Media Activism #8

I attended a screening of a new documentary called Troop 1500: Girl Scouts Beyond Bars about a special program within the Girl Scouts of America that works with daughters of incarcerated women. The purpose of the program is to encourage the daughters to know their mothers and forge bonds now, so that they have a strong foundation to build on when the mothers are released. The philosophy behind the program is based on the strong bond between mothers and daughters that lasts a lifetime, and without childhood memories of times spent together, it becomes difficult to relate and feel that love later in life.

Part of the program involves the daughters bringing video cameras into the prisons to interview their moms. This way they have a chance to create memories and record them to reflect on and watch when they are apart. The documentary includes these interviews between mother and daughter and shows both the touching and heartfelt sentiments that are exchanged as well as the awkward moments between these young girls and their disfunctional mothers.

The documentary is well done as it follows enough mothers and daughters during a long enough period to show a wide array of experiences, so as not to simplify the program or the issues in general. Seeing these women with their daughters, we are able to see their sensitive sides, where they are on their best behavior and regretting all of their bad decisions that put them in prison to begin with. With more time, you are able to recognize the women who are still incredibly self destructive and disfunctional, from the women who may have made some bad decisions, but who are more likely to be rehabilitated. You understand why this program is controversial, because it is difficult to watch these young girls confronted with their unstable mothers. The troop leader who runs the program is really wonderful at standing by these young girls to make sure they have the support to deal with the aftermath of the highly emotionally charged visits.

The film doesn't try to answer questions and does not get political, but it does have strong messages. It is important to really understand the consequences and implications of incarcerating women and splitting up families. To see the effects on the children, it makes it apparent that we could use a lot more mental health environments and rehabilitation centers than prisons.