[Singers vocalizing] ♪ Woman: It was a cold night, January of 2009, and I knew that I should not take this trip.

♪ I was exhausted.

I had worked a full day, and I was supposed to be at work the next morning, so my head was like, "Man, I'm probably not gonna make it to work tomorrow."

♪ By that time, my door had been kicked in at the apartment that I had been living in.

I had been moving all over the city, trying to find, like, a place that I felt safe with somebody I could trust.

♪ I was living two completely different lives, and it was just eating me up inside.

♪ But I figured, if I got enough money, I could alleviate my family's pain.

♪ So, I jumped on the highway and got to it.

♪ Got to Alabama... [Distant siren blaring] and the state trooper pulled me over because he said my license plate light was out.

♪ He was sitting on the side of the highway.

I was in the second lane from the right.

[Siren chirps, officer speaking through radio] Woman: He pulled me over, illegally searched my car... [Car hood opening] and when he went in my trunk and found marijuana, he drew down on me.

[Gun cocks] ♪ Staring up at the barrel of a gun with a white police officer on the side of the highway, it's just like, "What is gonna happen?"

[Overlapping voices speaking over police radios] ♪ I just felt basically like, "Man, like, this is... if this is what it is, it's what it is."

♪ I was so naive.

♪ [Click] Woman 2: Good afternoon.

Thank you for calling Cowboy Bail Bonds.

Vanessa speaking.

How may we help you today?

[Tapping keyboard keys] Oh, well, thank you for keeping us in mind.

I'm glad you can choose us every time.

[Distant, overlapping voices] Yes, ma'am.

That would be up to a judge to determine.

I mean, a lot can happen in court.

Yes, ma'am, you can definitely make your payment by phone with us.

Oh, yes.

No, I understand.

Heh!

Even if you had it, no one wants to put up that full amount.

Brittany White: I had never even been arrested before.

Never detained or anything.

I really didn't know what to think.

Vanessa: I mean, we are a 24-hour operation, so if you can just get done with running your errands and stop on in and see us, and hopefully they don't pick him up tonight.

White: I thought that I would be able to quietly make this bond, get out of jail, and figure this out.

But once they told me that it was $250,000, I was like, "OK." Vanessa: Right, and the fees is the 10% at 500, and we can work with the 250, if that's what the family has today.

White: And it wasn't just about cash.

Vanessa: You're fine.

We're here to walk you through it all.

White: My mom and dad had to put their house up.

Vanessa: And I should be able to see you maybe around 5:00, then, after you get the kids from school?

All right.

Thank you for choosing Cowboy Bail Bonds.

Talk to you soon.

Bye-bye.

[Hangs up phone, other phones ringing] White: I just remember being numb.

I was actually on the brink of really trying to make a change, and the clock just ran out on me.

Since the time of being given the drug patch, the first one was not testable, but all of her--all of the other ones have been consistently negative, so she's asking for a removal.

And so, how many drug patches?

She's currently on her eighth one, so she has 6 consecutive clean.

OK. That's not including the first one that was not testable.

OK, and, Miss Horton, are you going to NA meetings?

Horton: Yes, ma'am, but I was in a very bad car wreck and I was out of work, so I didn't go for a period of time, but, um-- What was that period?

Uh--heh!

Woman: He's completed everything.

He's done everything exceptionally well, all clean UAs.

He's asking for early release.

It's been 3 years.

I'll need to look at a--a rap sheet.

What about fees?

Man: Oh, probation fees.

I can help you with the probation fees.

Probation fees are $60 a month.

I can cut 'em to $10 a month for you.

Where are we living?

Woman: Um, I'm going to my grandparents'.

OK, and grandparents supportive?

Yes.

How'd you get up here today?

Um, I rode the train 'cause I'm staying at the Salvation Army in a program there.

Judge Francis deemed him indigent.

He's gonna pay about 12 grand today and show me proof that he's got community service.

Man: So I made a mistake.

We're past that.

Oh, I know.

I--I know, I'm just saying I apologize for-- Heh!

I think it was, like, this...or, um-- I mean, what month are we in?

We're in December.

It was, like, November, all through November.

OK. And you have proof of all that?

Yes, ma'am... White, voice-over: Over the course of those 6 weeks, while I was trying to get a bond, I had lost my job, I had lost the place that I was staying.

Everything was just a mess.

Yes.

Man: Like you say, it's locked down anyway right now 'cause it's 6 months I was independent.

Mr. Yankee-- Someone used one of my credit cards while I was in jail.

Mr. Yankee?

Heh heh!

What?

I don't do the "yeah" thing, so "yes"?

Yes, you understand what I'm saying?

Huh?

Yes?

Yes'm.

OK. White, voice-over: And I was being offered a plea that I refused to accept.

