Raised in The System exemplifies brilliance. It’s on a whole other level.
The film is produced by Michael K. Williams – a veteran in the movie business and a familiar face among many popular shows including David Simon’s The Wire and Joe R. Lansdale’s Hap & Leonard. According to Williams, the doc was constructed specifically to address the growing numbers of juveniles sent to prison. Williams, who grew up in the Brooklyn Vanderveer projects and found himself dealing with similar issues among family and friends, decided to take up the challenge of documenting the issue.
The first in a 35 episode series, and the extended first episode of the sixth season of HBO’s VICE, this installment of Raised in The System is rife with tear-jerking moments – taking a realistic, no holds barred approach to the urban pandemic. The film focuses on a few subjects’ personal experiences accompanied by facts and data. Williams took special care in allowing each child to tell his story. Going further, Raised in The System proposes that education, and subsequent care of misled children is the key to proper reform.
According to HBO, there are over 850,000 juvenile arrests a year, with 48,000 kids locked up daily. The United States has the highest incarceration rate of minors on Earth.
Brain and psychological development are leading topics of conversation within Raised in The System. Although one would initially consider this indisputable fact: that children don’t process the consequences of their actions, nothing solidifies that fact more than witnessing the incarceration of youth plagued by a withering household, or unfortunate economic circumstances. Williams hopes to help and empower our youth, which will lead to a better tomorrow for all.
Raised in The System is certainly worth the watch. The documentary premieres April 6th, 11PM on HBO.