes Total Recall, Reservoir Dogs, On Golden Pond, Young Guns, Dirty Dancing and It's A Wonderful Life, in some cases via output deals with StudioCanal, ITC/Carlton, and Republic Pictures (the result of prior licensing deals with Lionsgate's home video predecessor Artisan).

Very rarely does Lionsgate co-produce films with major studios. For example, Lionsgate teamed with Miramax Films for the 2004 sequel Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights and with Paramount Pictures for 2002's Narc and 2004's The Prince & Me. Lionsgate was also a silent partner in 20th Century Fox's 2004 sci-fi film The Day After Tomorrow. And also in 2004, for the first time ever, Lionsgate joined forces with independent rival United Artists in producing Hotel Rwanda. The company also has a television division that has made shows such as The Dead Zone. The company also recently has launched a record label.

Its continued success is demonstrated by celebrity support such as with the all-star cast of Crash (the first film from the studio to receive the Academy Award for Best Picture), combined with the success of Nicolas Cage's movie Lord of War, and even with Saw 2, which won its opening weekend at the box office <1>. Another important recent franchise is Tyler Perry's Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Madea's Family Reunion, which was the first film of 2006 to be the #1 Movie in America for two weeks in a row. These demonstrate its great power as an independent studio, slowly creeping to be proven worthy as a great competitor with the mainstream distributors.

In 2005, Lionsgate's Canadian distribution business was sold to Maple Pictures, a company founded by two former Lionsgate executives. <2>

Lionsgate has recently undergone an agreement with WWE Films to distribute movies such as See No Evil, which was released on May 19th and The Condemned.


List of Lionsgate films
1995
Kids
1998
Pi
1999
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Dogma
Darkness Falls
2000
American Psycho
Bruiser
Heavy Metal 2000
Requiem for a Dream
2001
Bully
Monster's Ball
2002
Biggie and Tupac
National Lampoon's Van Wilder
American Psycho II: All American Girl
Irréversible
The Dead Zone (TV series)
Wise Girls
The Rules of Attraction
2003
Saw (short film)
The Cooler
Ju-on: The Grudge
House of 1000 Corpses
High Tension (aka: Switchblade Romance)
Open Water
2004
Saw (film)
Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights
The Punisher
Godsend
Fahrenheit 9/11
The Cookout
Cube Zero
2005
Alone in the Dark
The Devil's Rejects
Waiting...
Lord of War
Diary of a Mad Black Woman
Crash
Hostel
Santa's Slay
Saw II
2006
Madea's Family Reunion
Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector
Akeelah and the Bee
See No Evil
The Descent
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
Arthur's Missing Pal
Crank
Employee of the Month
Saw III
Dark Ride
The Hamiltons
2007
Happily N'Ever After
Foodfight
Hostel: Part 2
The Condemned
Daddy's Little Girls
Saw IV
Bug
The All Together

[Beaverhausen]

120. Wrong- IFC distributed the film in the US

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361596/companycredits

and in fact Miramax did the most to get the film into theatres. They are also a "hollywood" company.

What exactly is your problem? If you have an issue with this particular film (which I bet you haven't even seen yet) then do something about it. But to paint Hollywood as right-leaning and rape-loving is just ridiculous.

[Joanne98]

122. To paint Hollywwod as "liberals fighting for justice" is ridiculous too.

Besides they're ALL CORPORATIONS! They're all the media including Hollywood.

My problem? I have a son in prison! Along with the 2 million other families in this country, I didn't get the joke.

[Beaverhausen]

132. Maybe you should watch "Shawshank Redemption"

for another portrayal of prison rape from Hollywood. Maybe you will stop with these generalizations.