Givens: Let's keep her, yeah, 'cause I want to keep an eye on you, make sure that you're getting what you need.

White: So I eventually went to trial.

Is there anything else that we need to talk about today?

Yankee: I wouldn't know what to ask, Your Honor.

White: Part of what I tried to do during my trial was present, like, character statements.

I was like, "Surely God would not play me and allow me to go to prison."

This is clearly just, like, a large "Scared Straight" tactic, where God just wants me to know, like, "OK, "now it's time for you to really make all the decisions you need to make to get your life together."

I was just like, "I'm gonna take my chances and go to trial.

"They're gonna throw out this search, and then I'm going to apologize to everybody and move on."

I was 23.

♪ The trial lasted one day.

It was just me and my mother there.

♪ The verdict came back guilty, I was taken into custody right then.

[Footsteps] He sentenced me to 20 years in prison.

♪ My mom told me she drove back to Dallas crying the whole way.

Man: It's an interesting job.

I mean, it has its benefits.

[Dinner music playing] Um, you know, different from being in private practice.

I'm at the same place every day, same parking spot, I have staff, whereas, in private practice, you're all over, from county to county, courthouse to courthouse, courtroom to courtroom, and dealing with a variety of people.

I mean, I'm learning how to be kind of a CEO of a big organization.

You know, that's not a skill that's taught in law school, and you don't need it as a judge.

But fortunately, I have done collaborative things as a judge with the drug courts, et cetera, so... [Applause, dinner music fades] Really appreciate it.

Um, so, yeah, it's about one year.

In fact, on January 1, will be one year in office as your district attorney, and it's been an exciting time.

Um, you know, we didn't come in and say, "I'm gonna lock up everybody and kill everybody and I'm the greatest that ever happened" and blah, blah, blah.

We didn't do that.

We talked about issues that impact our community, and we talked about changing the culture of the district attorney's office and thereby changing the culture of what?

Criminal justice in Dallas County, and we had very specific things that we ran on.

and one of the things that we ran on was the impact that the criminal justice system has on communities of color.

There are lots of arrests made in Dallas County for different offenses, but when we start looking at those kind of-- when I say "gateway offenses," those low-level crimes that get you into the criminal justice system and--and kind of hold on to you.

It's like that, you know, that pit bull that got you by the leg and won't let go, right?

Those marijuana cases and those criminal trespasses and THC, things like that.

Those are the cases that are-- where we, as people of color, are arrested more often, even though all of those things are done evenly across the community.

But what does that tell you?

That we're over-policed, OK?

And if we're over-policed, we're what?

Over-arrested.

If we're over-arrested, we're what?

Over-prosecuted.

And what happens after that?

Then we get caught up in the criminal justice system, and it stays with us for the rest of our lives.

Man: 'Sup, cowboy?

Come on, boy.

[Dog pants] What's up?

Psst, psst, psst!

What you doing this morning, hmm?

You sleep good?

You boys sleep good, hmm?

Let's go.

Automated voice: If you are trying to get someone out of jail, press one.

If you are bo-- [Line rings] Man: Um, I sent you an email this morning, probably about 3:30.

It was the new jail population report.

Anyway, just check that out and let me know and then, uh, I'll be-- I'm in Mesquite this morning, and then I should be over in Dallas about 1:00 today, something like that.

Man on phone: Sounds good, just keep me, yeah, keep me posted.

Chappell, voice-over: I feel like my job is helping people in tough situations.

Had no background in this.

Chose Dallas because it was a large city, a lot of crime, so, for what I was going to do, it was a pretty vibrant place for all that.

♪ When I was 15 or so, got in trouble riding around with some boys, stole some stuff, just--just doing crazy kid stuff, basically.

But luckily enough, our judge in our town was a really, really good friend of my dad's and, you know, he took me to the state penitentiary, took me and two other boys.

Went on Death Row.

I mean, I can remember walking down this small, little aisle, all the cells on the right-hand side, talking to these people, man, seeing these guys.

That had an impact on me.

I--I remember leaving there and I've held this till--to this day.

There was no doubt I would do anything necessary not to have to do that, not to go and spend your time there.

And I've often said that if every child, when they turn 16, they had to go through a maximum-security penitentiary, it might be a different world, it could be.

I don't know, but I know the impact that it had on me.

♪ Givens: Where is your cover letter?

Man: Forgot to print that out.

You forgot?

Yeah, I did it, but I didn't print it out so much.

So what...are the people gonna look at today?

Just the résumé.

So remember the lady?

How much did she say she charged an hour?

150.

So you mean to tell me you're gonna pass up a $150-an-hour service 'cause you forgot to print out?

OK, OK. Whatever's good for you works for me.

Well, I was printing out a lot of-- Right.

You're so right.

I asked for too much.

