prisons are overrun with gangs, disciplinary rules are ignored and
inmates pass the time playing video games and making wine in their
cells.
You don’t have to take his word for it: He says he’s getting it on film.
Broadway, a
native serving a 12-year sentence for carjacking, has gained notoriety
as an amateur documentarian of life behind bars. The choppy footage he
captured in a
prison was turned into a full-length feature (“An Omar Broadway Film”)
that aired at a prominent film festival and was broadcast on HBO this
summer.
The popularity of the recording — a massive breach of security — led officials to transfer Broadway to the
Before long, cameras were rolling again.
He has collected, he says, “a great deal of footage” depicting living conditions of a typical inmate in
and the “illicit activities” that he says take place in the corrections
system, some of it captured on a device so small he could fit it in his
mouth.
Here, he said, gang members are so prevalent that the general prison population resembles gang-only units in
and that increases the pressure to join. Abuse of inmates is not as
widespread as his past experiences, he said, though he believes he has
been improperly held in segregation for a year.
While cameras are not allowed in prison, Broadway is
willing to risk criminal charges because he believes it’s important
that the public get an insider’s view of prison life. But others have
questioned whether his motives are fueled more by self-promotion than a
sense of justice.
Most prison documentaries “are censored and edited,” he said in a telephone interview with
arranged with the help of his mother, “and don’t allow for a prisoner’s
perspective to shine through and see how we’re living.”
Broadway, 29, has already been charged criminally in
after being caught with a recording device in 2009. Prison officials
played down the incident, saying he had recorded very little, and that
the footage was “not substantive.”
But Broadway said that that’s just the camera they know about and that his efforts are broader than officials know.
system, would not discuss Broadway’s case in detail, but said that
“because of the publicity surrounding the movie, officials were aware
of his actions in
officials, like their counterparts in many states, have been grappling
with the problem of illicit devices behind bars, but Broadway’s
escapades appear particularly troublesome.
said a growing number of images are being sent from prisons because of
the proliferation of contraband cell phones with camera capabilities.
But he said he had not heard of any instances of inmates with video
cameras — with the exception of Broadway’s first exploit.
“Like with the phones, as these cameras get smaller and more compact, it could be a problem,” Upchurch said.
Footage of the state prison system would compound
the challenges for corrections officials who in the past year have seen
wiretapping investigations reveal how gang members ran an intricate
criminal enterprise from behind bars. In one case, with the help of
corrupt corrections officers, inmates have been accused of directing
killings and drug dealing through contraband cell phones while feasting
on lobster and vodka.
Broadway began selling drugs at a young age on a tough street corner in his hometown of
He grew into a short, powerful and animated young
man who became a member of the Bloods gang but never lost the support
of his devoted mother.
He was caught carjacking in his late teens. After his conviction, he was placed in the maximum-security gang unit of
Over the course of six months, he captured
corrections officers dragging a bound inmate down a flight of stairs.
In another scene, inmates protesting treatment and refusing to return
to their cells are shown covering themselves in plastic to dull the
effects of pepper spray as armored officers charge in to subdue them.
His goal, Broadway said, was to expose brutality and spark change.
But few wanted to pay attention to the struggles of
men serving time for heinous crimes. On a contraband cell phone, he
attempted to reach out to the Rev.
but didn’t get any interest. Eventually, the footage was leaked from
prison with the help of a group of corrections officers who
collectively referred to themselves as “Walter.”
On the streets, Broadway’s mother, Lynne, hawked copies of the raw footage for
But the footage caught the interest of director
who built a feature-length documentary that included the influences in
Broadway’s life, his criminal activities, and the psyche of a prisoner
on lockdown.
The movie was picked for the
As the project gained notice, Broadway’s profile grew, and, by 2007, he was sent to serve the rest of his time on
Broadway said conditions in
In contrast, “it’s sweet down here,” he said. General population
inmates can wear street clothes and have access to what many would
consider luxury items, such as flat-screen TVs, sound systems, video
game consoles and jewelry.
“I’ve got a 30-inch chain around my neck right now,” he said. The state
confirmed that those items are available for purchase, with
restrictions. He also says he has on tape the process of making wine in
prison cells, by scraping together juice, sugar and other ingredients.
But when inmates get in trouble, he said, the punishment is swift and severe. His treatment after being caught with a camera in
According to court records, Broadway was charged
with possession of marijuana and a small video camera, which contained
footage of him in his cell and of a correctional officer. The camera
was so tiny — about the size of a thumb, according to Broadway and
confirmed by prison officials — that he was able to conceal it in his
mouth.
He was charged with five counts, including
“interception of communications,” and pleaded guilty to possession of
contraband in a confined place. An extra 13 months was tacked on to his
sentence, causing him to miss a premiere celebration of his movie. He
is scheduled for release in January.
No employees were disciplined in connection with the
camera that was discovered in Broadway’s cell, but a source familiar
with the investigation said a staff member suspected of involvement has
since resigned after an unrelated investigation.
Broadway said he has been held in administrative
segregation for more than a year after refusing to cooperate with
investigators trying to track the source of the camera. He claims
officials are not following written procedures for such punishment, and
have restricted his telephone access and recreation time. He claims to
have not been allowed outside for a year, and has filed an appeal in
Binetti, the prison spokesman, would not comment on Broadway’s punishment.
But he said the system is doing better at rooting
out contraband. Acknowledging that it is “unlikely” for corrections
systems to block contraband altogether, “the bottom line is, this
incident aside, our facilities are safer and more secure than they were
four years ago,” Binetti said in an e-mail.
Broadway said he is undaunted and has taken up his chosen mission with renewed vigor.
The footage he gathered in
When it’s released, he promises, the effort will be “worth it.”
———
(c) 2010, The Baltimore Sun.
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