[Joanne98]

133. No thanx. I'd rather spend my free time kicking RW ass!

[Joanne98]

117. Drug War Propaganda

The real reason we have a drug war.

http://drugwar.com/propaganda.shtm

[pitohui]

118. because they're dickweeds

be that as it may, don't give them any free press, in my humble opinion i would not link to the trailer and give them free clicks

i myself won't be viewing this trailer

much comedy is adolescent and stupid, such is life, it may be best to refuse to give attention and $$ to viewing films

i realize there are different approaches to this but it could well be this film would disappear if ignored, many do

[Joanne98]

121. If you turn on MSNBC right now you can watch "LOCKUP"

They're doing "Sex in Prison"

Poor tired looking prison administrators, "There's nothing we can do".
An obvious gay man (in his twenties) laughing "There's nothing they can do".

MSNBC is a media corporation. A member of the MSM who obviously thinks people who go to prison should be raped.

They're all the same to me!

PS. FUCK YOU GENERAL ELECTRIC!

[GreenTea]

131. What a bullshit republican label, "Hollywood" ...

Republicans use it all the time, are they speaking of Arnold, Heston and Reagan republicans or simply lumping all liberal democrats together as "Hollywood"!

Movies are written and produced from all over the country by all different types of people of different political & social backgrounds....as if "Hollywood" was this one person or thing or company...get specific of exactly who your pointing the finger at a certain star, a studio, a writer, a film or what?

Such a generalization is the usual republican scapegoat terminology.

[Joanne98]

134. Who's been cranking out all the cop shows for the last fifty years?

Las Vegas?

[GreenTea]

138. NY, Las Vegas, Miami, San Francisco, everywhere...

Tell me how many studio's are actually in Hollywood? You'll be wrong. exactly two, 2 studios. http://www.insidehollywood.info/index.php?pg=address-film-studio&mn=sl

New York is where all networks and some studio head office are...where many of the final decisions made.

Such republican terminology and cop-out "Hollywood" so non specific!

[Joanne98]

140. Maybe the more specific terminology is ....

"Hollywood the multi-national corporation". Headquartered in Los Angeles and New York with tentacles all over the world.

What ever. Here's the address of the production company.

12001 Ventura Place - 6th Floor
Studio City, CA 91604
Building 3

NEXT DOOR TO HOLLYWOOD!

And the distributor is Universal Studios. A well known anti-Hollywood company.

[fujiyama]

145. Have fun with this crusade

Personally I see a million other causes more deserving of time and energy...

Your trying to pull a film from a theater smacks of censorship is akin to RW fundies trying to ban or censor whatever they find offensive.

You don't want to watch the movie? Don't watch it. Try to get others not to watch it also. It's that fucking simple. Or you can try to ban it and infringe on the artistic freedom of the director.

I find prison rape to be a disgusting and disturbing phenomenon, and enforcement against it should be increased. But there is a reason it's considered funny by many - prisoners simply are assumed to be guilty...and in general prisoners are not considered very sympathetic members of society. In some cases, this is unfortunate, especially for those convicted of lesser crimes that are forced to be incarcerated with more hardened criminals.

All Hollywood cares about is money. This movie is probably so crappy that it will be a failure at the box-office regardless. But organizing a boycott is a sensible way of attempting to drive down profits. I just am uncomfortable with this attempt by you to stop the distribution of it.

[Joanne98]

151. You're right. All Hollywood cares about is money...

BUT! What is on the big screen and the little screen have a big influence on the voters. Fifty years of cop shows. Fifty years of de-humanizing "criminals". How about the movie "REEFER MADNESS".(Christians made it, Hollywood made it a cult hit) It's funny now HA HA, but that movie put a lot of young people in prison for life.

Oh and thanx for "Minority Report". A Tom Cruise (of course) film about putting people in prison BEFORE THEY COMMIT A CRIME! Just in time to help Bush promote his "war on terror".

Wouldn't it be nice if "The Movie Makers" got off the CRIME WAGON and did something NOVEL for a change. They might try if they weren't so lazy!