I'm gonna tell you this, and we've talked about it before.

I can't beg you to work the program, but y'all are playing games.

You can't remember to print stuff out?

I made you all exchange phone numbers last time 'cause I said you all are your brother and sisters' keepers, right?

If you fail, everybody in your class fails.

You all want to do a...a night together, to bond?

'Member the slumber party we could have at Lew Sterrett?

Woman: Oh, no.

[Scattered laughter] I mean, we could really bond.

No.

Right?

Mm-mm.

I mean, it starts with y'all being processed together.

That's really just-- it will ignite you, OK?

And then, when you get over to the jail, and they put you in the different cells, I mean, you really feel some kind of way together, right?

Is that what it's gonna take for y'all to care about each other?

Givens: Please don't disappoint me.

You got Christmas coming up.

You got New Year's before you see me.

I don't want to hear anything from probation officers about any weed.

If somebody is smoking, walk away.

If they love you and they know you're on felony probation, they won't smoke in front of you.

I've been the family member, and let me tell you, that's one of the hardest things to be, is one of your family members, because if your family member could pray you out of the situations that you keep getting into, they would.

But it really is up to you, so it's about time that y'all stand on your two feet and find that fight inside.

Man: You know me.

I wouldn't go to court.

Man 2: No, you'll go to-- you got to go to arraignment.

We got to make sure that you're mentally sound.

If you get a mental baseline, then you can explain.

You can say you have mental problems.

Yo, then I can leave?

Actually... [Indistinct] ...got to go up there, see the doctor.

Givens, voice-over: I've literally had every role.

I have been the family member, I've been the prosecutor, I've been the defense attorney, and now the judge.

Every role I could have played in the courtroom, I have played.

♪ One of my older brothers has been to the pen twice, and I remember opening up a newspaper, and they were talking about my brother.

He had done something, and it was in the newspaper.

♪ You know, we went to court, and I remember it lasting-- it seemed like it lasts for, like, 20 seconds.

Like, we were in there, he was a person, then he was a number, and then he was going to prison.

♪ Like, I had a lot of questions: Well, what is this?

How does this work?

Why does it work like this?

Just very unsure.

♪ White: Yeah, so... [Sighs] ♪ Going through incarceration, I was more afraid of my parents than anything the state of Alabama could do to me because, to this day, nothing about incarceration hurts worse than the disappointment that my parents felt with me going to prison.

And, um... ♪ [Distant child laughing faintly] [White sighs] And it's something I have really tried to overcompensate for to try to neutralize that experience.

But, yeah.

♪ TV reporter: Police say two 15-year-olds were involved in an attempted robbery of a pizza delivery driver.

They allegedly threatened the Papa John's driver with a gun at the Village apartment complex in northeast Dallas.

What the teens didn't know was that the driver, a licensed gun holder, was also armed.

He shot both of them, killing one of them.

The surviving teen is charged with aggravated robbery.

Another mystery: the person who was supposed to receive the pizza that night tells us she never even placed an order.

Man: Every system has to have expectations, it has to have accountability... and it has to have consequences.

And I think we've lowered the bar with our expectations, and kids are meeting those boundaries, but right on the other side of those boundaries are a lot of problems.

And I think that's where we are.

I--I mean, listen, I stay awake at night for this.

How are you doing?

Good.

How you feel?

You look better.

Do you want to take the other medicine with you today?

No.

Let me put this one in a--in a Ziploc.

[Sighs] What is on your agenda today?

Yeah.

Well, I have a test this morning, and we have practice.

What do you have a test at?

Um, geography and geometry.

Do you know your geography?

No.

How 'bout your geometry?

Yeah.

Chappell, voice-over: I had a really, really good childhood.

Grew up in a pretty rural little community.

Somewhere near... Chappell, voice-over: I knew everyone, everyone knew my family.

For our banner pictures, we got to pick what we wanted to do.

What did you do?

Crossover.

Oh.

I was gonna do a behind-the-back pass, but I couldn't do it, like, it didn't look right.

Chappell, voice-over: My mother worked for the Chamber of Commerce.

My father was an insurance salesman.

He would have to go collect debit from the people who you had sold the policies to and, I mean, it may be a couple of dollars a month, but we're literally going around after dinner every night, collecting debit.

Mm-hmm.

And then we take, um, team--team pictures after that.

Is Mom taking me to school?

Yeah.

Chappell, voice-over: His clientele was a lot of African-Americans, a lot of older people.

Country-type folks.

People took matters into their own hands a little bit.

The only thing I can say is it might not have been my nature to be very tough, but you either had to stand up or you were gonna probably get ran over a little bit, so I learned to do that pretty early on.

Looking back on it, I feel like that I was probably a pretty grown-up kid and introduced to a lot of grown-up things.

