83%. that, according to Budnick, Cowan, Lear and other prison-reform policy advocates, differentiates the young person from the adult. "They Call Us Monsters," a film by Norman Lear's son Ben Lear, was released earlier this year and became available on Netflix in late May. Antonio, one of Jarad's inmates, is blindsided by the news that he will be a free man. Other stories Id like to tell I look around at the people around me and I see great stories of personal achievementsor overcoming struggles. Theyre held in a special wing of the lockup reserved for teens who will be standing trial as adults. Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez and Jarad Nava are the youthful offenders at the heart of "They Call Us Monsters," a new documentary that follows their lives in a Los Angeles juvenile detention center. .tiktok-ze5eiw-SpanViews{-webkit-flex-shrink:0;-ms-flex-negative:0;flex-shrink:0;padding-right:12px;color:rgba(22, 24, 35, .75);}5500 views|.tiktok-15ooo5t-H4Link{font-family:ProximaNova,Arial,Tahoma,PingFangSC,sans-serif;font-weight:400;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;display:inline;color:rgba(22, 24, 35, .75);margin-left:12px;}.tiktok-15ooo5t-H4Link a{color:rgba(22, 24, 35, .75);}, Antonio hernandez (@edgar_heernadez)s videos with sonido original - joxls | TikTok. Preview EXPLORE THE FILM About the Documentary They. Not just in the throes of puberty and adolescence but of self-discovery and coming of age.. The finished film, Los, can be viewed at http://insideoutwriters.org. Gilpin County Colorado Most Wanted. They seem like typical American teenagers if they . The first individual we come across is Antonio, who was arrested at the age of 14-years-old. They Call Us Monsters is a 2016 American documentary directed and produced by Ben Lear. Yet, I also felt the film was successful in demonstrating that these are no little Charles Mansons, as a state senator in the documentary called them. Juan:Yeah, Jarad and I were tripping out on how many times we came out shaking hands. They are locked up in a separate guardhouse, where legal actions will be served on teenagers in the same way that they are served on adults. Associated Press articles: Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. To learn more about how we use your information, please read our privacy policy. A scene in which Juan calls a girl he had a crush on, while a listening staff member roots for him, provides the films most oddly affecting moment. To pass the time, they sign up for a screenwriting class and collaborate on a short film about their lives, including Juan's unrequited love for his childhood friend, Abigail. I do not think so. Whats going on inside these households, schools, and streets? The process of transforming real details into fiction seems to make the young men especially introspective. While in the courthouse representing himself for the hearing about her murder, he asked the judge if he could use the law . Antonio: Fear of trust, fear of being alone, fear of public speaking, and fear of vulnerability,, Juan: Death, loneliness, darkness, and love. 35 Likes, TikTok video from Antonio Hernnde4490 (@antoniohernandez0220). But because you do not know who they will turn out to be when they are 25, 26 or 27, I feel as a society that we do have the obligation to provide them an opportunity to earn a second chance, based on that fact.. To others, they're monsters. Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Wendy C. Woolcock, the Special Agent in Charge of the Special Operations Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA"), announced today that JUAN ANTONIO HERNNDEZ ALVARADO, a/k/a "Tony Hernndez" ("HERNNDEZ") was sentenced to life in prison for cocaine-importation, weapons, and . Nevertheless, it proved to be very insightful because I [saw] how I was coping with pain, hurt and the fact I forfeited my freedom. While the gravity of their crimes is great, these young men are still simply teenagers. I saw the kids facing life and it broke my heart and changed my life, Budnick tells me over the phone. Aiming to de-stigmatize California's incarcerated juveniles, a documentary entitled They Call Us Monsters sheds light on the lives of those incarcerated and the state's legislative debate over juvenile sentencing reform. Their convictions range from charges of attempted murder to first degree murder, and slowly each boys character and the story of how he ended up in the compound is revealed. Directors Ben Lear Starring Jarad Nava, Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez Genres Documentary Subtitles English [CC] Stars: Nora Kirkpatrick, Nate Corddry, Ernesto Hernndez, Allegra Acosta, Joel Anderson, Richard Bloom, Steven Fernandez, Ernesto Hernandez, Scott Budnick, Mike Camacho, Antonia Casas R, Yesenia Castro, Gabriel Cowan, Darrell J Edwards Jr, Darrell J Edwards Sr, Juan Gamez, Kath December 21, . Also, people who have done enough time in prison age out of violent crime in their thirties and forties. Log in to follow creators, like videos, and view comments. People who are trying through art help these kids deal with the trauma that they have gone through.. HD. This offers a clear path for states around the country to see what this type of reform can look like. Are you still interested in screenwriting and filmmaking and would you try to do that again even though youre incarcerated? activities. You can see why we need to ask for your help. The Center publishes multiple projects including Youth Today, JJIE, Fresh Take Georgia and Bokeh Focus. University of Redlands Emergency Alert System, Alert Received: . To pass the time, they sign up for a screenwriting class and collaborate on a short film about their lives, including Juan's unrequited love for his childhood friend, Abigail. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all between 14 and 16, face decades in prison. sonido original - Antonio Hernnde4490. Premiered May 22, 2017 Directed by Ben Lear Three young violent offenders learn screenwriting in one of LA's high-security detention centers. Instead of facing my life I numbed myself to it and behaved immaturely.. Cowan says that getting the teens to open up to him was a long and sometimes difficult process. I used laughter as a mask to shield myself and others [from] my reality. They Call US Monsters Where Are They Now? The plot emerged when the teens were talking about their fears. In California, juveniles between the ages of 14 and 17 can be tried as adults and receive sentences longer than their natural life expectancy. To the system, theyre adults. As the screenwriting classes progress, Jarad, Anthony, and Juan become close, and they develop a bond with the screenwriting teacher. Are there any TV or movies that would inspire you in trying to do your own film? Grappling with tough questions about what it means to convict a young teenager to a lifetime in prison without diminishing or excusing the violent crimes which these kids are accused of, They Call Us Monsters is a loud plea for our need to rethink how we understand the American justice system. Reproduction of material from any Salon pages without written permission is strictly prohibited. Love does not conquer all nor is Lear suggesting this. So most of the time, its easier for them to just be kids when theyre locked up.. TikTok video from Editorial Applehead (@appleheadteam): "Antonio Hernndez, director de "Capitn Trueno y El Santo Grial", recibe el Premio Applehead Sah-Di-A 2023 y nos enva un saludo.". 2023 Independent Television Service (ITVS). Summary. These are perfect examples of the way the justice system has decided to treat young men who commit violent crimes as adults. 7 talking about this. I appreciated that the consequences of such serious crimes were not swept under the rug: a victim of one of the shootings shares her story, and a large part of the film follows the struggles of the prisoners families. As the film reveals, in the last four years, the state has passed bills to decrease juvenile sentencing a move that re-sparked a national debate over the very nature of these violent juvenile offenders. Its protagonist, an amalgam of Jarad, Antonio and Juan, is played by a small and fresh-faced boy, a perfect casting choice that conveys the boys actual youth, that is, if it hadnt been cut short by gang violence, poverty, and an unjust system. All Rights Reserved. As the boys work with Gabe on their screenplay, their complex stories are revealed. SD. That states legislature also eliminated the chance of life-without-parole sentences for all but a few juvenile offenders and made more young inmates eligible for early parole. We see excerpts from the result. One week they would open up and trust me, and another week they would be joking around and sort of making me the villain., Cowan gave the teensliberty to choose what they wanted their film to be about. Recidivism, understood as a persons relapse into criminal behavior, often after the person receives sanctions or undergoes intervention for a previous crime, is a key statistic that tells lawmakers and law enforcement how likely those who have gone through the system are likely to find themselves back into it. PBS Independent Lens airs the film on Monday, May 22. Crime. INDEPENDENT LENS: THEY CALL US MONSTERS 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). SALON is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark of Salon.com, LLC. Antonio, Jarad and Juan are the subjects of the documentary "They Call Us Monsters," BMP Films The issue of juveniles tried as adults in our criminal justice system is a difficult one, and the . Fathers in prison. Ben Lear. To the system, they're adults. By 2010, about. All rights reserved. From the film, I learned many juveniles convicted of serious crimes are tried as adults and kept in a separate compound. . sonido original - PABLO CS. Read more, Copyright 2023, Juvenile Justice Information Exchange. What is the value of a life? gender, disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or other legally-protected characteristic in its programs and Back in 2013, California was debating whether to give teenagers who committed violent crimes a second chance. Los ends up being, of all things, a love story. Dont loose HOPE and have FAITH, I agree with you 100% Patty. Doing the numbers it appears that a child age 0-9 is 15x more likely to be killed by an aggressive dog breed than a firearm (excluding homicides). I hope all works out for these fellas & every young person that happens to take the wrong or see the something that damages them, Our XML site map https://jjie.org/sitemap.xml, JJIE is published by the Center for Sustainable Journalism at Kennesaw State University. But the movie benefits from an added layer: A screenwriting teacher who gets to know three teenagers awaiting trial. 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