A Sentence Apart

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The U.S.A. imprisons more people, per capita, than any country in the world. Behind 2.4 million prisoners lies an infinite ripple effect of incarceration on the family and community. In just 12 minutes, A Sentence Apart weaves three intimate stories exploring how families cope and live with a loved one in prison. Tanea is a high school senior, and her father has been in and out of jail for her entire life. As a child of a prisoner, Tanea has a 70 percent chance of going to prison herself. The film chronicles Tanea's passion to avoid the generational curse of incarceration, and let the world know that she can be a successful woman. Three Sundays a month, Linda Williams makes a 20-hour bus trip to visit her youngest daughter in prison. Her daughter Latasha was tried as an adult at the age of 17 and given 68 years in prison for involuntary attempted manslaughter. Linda comments on coping with the grief of a daughter in prison, keeping hope alive that Latasha will be released, and continuing to be the best mother she can. Cheyanne is 16 years old and can remember only one birthday that her dad attended. Soon after her dad gets out of jail, Cheyanne confronts her father about the emotional toll his incarceration has taken on her. These intimate and moving stories, told with striking images, start to scratch the surface of the complex toll incarceration takes on the world outside of the prison walls.