The Antelope Valley Times

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HBO documentary on Lancaster prison premieres Aug. 3

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LANCASTER – A documentary on prisoners serving life sentences without the possibility of parole at California State Prison in Lancaster will premiere on HBO at 9 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3.

“Toe Tag Parole: To Live and Die on Yard A,” focuses on the 600 men living at the prison’s Progressive Programming Facility, who seek self-improvement and spiritual growth through education, art and music therapy, religious services and participation in peer-group sessions.

The film features interviews with three inmates who were sentenced to life at ages 14, 16 and 17 and describe growing up within the prison walls.

An inmate serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole approached the warden in 2000 to request a dedicated yard for men serving life sentences to break the code of violence dominating prison life.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation subsequently transformed Yard A at the prison in Lancaster into the Progressive Programming Facility, which inmates call The Honor Yard.

The only one of its kind in the United States, the experimental prison yard is free of violence, racial tensions, gang activity and illegal drug and alcohol use, according to the filmmakers.

“Toe Tag Parole: To Live and Die on Yard A,” was produced by the husband-and-wife team of Alan and Susan Raymond, who won an Oscar and Emmy for the 1993 documentary “I Am A Promise: The Children of Stanton School.”

View the 50-second trailer above and visit the official ‘Toe Tag Parole’ website here.

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Filed Under: Lancaster

42 comments for "HBO documentary on Lancaster prison premieres Aug. 3"

  1. A yard is the only yard that isn’t filled with corruption and staff abusing their authority. Unfortunately as my experience over the years as a visitor and family member of an inmate on C yard the story is much more real. Staff and inmates alike are miserable, not one inmate I have encountered has said one positive thing about their life at Lancaster compared to other prisons. Constant disrespect, lies and shut down program is an every day thing. Along with the fear that any moment an officer will attack an inmate and then report that the inmate attacked them can and has been done. I have heard of this yard as reffered to as “skid row” and some officers refuse to work there. Most inmates only stay because it’s closer for their family to come visit. Let’s do a documentary on a yard more in need of exposure.

  2. This is a paste of a post I made on another forum….

    I enjoyed this documentary and I happen to live in the same town the prison is in (Lancaster, CA) and I had sympathy for some inmates but none for others – it all depends on the case…. there are certainly some cases in which I think life without parole was not appropriate.

    But it made me think about how easily one moment can change your life forever. One bad decision. One of my favorite movie quotes is from a movie called “Riding in cars with boys” in which Drew Barrymore says “All life is, is four or five big days that change everything” and that is soooo true. which is what the movie is about.. how plans and dreams can change, because of one day…. the documentary makes me appreciate my own crummy life.. because it could so easily be me sitting in that prison… because there have been days in my life where me in prison could have been the outcome….

  3. I think that some of our young people just didn’t have the right mentality to not do the wrong thing at the time of there crime. I believe in 2nd chances there not the same boys they were at 16 17 and 18. ten years is a long time to think about what they did. and with the right therapy could come home and live productive lives.given the chance to do so. hope and prayers for them from me.

    • This is why you must take the decisions you make seriously and pray everyday because the consequences can be greater than you ever imagined. GOD is a GOD of 2nd chance,not man or the justice system. Some heinous crimes their is no retribution and life whereas your family can visit and you will answer questions is only part what the victim’s family will yet to ever feel because of your thoughtlessness at age 14,16 & 17. It is so sad,but the harsh reality of a child that was beyond his parental control and the lack of GOD in his life. Now through circumstance he has time for both and their maybe redemption,but not freedom.

  4. I’m more concerned about the comments about this documentry then I am about the actual prisoners. People saying let’s kill them, that’s government jobs are not real. Last I checked murder is illegal no matter what the reason and all jobs are real as long as you work hard and take pride in it. Do I want a prison in my town? No, but then again I don’t want rapest, killers , women beaters, and drug addicts in the local Walmart either.

    • Government workers who work hard and/or take pride in it are the rare exception, not the rule.

    • Too late for what you may want, they are already there. I wonder for all the god postings, what does he say do with the murderers, rapists, etc. Would his word be to lock them up in cages till they die? Man carries out vengeance with these sentences handed down, part of a big business to generate revenue streams. I don’t have an answer for what rehabilitation would be for some individuals, but housing them in a cage somewhere for the rest of their life seems like a waste of resources to me.

  5. HBO should do a documentary of the shenanigans that go on down on Fern St. Land deals, cronies, spy planes, insider deals…………the ultimate good ol’ boy network.

  6. These people in prison should be put to death, no use to society, why keep them alive, then the guards will have to get real jobs.

    • Thats not a real job?? Why dont you go do it then? Society deemed it necessary to house people so therefore these brave folks stepped up to the plate.. What do you do thats so real? Gotta love liberals

      • There are people, me among them, who consider any job working for government agencies to not count as fully “real”. While society may deem it necessary, there are so many aspects of it that are not held in common with other sources of employment that it is a very different thing…though probably calling it “not a real job” is just hyperbole.

        • Lol give me a break.. if the government is so bad then dont accept mail dont call 911 dont vote heck just move to another country.. your response is so biased with no supporting facts to back your claims.

          • Im by no means pro government actually the opposite. But ill tell you this, without the government we would be no different than countries like N. Korea or Syria. Does government overstep boundaries? Absolutely. But to bash the people who fix your streets deliver your mail register your car who protect and serve you who fix the lights when a power outtage occurs is just absurd and quite frankly nieve and ungrateful. If you really believed what you write you would tell the government on all levels to not help you in any way at all.. but you dont and havent because deep down inside you know you need them. How else would you survive day to day without said services provided? Its amazing that intolerance and ungratefullness knows no age limits. Because its obvious based on your statements your not a young person.

