1985 DOCUMENTARY: Inside California’s Prisons | Voices Behind Bars

San Quentin State Prison – California Institution for Women
This rare 1985 documentary gives incarcerated men and women a chance to speak from the heart. Through poetry, music, and raw storytelling, they open up about their childhoods, the trauma that shaped them, and the paths that led to incarceration.
What emerges is not just a portrait of crime, but of lost hope, missed chances, and deep reflection. These prisoners speak honestly about what they miss from the outside world—family, freedom, connection—and what they still dream of becoming.
This film brings the outside world into the minds of prisoners—offering a powerful reminder: before they were inmates, they were people.
Format: 1/2 inch videotape
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