My dad never did shelter me very much from any of that, so I was always right along with whatever he was doing.

It's just where you came from, you know?

You learn to navigate where you come from.

Chappell: Look how bright it is this morning.

There's some moisture in those clouds.

It gives it a good color.

It's really pretty.

♪ I like the mornings; the mornings, and then in the afternoons, I like the sunset, too.

♪ Miss all the morning sunrises, don't you?

Chappell: Good morning.

Morning, everybody.

You want, uh, any raspberries, or you just want blueberries?

Blueberries and... Walnuts?

walnuts.

Pecans?

Yes.

♪ You want to put it in your to-go cup?

Yes.

Yes.

Let me find that other bowl.

Chappell: What is your plan today?

I am...taking Kennedy to school and then headed to Mesquite, and then I need to go check on my dad.

[Water running, dishes clank] ♪ Bye.

Love you.

Love you, too.

Bye.

♪ Chappell, voice-over: I was looking for something to basically be able to do and something that I would enjoy, something I would be good at... and somewhere in the back of my mind, prison and criminal justice and those kind of things were always very interesting to me.

♪ I didn't know anything about the bail industry, but I knew if you were very serious about it, you could really make a go of it.

[Drawer opens and closes] Maybe.

Givens, voice-over: Being a judge is very isolating.

Good morning, Lisa.

[Keys clank] Even look at the design of this building.

They make it to where you never have to interact with anybody, other than the people that come before you.

Yes, yes, and do we have Williams on the jail chain today for trial?

Givens, voice-over: I literally park right by my elevator.

My elevator is right by my chambers.

My chambers door is right by my bench door.

I never have to see anybody.

Tell the clerks to just change that, 'cause it says 204th.

It needs to say 282nd.

I don't want to write on it and change it.

[Tapping keyboard keys] RC, no weddings this week, right?

Right.

So these probationers are supposed to be here at 8:00.

Did you see anybody in probation, RC?

No, the door was closed, but Amanda is normally here.

Good morning, Amanda.

Hey, so when the probationers get here, just go ahead and take 'em into the courtroom.

I'm ready.

Givens, voice-over: You know, there is a point in time where punishment is-- is appropriate... Oh.

Voice-over: and there is a point in time where rehabilitation is appropriate, and I think many times, on that rehabilitation end, people kind of just said the word.

All right, well, I'm about to take the bench now, so you... Voice-over: But there was no, like, tangible program or tangible anything behind the word.

And I feel like now, people see the full spectrum.

I'm taking these bond sheets that you had emailed me... Voice-over: It's like you have to put in as much as you put in to punishing somebody to rehabilitating.

If they're not already worked on, you might need to put these people back on the jail chain.

All right, you may be seated.

[Door closes] What we do know is that these people spend a few days in jail, and they're put right back out on the streets, likely in a worse condition.

Jail itself is traumatizing.

Two zip codes in the city of Dallas send more prisoners, I think, per capita, than anywhere else in the state of Texas.

So it begs the question, can we do anything about that?

Creuzot, voice-over: Unfortunately, when you try to change things, there are those who are offended by it.

People say it's not your job to--to exercise discretion.

Actually, it is my job.

There's a legal issue.

Did they commit a crime?

And the answer may be yes, but there's a moral issue, is why are you targeting that population and not doing it broadly?

And so I have the right to decide the legal issue-- that is, whether we will go forward-- and I also have an obligation to decide the moral issue, and that is am I going to be complicit in targeting this community versus that community?

And I've decided that I'm not going to be complicit in that.

The story, you know, I was given was that marijuana is so powerful now, it causes psychosis.

Eh.

Maybe.

I don't know.

I'm not a consumer of marijuana, so I don't know.

But I, somewhat jokingly, but somewhat seriously, said, "You ought to try drinking a bottle of tequila.

That'll give you some psychosis, too."

And yet, we're OK with that.

We have institutional racism that has created communities in the way that they are.

Not that individuals within the community can't be responsible for themselves today, but generally speaking, institutional racism has created a lot of pockets of despair and poverty.

And our response to--to that is not to fix the underlying problem, but to put the person in prison.

And so we went through this period of locking up our own, and all it did was devastate our communities.

♪ White, voice-over: Prison constantly takes away from you.

It constantly dehumanizes you.

♪ All of the love languages are illegal in prison.

Like, to physically touch somebody, like, words of affirmation.

That's fraternizing.

And... when you sentence a person to a place where there is no love, how do you think they'll come out?

♪ Over the course of those five years, my favorite uncle died, my nephew was born, my grandmother died, my oldest brother got married, and my great-grandmother died.

Life went on without me... and that's the most painful part.

I didn't feel free to grieve, and so that grief got trapped in my body.

I just had to turn my feelings off.