          • Where did I say the government is “bad”? I said that working for the government is not anything like working otherwise. Government jobs do not involve profit motive, and it shows. The boss, the boss’s boss, his boss, no matter how far up or how long the chain you never reach anyone who has to deal with “we need to make money here,” so inefficient, lazy, or outright wasteful practices are normal.

            As for facts to back up my claim…I’ve had “government jobs” and I’ve had real jobs. I’ve had plenty of family and friends in both. I can make the distinction for myself. It’s called experience. Go get some.

          • That would be one of the government jobs that I had. If you think there is any comparison between a military “job” and a job you obviously didn’t. There is no employer in the world that is MORE disconnected from the realities of a business than the military.

            Profit? Not a consideration.
            Product? Don’t produce anything.
            Customer service? Don’t have customers.
            Employee management? Don’t need it, we have chain of command.

  8. This documentary is made up to look legitimate. Seems just a ploy to keep the Ca state prison opened in Lancaster, Ca.
    Knowing that the officials at the prison prepared in advance is sick. This is common practice in the prison system; clean-up before a visit or filming.
    How will they profit from the education that they learn if they’re serving a life sentence. I was under the impression that this particular prison was not going to house lifers.

    • What would make you think that no lifers would be housed there ? ? It’s a level IV prison. That means maximum security . I don’t k own the each numbers, but I can guess that at least 50% of the inmate’s housed here are lifers or have very long terms. A number of years ago this prison was a Reception Center . That means the inmate’s were sent here directly from county after being sentenced . They would get processed in to prison and sent to other prisons . That process would take 3 to 6 months theoretically.
      That stopped a number of years ago.

    • I still remember when the City of Lancaster, the County and State shoved the prison down our throats, even after we voted against it repeatedly back in the 80s. After they stabbed us all in the back by building it anyway, they continued to lie to us by promising it would always be the lowest possible security level. What a farce, and precisely why the AV is now a hellhole.

      • You would rather have a minimum security facility where the inmates can pretty much just walk out?

        By the way, I left the AV in the eighties…that’s when it WAS a hellhole.

        • If you left the AV, then why do you still troll AV news websites? Where do you live thats so much better?? Your the definition of an unneccessary troll if your words are actually true..

        • Why do you still troll an AV news website if you left 25+ years ago? Where do you live thats so much better? Must be a crappy place if all you do is troll sites for areas you dont even live supposedly..

  10. The AV is already full or rapists, child molester, tweeker and criminals… the two most money making places are the hospital and courthouse! That whole place should be more concerned with all the criminals on the outside not the ones within these walls.. at least these guys have some who are trying to better their life even tho they will never see the outside of prison walls.. too bad none of the welfare recipients or drug addicts on the outside are trying..

  11. When the Hospital and Courthouse is the largest building in a city of 150k plus that tells you all you need to know about that city.

    • That the city has no practical limitations on horizontal growth? Other than that I don’t see that it tells you much at all. What kind of big buildings would you expect?

      By the way, I think the hospital and the courthouse would fit handily inside the main hanger at Lockheed anyway, so even if there were something to be learned from such a fact it would not apply here.

      • Some people think there are better places to live in the world. Unless you’re a multimillionaire every place has the good and the bad. The AV isn’t bad at all. It’s just all most people from here just know The AV and they are told only the good things about others places by friends and family.

        If you don’t like it here put your house on the market and move to the place you think will be better for you. Sooner or later you will be saying the same thing about that place.

      • Mr Tim Scott the Lockheed Hanger is in the city of Palmdale not Lancaster. And you know that Lancaster Prison is in Lancaster and you know that..

  12. You do realize that these inmates are in for life correct? Soo please inform me on how they will get out and do it again.

    • “You do realize…” is something that can’t really be said about Cali Palmdale, apparently. His posts indicate that no, he actually doesn’t.

  13. This looks like it will be a very interesting documentary giving insight as to some of the stories inside of that prison. My grandfather worked at Mira Loma in the 70’s. Times have really changed…..

  14. Soooo there IS money at the state level, but rather they choose to provide art, music, spirtual, etc classes on murderers and the like rather than our young elementary students. I think young children with potential and a future should be affforded art, music, PE, etc teachers and opportunities — what a sad statement about the priorities of our government!!!

  15. What a Disgrace that out good Old AV will even be more known for a prison full of lifers killers rapists all kinds of trash when they planned for this free jail housing that is what I think of it free no bills no worries just eat free meals what a life. They said it would never house killers or lifers but we have them all then they get released and end up here in the AV they should put them all to sleep out of 100 I think only 8 that get out will change there life the rest will kill again rob anything to get free drug money .

    • I am not pro prisoners first and for most. But to hear the silliness of the person who ranted and spewed the trash about prisoners getting out and staying in the A V only to rape,rob & repete kill is one of the stupidest things I’ve heard. I grew up in a town famous for its prison. I’ve never worried for my safety or the safety of my family and friends. If you think about anyone escaping it being paroled wants to get as far away from the prison sight as possible. The folks who will be intrviewed one are lifers and two committed their crimes and very young ages. Again I’m not excusing their actions however I defy you to examine yourself and say you didn’t do stupid things in your youth.

    • This reply quite literally hurt my brain trying to read. They’re in for life, so that shouldn’t be a concern. It’s not really free, either, they don’t have their freedom, or all their rights. Better for them to be in there, then out here, tbh.

      • For all you misinformed people. Lancaster prison might have been a low level prison at one time. Since the Govner made the decision to release lower level prisoners that were serving a low sentence, forcing higher level prisoners into these lower level prisons in turns Making the once lower level no lifer prison into a maximum security prison. There is and will never will be any thing you can do about it.