[fujiyama]

160. Your tone makes little sense

You blame Hollywood for a bunch of society's ills. Film makers are not responsible for how people interpret their works. They are artists and in a free society, should be allowed to express themselves, as long as they are not exploitative (as in the case of pedophilia).

And BTW, in case you didn't know, plots require conflicts. Its one of the most basic traits of any story written. Crimes generally provide for interesting conflicts.

According to the following site, and basic middle school English courses, here is what a plot must contain:

"Plot hinges on a conflict the main characters face and the resolution of that conflict. A typical plot has the following sequence of events:

# Exposition—introduces the characters, setting, and mood

# Rising action—introduces the conflict

# Conflict—the main character’s problem, which may be internal (e.g., guilt, greed) or external (e.g., poverty, an accident)

# Climax—the moment of greatest emotion; the turning point of the story when the conflict begins to be resolved

# Falling action—the events following the climax but before the resolution

# Resolution—how the conflict ends"

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=1024

[Pushed To The Left]

146. Are there rapes that take place in the movie

or are there just jokes about it? In the commercial, a larger inmate seems to be courting the main character with "Merlot", but he doesn't seem like he is going to rape him. I haven't seen the movie.

[Joanne98]

152. No! But what they do is worse.

The movie is "sending the message" that rape in prison is not only normal but funny too.

[Joanne98]

147. Cinema of the United States (wikipedia)

Cinema of the United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

North American cinema
Cinema of Canada
Quebec cinema
Cinema of the United States

Much like American popular music, American cinema has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent era, Classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period (after 1980).

Contents
1 History
1.1 Early development
1.2 Rise of Hollywood
1.3 Parallel foreign-language versions
1.4 Golden Age of Hollywood
1.5 Decline of the studio system
1.6 The 'New Hollywood' and Post-classical cinema
1.7 Blockbusters
1.8 Independent film
1.9 Rise of the home video market
2 Notable figures in U.S. film
3 Bibliography
4 See also
5 External links



History

Early development
Justus D. Barnes in Edwin S. Porter's The Great Train RobberyThe first recorded instance of photographs capturing and reproducing motion was Eadweard Muybridge's series of photographs of a running horse, which he captured in Palo Alto, California, using a set of still cameras placed in a row. Muybridge's accomplishment led inventors everywhere to attempt forming devices that would similarly capture such motion. In the United States, Thomas Alva Edison was among the first to produce such a device, the kinetoscope, whose heavy-handed patent enforcement caused early filmmakers to look for alternatives.

In the United States, the first exhibitions of films for large audiences typically followed the intermissions in vaudeville shows. Entrepreneurs began travelling to exhibit their films, bringing to the world the first forays into dramatic filmmaking. The first huge success of American cinema, as well as the largest experimental achievement to its point, was The Great Train Robbery, directed by Edwin S. Porter.


Rise of Hollywood
Arts of the
United States
Architecture
Cinema
Comic books
Cuisine
Dance
Literature
Music
Poetry
Sculpture
Television
Theater
Visual arts

In early 1910, director D.W. Griffith was sent by the Biograph Company to the west coast with his acting troop consisting of actors Blanche Sweet, Lillian Gish, Mary Pickford, Lionel Barrymore, and others. They started filming on a vacant lot near Georgia Street in downtown Los Angeles. The company decided while there to explore new territories and travelled several miles north to a little village that was friendly and enjoyed the movie company filming there. This place was called "Hollywood". Griffith then filmed the first movie ever shot in Hollywood, In Old California, a Biograph melodrama about California in the 1800s, while it belonged to Mexico. Biograph stayed there for months and made several films before returning to New York. After hearing about this wonderful place, in 1913 many movie-makers headed west to avoid the fees imposed by Thomas Edison, who owned patents on the movie-making process. In Los Angeles, California, the studios and Hollywood grew. Before World War I, movies were made in several U.S. cities, but filmmakers gravitated to southern California as the industry developed. They were attracted by the mild climate and reliable sunlight, which made it possible to film movies outdoors year-round, and by the varied scenery that was available. There are several starting points for American cinema, but it was Griffith's Birth of a Nation that pioneered the filmic vocabulary that still dominates to this day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_the_United_States

