Prisão de Mulheres

Judith Light is to be commended for her choice of projects; she is very good in the role of Alice, a single mother who is originally imprisoned for embezzlement, then sold out by her criminal defense lawyer; who,it turns out, made a crooked deal with a judge.

While the story is a bit convoluted about her actual prison record, she is sentenced to 5 years, even though I doubt this would occur, as she had minor non-violent crime (apparently).

Chelcie Ross is excellent as the bureaucratic warden, and there is a scene wherein Judith Light and he confront each other....Inmates are told they are human garbage as the prison guards rape and abuse them. Things like this go on in hospitals; so it is certainly believable that this occurs in prison. There is a scene where a suicidal inmate receives no medical attention, is restrained and hog-tied by 6 prison guards, and never sees a physician.

Stacey Keach portrays attorney Jackson Devlin, who finally brings this story national attention, with the help of Light's character, and many of the inmates, who are named "Jane Doe" in the class action lawsuit. They are anonymous so that their supposed "rights" are protected. Apparently, though, no one has any civil rights, and one guard named Stu is found dead, a staged suicide; he was murdered by one of the prison staff to protect their jobs.

At present, in the U.S. there are more people in prison than ever; the statistics are staggering; many mentally disabled and indigent are wrongfully imprisoned; they cannot afford a lawyer, so they rot in jail. Is this demoralizing treatment warranted?. It certainly does not make this society a better place to live; It also has been proved that executions are not a deterrent to crime.

If you liked this movie, you may also like "The Life of David Gale" with Kevin Spacey; there are many thought provoking arguments here, decide for yourself.

The movie didn't show and tell everything. I should know, I was there, I am Jane Doe #1. Life hasn't been easy since released after 25 years in there!It still happens. People are fast to judge those behind bars.Because of my coming forward my parole was denied 4 times. Only going through the courts did I gain freedom. If not for that I would still be in prison.Life for me will NEVER be the same.I carry this part of shame with me forever!So you see, its not about a movie its about human beings trying to live in hell for years. Most people could not come out of there and still be human.I pray each day for those still there.Sociaty thinks that all inmates lie, well, thats not so. Many people who have the power over others think that they are god and can do as they please.I have to pray for them also.The system does not always work. People need to be educated!

When this movie first began, I was a little teary-eyed to see Judith on the screen again. I thought that she looked particularly emaciated -- but I digress. The passion with which she played her character, Alice Needham, touched me in a way that I have not been touched since her breathtaking performance aside Tony Danza in "Who's the Boss".

The story of "Women in Prison" that this movie tells is at once compelling and painful; the struggles that these poor women face on a daily basis strike deep into the core of the plight of the incarcerated. I was horrified to learn of their forced sexual exploitations and immensely satisfied that Judith Light (Alice Needham) was able to destroy the needless corruption which sprang from the loins of the prison guards.

As an aside -- Is Judith a natural redhead? Because if not, KUDOS to her hairdresser. I was totally convinced.

6/10

The ex-convicted Alice Needham (Judith Light) is the mother of two teenagers sons and a young daughter, who presently has a straight life. However, she is unfairly accused of stealing some clothes in a department store, misguided by her lawyer and unfairly sent to prison again. There, she fights for her rights, and when she is on probation, she hires the honest and idealistic lawyer Jack Devlin (Stacy Keach) to defend the other women against the corruption in the prison. This movie is a shallow, but enjoyable drama. The story is full of good intentions, has a great message in the end (fight for your rights no matter where you are), but it is also very naive and hard to believe. The character of Alice is well constructed and shows a great personality, fighting for her rights, but all the other women have committed some sort of crime to be in jail. It does not give the right to the guards explore them, but the problem is that I found the story manipulative. Basically, the prisoners are presented like poor exploited saints, and the guards as corrupts and sex addicted. I liked it as a fictional drama, because in real life, I believe the events would be much different. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): 'Prisão de Mulheres' ('Prison of Women')

Whilst this movie is certainly no classic, I found it an enjoyable and watchable flick. None of the critics seem to agree with me, but as far as the TV movies go this was not at all bad. Judith Light was excellent in her role and the movie didn't always take itself too seriously. If its on TV again I recommend watching it.