Film company tackles Carib. prison documentary5 min read

Local independent film company, Real Entertainment Production (REP), is attempting to wade through red tape to shoot a Caribbean prison documentary that will showcase the hardships that Caribbean nationals face in institutions across the region.

REP boss and film producer Andrew Pryce will direct the documentary, which he hopes to showcase at a film festival or distribute directly via the Internet.

“Caribbean countries have some of the highest incarceration rates, 15 are former British Caribbean colonies or current ones where high levels of violence are partly to blame, but there are other factors, like the criminalisation of cannabis use and harsh sentencing laws which often lead to overcrowding in prison buildings,” he said.

He said the dirty, crowded prisons add to the misery of inmates, many of whom were impoverished before they turned to crime.

It’s the second time Pryce will be tackling this subject as he had directed a short prison documentary in 2009, dubbed Columbia Prisons and released straight to DVD.

Sharon Sayles Belton, an American human rights activist, also pledged her support to the venture.