[Joanne98]

148. You got to love it. The founder of Hollywood DW Griffith's first movie was

TA DA!!! The Birth of a Nation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D.W._Griffith

Oh wait, that was his second film. His first was " In Old California"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Old_California_%281910%29

[NYCGirl]

149. That wasn't anywhere NEAR his first movie. He made HUNDREDS of films

before that.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000428/

[Joanne98]

150. The first Hollywood "made for TV" movie was TA DA!

Modern Hollywood
On January 22, 1947, the first commercial TV station west of the Mississippi River, KTLA, began operating in Hollywood. In December of that year, the first Hollywood movie production was made for TV, The Public Prosecutor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood

THE PUBLIC PROSECUTOR! We never had a fucking chance!

[NYCGirl]

153. No, "In Old California" was his first film in Hollywood. Between that and "Birth

of a Nation" were these films:

# The Avenging Conscience; Thou Shalt Not Kill (1914)
... aka Thou Shalt Not Kill
# The Escape (1914)
# Home, Sweet Home (1914)
# Brute Force (1914)
... aka In Prehistoric Days
... aka Primitive Man (USA: short title)
... aka The Primitive Man (USA)
... aka Wars of the Primal Tribes
# The Battle of the Sexes (1914)
# Judith of Bethulia (1914)
... aka Her Condoned Sin (International: English title: reissue title)
# Waifs (1914) (unconfirmed)
# The Conscience of Hassan Bey (1913) (supervising)
# The Battle at Elderbush Gulch (1913)
... aka The Battle of Elderbush Gulch
# Madonna of the Storm (1913) (unconfirmed)
# The Adopted Brother (1913) (unconfirmed)
# Two Men of the Desert (1913)
# The Coming of Angelo (1913)
# The Mistake (1913)
# The Enemy's Baby (1913) (unconfirmed)
# The Reformers; or, The Lost Art of Minding One's Business (1913)
... aka The Lost Art of Minding One's Business
... aka The Reformers (USA: short title)
# The Sorrowful Shore (1913)
# Her Mother's Oath (1913)
# The Mothering Heart (1913)
# Death's Marathon (1913)
# A Timely Interception (1913)
# The Ranchero's Revenge (1913)
# His Mother's Son (1913)
# Just Gold (1913)
# The Yaqui Cur (1913)
# The House of Darkness (1913)
# The Stolen Loaf (1913) (unconfirmed)
# The Wanderer (1913/II)
# If We Only Knew (1913) (unconfirmed)
# The Lady and the Mouse (1913)
# The Left-Handed Man (1913)
# A Misunderstood Boy (1913)
# The Little Tease (1913)
# The Perfidy of Mary (1913)
# The Hero of Little Italy (1913)
# The Sheriff's Baby (1913)
# A Welcome Intruder (1913)
# Fate (1913/I)
# Near to Earth (1913)
# The Unwelcome Guest (1913)
# A Girl's Stratagem (1913) (unconfirmed)
# Broken Ways (1913)
# Love in an Apartment Hotel (1913)
# The Massacre (1913)
# A Chance Deception (1913)
# Drink's Lure (1913)
# Oil and Water (1913)
# Brothers (1913)
# A Misappropriated Turkey (1913)
# The Tender Hearted Boy (1913) (unconfirmed)
# An Adventure in the Autumn Woods (1913)
# The Telephone Girl and the Lady (1913)
# Three Friends (1913)
# Mother Love (1913)
# The God Within (1912)
# A Cry for Help (1912)
# The Burglar's Dilemma (1912)
# My Hero (1912)
# The New York Hat (1912)
# Brutality (1912)
# The Informer (1912)
# My Baby (1912) (unconfirmed)
# Gold and Glitter (1912) (unconfirmed)
# Heredity (1912)
# The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912)
# The Painted Lady (1912)
# The One She Loved (1912)
# In the Aisles of the Wild (1912)
# The Chief's Blanket (1912)
# A Feud in the Kentucky Hills (1912)
# So Near, Yet So Far (1912)
# Friends (1912)
# Two Daughters of Eve (1912)
# Blind Love (1912)
# An Unseen Enemy (1912)
# In the North Woods (1912)
# A Pueblo Legend (1912)
# A Pueblo Romance (1912)
# A Change of Spirit (1912)
# The Inner Circle (1912)
# A Child's Remorse (1912)
# The Narrow Road (1912)
# Black Sheep (1912)
# The Sands of Dee (1912)
# Heaven Avenges (1912) (unconfirmed)
# Man's Genesis (1912)
... aka Man's Genesis: A Psychological Comedy Founded on Darwin's Theory of the Genesis of Man (USA: complete title)
# An Indian Summer (1912) (unconfirmed)
# Man's Lust for Gold (1912)
# The School Teacher and the Waif (1912)
# The Spirit Awakened (1912)
# Lena and the Geese (1912)
# A Temporary Truce (1912)
# Home Folks (1912)
# An Outcast Among Outcasts (1912)
# A Beast at Bay (1912)
# When Kings Were the Law (1912)
# His Lesson (1912)
# A Lodging for the Night (1912)
# The Old Actor (1912)
# The Lesser Evil (1912)
# One Is Business, the Other Crime (1912)
# Just Like a Woman (1912)
# The Female of the Species (1912)
# Fate's Interception (1912)
# The Punishment (1912)
# The Goddess of Sagebrush Gulch (1912)
# The Root of Evil (1912)
# Iola's Promise (1912)
# The Girl and Her Trust (1912)
# A String of Pearls (1912)
# A Siren of Impulse (1912)
# The Sunbeam (1912)
# Under Burning Skies (1912)
# The Mender of Nets (1912)
# Billy's Stratagem (1912)
# A Sister's Love (1912)
# The Transformation of Mike (1912)
# A Blot on the 'Scutcheon (1912)
# For His Son (1912)
# The Old Bookkeeper (1912)
# The Eternal Mother (1912)
# A Tale of the Wilderness (1912)
# The Baby and the Stork (1912) (unconfirmed)
# Grannie (1912)
# The Voice of the Child (1911)
# A Terrible Discovery (1911)
# As in a Looking Glass (1911/I)
# Saved from Himself (1911)
# The Failure (1911)
# A Woman Scorned (1911)
# Sunshine Through the Dark (1911)
# The Miser's Heart (1911)
# Through Darkened Vales (1911)
# The Trail of Books (1911)
# The Battle (1911)
# Love in the Hills (1911/I)
# The Long Road (1911)
... aka Destiny's Roadway with Its Many Turns (USA: subtitle)
# The Adventures of Billy (1911)
# The Unveiling (1911)
# Italian Blood (1911)
# The Making of a Man (1911)
# Her Awakening (1911)
# The Revenue Man and the Girl (1911)
# Dan the Dandy (1911)
# The Squaw's Love (1911)
# The Old Confectioner's Mistake (1911)
# The Stuff Heroes Are Made Of (1911) (unconfirmed)
# Swords and Hearts (1911)
# The Rose of Kentucky (1911)
# The Blind Princess and the Poet (1911)
... aka A Biograph Fantasy in the Land of Flowers (USA: subtitle)
# The Sorrowful Example (1911)
# The Ruling Passion (1911)
# Out from the Shadow (1911)
# The Last Drop of Water (1911)
# A Country Cupid (1911)
# The Indian Brothers (1911)
# Bobby, the Coward (1911)
# The Jealous Husband (1911) (unconfirmed)
# The Thief and the Girl (1911)
# Fighting Blood (1911)
# Her Sacrifice (1911)
# The Primal Call (1911)
# Enoch Arden: Part II (1911)
# Enoch Arden: Part I (1911)
# The Smile of a Child (1911)
# A Romany Tragedy (1911)
# The White Rose of the Wilds (1911)
... aka A Story of the West (USA: subtitle)