And because of that, when I came home, I was completely numb.

I was cold.

And I had a lot of anxiety about being around a lot of people.

White: First thing, of course, I'm gonna tell you is to take a deep breath because you can only control what you can control.

And I know you, in the sense of, like, you'll get this one thing that throws you off, and it kinda like, you think about the domino effect, like, "How is this gonna affect everything I'm trying to move?"

But that's OK. Voice-over: I was just so full of pain.

♪ And it has taken the whole five years for my heart to heal.

I always tell you, we don't do this work in our own strength.

So, when you come up against hurdles, you've got to know that you creative and powerful enough to overcome them.

Voice-over: And I'm kind of processing all of this in real time, as I think about it.

It was a lot of trial and error.

It was a lot of me getting it wrong and the people who love me giving me a lot of grace.

I know, so, see?

I'm always-- I'm always thinking-- Tiara, I'm always thinking about you, and you still have my support.

Voice-over: When I came home from prison, I went back into my role as being a caretaker for my father.

And so, when I was broken, to be up under somebody who loves you unconditionally, that is probably what healed me.

♪ Also, I went back to church, and it was through that church I found my purpose and got connected to the work that I do now.

What you are charged over is so dynamic and different from what anybody else is doing.

They really can't advise you because everybody can't work with formerly incarcerated folk.

Everybody is not... intelligent-- I don't want to say intelligent enough.

They just don't have that lived experience to be able to engage your demographic.

So what you got to constantly think about is, like, what do you know about your folks and what makes sense for them, and try to build that out into something that makes sense.

So what Faith in Texas is, what Faith in Action is, is a diverse group of people who look different, who love different, who worship different, who agree on this one thing: in the humanity and dignity of all folks.

It's everything you already know.

Voice-over: My childhood was actually really dope.

I just remember being just really, really well-loved.

We didn't have a lot financially at first because my parents got together young, and when they did reach the point where they were financially comfortable, my dad got sick and took them on a whole different trajectory.

♪ My mother was so consumed in holding the house down that that had, like, her full attention.

And so I had to just kind of, like, process those feelings for myself on what was going on, and it was just so much anger and frustration that I didn't really have the tools to process, that it was just, like, this toxic gumbo going on inside of me.

And so, my headspace, like, at 20 when I dropped out of college, was just, like.... it was just, like, me searching for something to stop the hurt, and all those temporary fixings that I was running after, I thought they were going to alleviate all of that pain, when they really just caused a lot more.

♪ ♪ Man: I took an edible, and I was not aware.

Givens: Who gave it to you?

A female.

I didn't say, "What was the person's gender?"

Oh, OK. Well, um, I apologize.

Who?

A girl named Courtney, um, that I know from-- And what was it, a brownie, a gummy?

Yeah, it was a brownie.

I didn't know that it was a weed brownie, though.

What kind of party was this?

Um, like a... college graduation party, I believe.

Hmm, and it was a weed brownie.

Yes.

When was this?

Um...maybe, like, a month ago?

OK, so when you UA today, you're gonna be clean?

I'm not sure.

No.

Listen to my question.

Has somebody tied you down and made you ingest drugs?

No, ma'am.

OK, so, when you UA today, are you gonna be clean or dirty?

I'm not sure.

Listen to my question.

I'm giving you an opportunity to shine right now, and you're about to fail.

Who made you do weed this last time?

Man: I took it upon myself when somebody offered me a gummy bear.

So, why, after you already know you had a positive, uh...why?

Well, I was stressed out.

I don't get to see my son--I'm not trying to make any excuses.

You have an excuse for everything.

It was the girl's fault.

You ate the brownie the girl gave you.

How old are you?

24.

About to be 25.

This has got to be it for you.

What about weed is worth potentially doing 10 years?

Nothing.

So then why?

I--I-- Not even why, but why, then, aren't you seeking help, since you clearly know you're on felony probation, you're gonna be UA'd?

Do I have to use sanction days on you?

Man: No, ma'am.

You sure?

Yes, ma'am.

I apologize for my actions.

I'll make sure that I will not use any marijuana and...ever-- That's not it.

That's not it.

Lip service?

I'm not trying to give you any lip-- Unh-uh.

I'm not finished.

Yes, ma'am.

Miss me with the lip service.

Start doing it.

You just got continued on probation... Givens, voice-over: Justice is a chameleon.

It doesn't look the same in every case.

And if you marry the idea, one picture of what justice looks like, you cheat everybody.

I think you have to be open because, in some cases, it's a dismissal.

Sometimes it's a plea.

Sometimes it's a trial.

Sometimes it's probation.

Sometimes it's pen time.

I don't think you can really define it.

It lends itself to being very fluid, I think.

All right, NA meetings four times a week.

Man: OK. And what else do you need?

