{"product_id":"a-hard-straight-dvd","title":"A HARD STRAIGHT - DVD","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA HARD STRAIGHT\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStarting with the day they were released from California State Prisons, \u003cem\u003eA HARD STRAIGHT\u003c\/em\u003e follows three former prisoners as they enjoy their newly regained freedom while negotiating the difficulties of returning to an unsympathetic, and often hostile, society. The film interweaves the stories of Regina Allen, Richard \"Smiley\" Martinez, and Aaron Shepard in their attempts to construct new lives. From the ecstatic moment of their first taste of freedom to the inevitable frustrations, joys, and banality of life on the outside. “\u003cem\u003eA HARD STRAIGHT\u003c\/em\u003e” reveals what parolees must do in order to survive after leaving the prison gates with little money and even less outside support. How an extended stay in an environment marked by racism, violence, severe regimentation, and subjugation affects their ability to reintegrate into \"outside life,\" and what sorts of resources are necessary for them to make a successful transition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA HARD STRAIGHT \u003c\/em\u003ewas shot in San Francisco and Los Angeles over a two-year period. From the hard streets of gangland San Fernando Valley to a drug rehabilitation center teetering on the edge of survival, the film covers ground rarely featured in the debate over our country's soaring recidivism rates. Director Goro Toshima shot extensive footage with each of the three parolees, gaining entry into their private lives and documenting their successes as well as their almost inescapable mistakes. Portraying the reentry process with a clear and direct eye, \u003cem\u003eA HARD STRAIGHT\u003c\/em\u003e offers multidimensional portraits of people with personal histories, observations, remembrances, hopes, and fears, providing a realistic understanding about the profound experience of doing time and trying to go straight.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"shopRE.org","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44521033859294,"sku":"REV031","price":68.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0673\/4056\/6750\/products\/dvdcover_20.jpg?v=1700089333","url":"https:\/\/shopre.org\/products\/a-hard-straight-dvd","provider":"Reentry Essentials, Inc.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}