# The Crooked Road (1911) (unconfirmed)
# The New Dress (1911)
# In the Days of '49 (1911)
# The Two Sides (1911)
# How She Triumphed (1911)
... aka An Argument in Favor of Physical Culture (USA: subtitle)
# His Mother's Scarf (1911)
# A Knight of the Road (1911)
# Madame Rex (1911)
# Paradise Lost (1911)
# The Chief's Daughter (1911/I)
# The Broken Cross (1911)
# The Spanish Gypsy (1911)
# The Lonedale Operator (1911) (uncredited)
# Teaching Dad to Like Her (1911) (unconfirmed)
# Was He a Coward? (1911)
# Conscience (1911)
# A Decree of Destiny (1911)
# The Heart of a Savage (1911)
# Lily of the Tenements (1911)
# His Daughter (1911)
# The Diamond Star (1911)
# Fisher Folks (1911)
# What Shall We Do with Our Old? (1911)
# Heart Beats of Long Ago (1911)
# Three Sisters (1911)
# A Wreath of Orange Blossoms (1911) (unconfirmed)
# The Poor Sick Men (1911) (unconfirmed)
# Fate's Turning (1911)
# His Trust Fulfilled (1911)
# His Trust (1911)
# The Italian Barber (1911)
# When a Man Loves (1911)
# The Two Paths (1911)
# Flaming Arrows (1911)
# Winning Back His Love (1910)
# White Roses (1910) (unconfirmed)
# The Lesson (1910)
# His Sister-In-Law (1910)
# The Golden Supper (1910)
# A Child's Stratagem (1910)
# A Plain Song (1910)
# His New Lid (1910)
# The Song of the Wildwood Flute (1910)
# Sunshine Sue (1910)
# Simple Charity (1910)
# The Fugitive (1910)
# Waiter No. 5 (1910)
# Two Little Waifs (1910)
# The Message of the Violin (1910)
# The Banker's Daughters (1910)
# The Broken Doll (1910)
# That Chink at Golden Gulch (1910)
# The Iconoclast (1910)
# Examination Day at School (1910)
# Rose O'Salem Town (1910)
# The Oath and the Man (1910)
# A Summer Tragedy (1910)
# In Life's Cycle (1910)
# A Mohawk's Way (1910)
# Little Angels of Luck (1910)
# A Summer Idyll (1910)
# The Affair of an Egg (1910)
# The Modern Prodigal (1910)
# Wilful Peggy (1910)
# The Sorrows of the Unfaithful (1910)
# An Old Story with a New Ending (1910)
# The Usurer (1910)
# A Salutary Lesson (1910)
# The House with Closed Shutters (1910)
# Her Father's Pride (1910)
# An Arcadian Maid (1910)
# Unexpected Help (1910)
# The Call to Arms (1910)
# As the Bells Rang Out! (1910)
# Serious Sixteen (1910)
# A Flash of Light (1910)
# A Child's Faith (1910)
# What the Daisy Said (1910) (uncredited)
# A Midnight Cupid (1910)
# Muggsy's First Sweetheart (1910)
# A Child's Impulse (1910)
# The Marked Time-Table (1910)
# May and December (1910)
# Never Again (1910/I)
# The Face at the Window (1910)
# In the Border States (1910)
# A Victim of Jealousy (1910)
# A Child of the Ghetto (1910)
# The Purgation (1910)
# In the Season of Buds (1910)
# The Impalement (1910)
# A Knot in the Plot (1910) (unconfirmed)
# Ramona (1910)
# An Affair of Hearts (1910) (unconfirmed)
# Over Silent Paths (1910)
# Love Among the Roses (1910)
# The Unchanging Sea (1910)
# The Gold Seekers (1910)
# Up a Tree (1910)
# The Way of the World (1910)
# The Tenderfoot's Triumph (1910)
# Thou Shalt Not (1910)
# A Romance of the Western Hills (1910)
# A Rich Revenge (1910)
# As It Is in Life (1910)
# The Two Brothers (1910)
# His Last Dollar (1910) (unconfirmed)
# The Smoker (1910)
# Gold Is Not All (1910)
# The Twisted Trail (1910)
# Faithful (1910)
# The Converts (1910)
# The Man (1910)