Are you employed?

Yes, ma'am.

OK.

I work Wednesday through Sunday, 11:30 to 5:30.

OK. OK. You might need a second job to stay out of trouble.

♪ Voice-over: Initially, no, I did not want to have anything to do with the criminal justice system, especially coming from St. Louis.

Part of my rearing happened in Jennings, which is down the street from Ferguson.

There were streets that we would drive down in St. Louis, and I would ask, like, "Why are you going, like, 10 miles under the speed limit?"

My mom, she would say, "This is that street."

And when she said, "This is that street," I knew exactly what she was talking about.

♪ I was a newborn.

She left the hospital with me and my sister that's closest in age to me.

She got stopped, and a police officer approaches her and says, "You ran a red light.

She didn't agree with him.

He pulls my mom out of the car and drags her out of the car.

He arrests her, and he's like, "I'm calling CPS.

They're gonna come get your kids."

♪ Some of my earliest memories of dealing with law enforcement were stories like that.

♪ And then, I had a professor at Skegee, Professor Thompson, he teaches this Intro to Law class.

He taught us that the law was created to keep us as chattel, so we have to master it.

And I was like, "Well, dang gone it, I'm going to law school."

I was like, "You know what?

I want to be a prosecutor."

♪ But then I was afraid that my brother would hate me.

So I called my brother and I was like, "So, "got this job offer.

"I'm really interested in it, but, you know, I just want to know how you truly feel about it."

And he was like, "Why wouldn't you do it?

That's where all the power is, "that's where all the discretion is, that's-- that's where you get to do the right thing."

Woman: All right, go to the window to your left so you can sign for the property, please.

♪ Sign both the red X's, please.

[Papers rustle] All right, there you go.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Have a good one.

You, too.

Next person?

Man: She's trying to pick up her brother's personal item.

Mm-hmm.

Um, He doesn't have any property that can be picked up.

The only thing he has is clothing, and the clothing cannot be released.

She says why can't they give it to her?

As long as he's physically here at our facility, none of his clothing can be released 'cause he has to have clothing to be released in.

Oh, OK. Su ropa, no.

All right.

All right, thank you.

Uh-huh.

You're welcome.

You're trying to get the property?

Woman: Uh, yeah, but I want to know if he--he can pay, mm, the penance.

How much money do I need to get to him?

Uh...I don't know what I say.

To get him to home?

Oh, how much money is the bond amount?

Mm-hmm.

[Tapping keyboard keys] ♪ He has a $10,000 bond.

I'm sorry?

He has a $10,000 bond.

10,000?

10,0000.

Oh, my God.

Mm-hmm.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

♪ White, voice-over: Logically, you can justify doing a lot of things to people.

But empathy should tell you that if you put yourself in the shoes of anyone, then we all should really extend grace.

So, as a country, we give this veneer.

We give this impression of being this godly country who deeply cares about humanity.

But in the same sense, we hold people as collateral.

[Cell door closes] Folks have made a decision about who is worth sacrificing in order to live the type of life that they want to live.

♪ White: How was y'all's holiday?

Woman: Mine was crazy.

I lost two family members, my aunty and my cousin, so it was-- Here in Dallas?

Mm-hmm.

I'm so sorry to hear that.

How's your family doing?

We coming together.

We're getting through it little by little.

Best thing, uh, right now is just to maybe be a little patient with me.

So I'm getting back to work from Thanksgiving.

Mm-hmm.

Man: Sure.

And I wanted to make sure that we kept this meet on the schedule, but my brain is a little-- so bear with me.

I'm trying to, like, get my grasp back on things, so I'm trying-- Oh, yeah.

to, you know, pace myself and be graceful with myself and still get the work done at the same time.

So keep me in your prayers and be graceful with me as we, uh, try to get through what we need to get through today.

Man: Heavenly father, we thank You so much for this time, how You've blessed us tremendously with Your love, with Your grace, and with Your mercy as we come to do the work that You've called us to do in Your community.

In Jesus' name, we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Man 2: So, what I would like to get to is, when you think of an institution or a church, there are some churches we can think about, and we can connect them to a community engagement approach.

Mm-hmm.

Maybe it's protest or maybe it's criminal justice, or maybe it's-- they have their thing... Mm-hmm.

that they--they have their stake in the ground for... White, voice-over: When I came home from prison, I acquired the language of my lived experience to understand that I wasn't really just a horrible, bad, shameful person, but there was actually a larger system and that my family and many families like mine were just collateral to capitalism, to white supremacy, to racism that intentionally designed underserved communities to be susceptible to enter into a life of crime to try to acquire, like, a means of wealth.

For me, I'm not here about the what.

Like, what are we gonna be working on?

Because we're all gon' bring-- we gon' do dope stuff, regardless.

