Against All Odds
“I lost my mother to the criminal justice system for 15 years.”
Messiah Rhodes was just a kid when his mom, Juanique Rhodes, went to jail. Over the years, she was incarcerated four times. In Against All Odds, a two-episode documentary series produced in partnership with AJ+, Messiah looks at issues that prevent women, like his mom, from breaking the cycle of incarceration.
Juanique and Messaih’s story isn’t unique. 1.9 million women are released from US jails and prisons each year, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. When they get out, they encounter numerous systemic obstacles preventing them from entering and thriving in society. There is no centralized support system for formerly incarcerated women, and without a place to live, with no family backing, limited education and employment opportunities, they are more likely to reoffend, and get trapped in the US criminal justice system. 77 percent of women are rearrested within nine years of being released from prison.
EPISODE 1: “Jail Took My Mom”
The first episode looks at the lack of stable housing and employment opportunities as major obstacles to reentry. Formerly incarcerated people are almost 10 times more likely to be homeless than the general public, and it’s even worse for women. On the job front, 44 percent of formerly incarcerated women are unable to find jobs.
EPISODE 2: “Families After Prison”
In the second episode, Messiah sheds light on the lack of healthcare inside and outside correctional facilities and the difficulty of reconnecting with family as impediments to reentry.