[Joanne98]

155. And this was suppose to help?

And you call me a stereotyper.

[NYCGirl]

157. What was supposed to help? I'm just correcting your statement. NT

[NYCGirl]

156. And while we're discussing movies you've not seen, check out "I Am A Fugitive

from a Chain Gang" from 1932. This controversial film from Warner Brothers (in Hollywood) actually spurred prison reform.

http://www.filmsite.org/iama.html

http://www.tcmdb.com/title/title.jsp?stid=782&atid=3938&category=Articles&titleName=I%20Am%20a%20Fugitive%20from%20a%20Chain%20Gang&menuName=MAIN

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

It is the end of the "War to End All Wars," a conflict that was also known as World War I. One soldier, James Allen (Paul Muni), returns to the United States fully invested with the promise of a new life, a new career, and a new direction that was impossible before victory in Europe and the advent of the "Roaring Twenties." So, Allen refuses his family's advice of returning to his stable, but dull factory job, and strikes out on his own, with the hopes of becoming an engineer. But from town to town, year to year, success eludes him and unemployment takes its toll. Penniless and destitute in the Deep South, Allen becomes implicated in a crime that he did not commit and is sentenced to 10 years of hard labor on a chain gang. He spends years of being treated like an animal by the inhumane prison system. But he waits, biding his time for the perfect moment to make a break for freedom.

When I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (1932) was first released, it arrived in American movie theaters in a storm of controversy. As opposed to other controversial films of its time, the furor was not over issues of censorship concerning sex and violence, but the film's depiction of the barbaric penal systems in use in the Deep South, particularly in the state of Georgia. Public knowledge of the harsh chain gang system was nothing new. In fact, Robert Elliot Burns, the person on whom the James Allen character is based, wrote a book entitled I Am a Fugitive From a Georgia Chain Gang, so the general public was aware of Burns' harrowing story. But to a much larger audience than the novel could ever reach, I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang showed in striking detail just how powerful the talking picture medium could be, particularly in the field of social change. The film fueled a storm of protest from the general public that resulted in the reform of the prison chain gang system in the American south.

[Solon]

158. Johanne, Hollywood isn't monolithic...

There are various companies, and literally thousands of individuals, that are involved in making most movies. Most movies that make fun of prison rape, and many other subject in a "humorous" fashion, are usually movies that are low budget, at least compared to most big name movies. They are made for a quick buck, cheaply, and are rarely, if ever, blockbusters, though some, especially those that show some intelligence, and makes fun of the perceptions of the larger culture, end up being "cult hits".

This isn't to say that I LIKE movies like this, but it seems just a little unfair to condemn an INDUSTRY, instead of the companies actually producing and distributing such films. While movies like this do exist, others, like the Shawshank Redemption, or American History X, both movies that project male on male prison rape in a negative way, are also produced, and end up being successful, and more likely to be hits, than these movies that target the lowest common denominator.

[Imagevision]

161. This thread says a lot for you DUer's...

[piedmont]

162. huh?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

165. The 800 lb. gorilla in the room...

that nobody wants to mention is that the thing with black humor is- anything in the proper context can be funny. Tasteless, sure, but funny.