My concern is more so the how.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

And so what I want to figure out is, like, when people come, from in the church or from the community, and they want to do something... Mm-hmm.

that partners with Concord, how do you go about doing it?

In these spaces, we can get very, like, "Somewhere in Dallas"-- Yeah.

"there is a Black"-- No!

Like, right across the street...

Specific, we have to be specific.

there are Black boys that we are building this for.

We're trying to reach the one, and that includes the community that surrounds us in south Oak Cliff and abroad, and so, from these different spaces, be it education or mentoring, how can we connect people back as well... Mm-hmm.

to the church and, you know, more broadly, to Jesus as well?

Mm-hmm.

So I just got to throw that in there... Yeah.

to make sure that that's in the loop as well.

You're thinking, Brit.

White: I'm just, you know, I'm just processing.

Yeah.

I didn't like the Jesus part.

In the event that we... present something, and that's not in the... landscape... Woman: Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

It may-- there's a potential that it's not received well.

Does that make sense?

Can you say more about that?

Because, like, the part that was off-putting to me, and I try to show up in these spaces, like, I'm unapologetically Concord.

We've been members here since, like, '97, right?

I'm old-- I'm old Concord.

From Keist and Polk Concord.

Yeah.

But, like, what I think about when I put my community hat on is... the resources and what we are developing here, is it contingent upon Jesus?

So, if I'm not, like... if I'm not willing to be evangelized, can I still engage?

Chappell: Society's changed faster and has gone further than you probably would have thought, and the criminal justice system has really had a hard time kinda catching up with that.

And so, as change is being made, they're making a lot of mistakes.

I mean, we--we have a new DA here.

He came out and just-- just weeks ago, "It's OK to steal.

"Anything $750 or less, "if it's a necessary item, we're not gonna prosecute those things."

What message does my 15-year-old hear?

And I've told you, she came home from Dallas Christian and basically says, "Dad, it's just weed.

It's just this, it's just that," so we had to have that conversation.

"Well, let me explain to you what just weed leads to."

♪ [Distant phones ringing] Chappell, voice-over: All things that are good have degraded and eroded.

In the name of trying to do good, sometimes we're harming the very communities that we're trying to help.

I know what these answers are, 'cause this is what I do to make a living.

Woman: Thank you for calling Cowboy Bail Bonds.

How can I help you today?

Chappell, voice-over: I feel like what we do is similar to what a doctor does.

Every person that comes through our door has a problem, and they're all different.

They're all unique.

We're typically the first responders here.

We're not just an ambulance driver.

We're a paramedic here.

We take care of a lot of things 'cause we're here before the attorneys are here, 95% of the time.

They haven't seen anybody.

We're the-- we're the first people they see when they come out of jail.

OK, let me get this information in my system, in my box... Chappell, voice-over: It's in our best interest and their best interest and the system's best interest to keep this thing moving along as it should and removing these safety nets with these people, "Eh, can't do it."

♪ Creuzot, voice-over: The response is always the same.

To look at that and feel that that's appropriate and effective, either you're just bought in and you don't see any other way, or there's an emotional component to it, also, which is, there's some satisfaction to putting this person in handcuffs, putting them in the back of a car, and taking 'em to jail.

[Phones ringing, keyboard keys tapping] Creuzot, voice-over: I don't understand it.

That's why I say maybe it's sincerely held belief, but there may also be-- and this is just my opinion-- some emotional component to this, that this is the way to go, "I'm--I'm doing my job, it's emotionally satisfying," et cetera, that I think that maybe people don't understand.

♪ Woman: Yeah, I'll--I'll send them an email, tell them to call you back.

Uh-huh.

Bye-bye.

So, on the addresses, like, for Miles, that's our home address?

Woman 2: Yes, ma'am.

Yes, ma'am.

Woman 3: Where do you currently work?

Woman 4: Hmm?

Where do you currently work?

Walmart.

OK, what about... your son?

He works at, uh... Woman 5: What is that?

Crescent Home--yeah.

Retirement center called Crescent Home.

OK, and then your two daughters?

Um... Kyra.

Kyra, uh, the first one, she works at Parkland.

She's been there for a few years.

And my second daughter, she kind of just jump around on jobs.

What Walmart do you work at?

[Tapping keyboard keys] And... who's your current supervisor there?

Um... Or manager.

Chris... [Mumbling indistinctly] How long have you worked for them in total?

19 years.

Um, are your parents still living?

No, ma'am.

No?

Prepaid card?

OK, gotcha.

Your credit--would you say it is good, fair, poor?

I don't got none.

I done bought everything.

I ain't never-- I ain't got no credit card.

OK. OK. Woman 6: This is the repayment plan, so all together, $195, then 18% interest to $230.10.

$25 late if it's not paid by those dates, if he decides to keep the bond, so he could pay the 20, the 195.

OK.

So, let's do contracts here.

First contract you're signing for me.

It's something we have to get everybody to sign.

It's just you understanding that if they were to be illegal, immigration gets ahold of them, we cannot interfere with that process, OK?

OK.

Initial right here, sign at the bottom.

That's you understanding he is gonna be reporting to us through an app called InTouch.

That is gonna be costing him $15 a month, but it's mandatory for him to be on that, so he can go ahead and get through his case successfully, OK?

This one right here is you understanding that if they were to jump off bond, meaning they're not going to court, not paying fees, not checking in with us once a week, then you would be liable for the full amount of the bonds, with the other co-signer.

These are gonna be your set of the contracts.

So, on this one, you don't have to worry about...

Distant woman: Do you want to use the rest of this money, too?

Distant woman 2: Yeah.

[Indistinct] OK, I'm gonna go ahead and put it in there.

Let me get your receipt, OK?

OK. [Distant chatter continues indistinctly] He's in county, so it should take him four to six hours.

Their system has been up and down today, so it-- OK, but we ain't gonna need no more co-signing and everything, you think, right?

You should be good to go.

OK, all right.

♪ White: I felt like, when I got sentenced to prison, I could never be anything.

♪ That I had a permanent, like, scarlet branding on me as a felon that would not allow me to be successful whatsoever.

I had permanently shamed my family.

♪ What felt like a death sentence, and not a death in the sense of, like, a physical death, but a death to my dreams and what I wanted for my life.

♪ [Voice trembling] Ever since my prison experience, I have a lot of anxi-- [Voice cracks] ♪ Because it's just, like, a real ramification of being in that experience so young, so feeling hopeless.

♪ All of those things, and...

I had to emotionally thaw out and give myself permission to re-feel my emotions, to recreate attachments to people and assure myself it wouldn't always lead to disappointment.

[Sniffles] And that was hard.

♪ White: First of all, how are you?

Woman: I'm good.

I am good.

There has been some things that I've had to, like, express, that I, you know, need support in.

Um, like you say, closed mouths don't get fed, so I've been having to really make myself clear on some things lately.

Yeah.

It's like, "I need this" or "I need that," so, yeah, I do feel like I'm getting their support just by speaking up.

That's called advocating for yourself.

Yes.

That's something that's not gon' go away.

People will just, like, put their vision of you on you...

Yes.

and then think that you're OK, and you have to be, like, "Well, actually, we need to curate some things," And that's perfectly fine, but it's not something that we, as Black women, get enough, um, coaching to do because we're always, like, deemed aggressive when we do it, so... White, voice-over: Once you have been in the belly of the system, it is very difficult to not want to overturn the whole system.

I want to be very clear about who I am.

I am a person who is not OK with sending anybody to prison, because I understand what prison does to people.

And if I had to pick three formerly incarcerated people, it will possibly be LaTonya and, uh... Good one.

Kiki.

good one.

And Desiree.

That's, like, the dream team right there.

Mm.

You should think about do you want to do it?

I will.

OK. Don't forget yourself.

And you have a story that goes back to your childhood, right?

Yeah.

I have a story that goes back to my childhood.

We often hear, like, judges and the law enforcement and district attorney.

They get a lot of visibility.

They get a lot of mic time, but, like, formerly incarcerated people, the narrative says these are bad people who are accused of doing a thing.

But let's go back to when the church let them stay in that household they didn't have no business being in.

Nobody advocated for them to go to a better education system, like all of the socioeconomic-- I don't mean to trigger you.

Heh!

You did.

OK. Do you need to take a breath?

Heh!

OK. Like, all of the socioeconomical things.

Y'all just want to focus on the latter part of the journey, and we're like, "Well, wait a minute.

We're all implicated in this as a society."

Yeah.

♪ White, voice-over: I am so grateful for everything.

♪ Just humble.

♪ At this point in my life, I literally am really where I was trying to get when I was 23.

♪ So I'm excited because I'm gonna be able to do things like take my mom on a vacation and be there for my eight nieces and nephews in a way that I know they're going to be good.

But I have a lot of survivor's remorse.

Like, who am I?

[Shackles clanking] It keeps me up at night.

♪ Givens, voice-over: Being a judge, you have to learn how to live within boundaries without feeling like you're not a person.

♪ The things you're required to do every day on the bench can make you robotic.

You don't get to show emotions in the courtroom.

You know, you don't get to cry.

You don't get to be upset.

You could be in this position and be cowardly and--and just want to play it safe.

I challenge people to be uncomfortable, and not to just be uncomfortable, but to have some action behind that.

Failure to act is a sin when you know you should be acting.

[Cell door clangs shut] ♪ ♪♪