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‘We might be locked up, but we’re not thick’: Rex Bloomstein’s Kids Behind Bars

Whitemoor Prison, UK

Kids Behind Bars (2005) is the latest documentary by Rex Bloomstein, who has been making prison films for over 30 years. This article argues that media representation of prisons plays a role in shaping public perceptions as most people have no direct access to prisons. It is argued that the function of prisons is contested in these representations; while some provide support for punitiveness, others present a case for reform. Using the analysis of Ericson et al. (1991), it is argued that these representations are concerned with aspects of social order: social hierarchy, morality, and procedural form. The article argues that Bloomstein’s films have provided a voice to marginalized people and opened an alternative dialogue about the purpose of imprisonment, thus presenting challenges to established social hierarchy and morality. However, his films have generally presented hope in rehabilitation, thus reinforcing the procedural form. In Kids Behind Bars, the way Bloomstein has structured the film represents that the imprisonment of children has a detrimental impact, thus challenging the institution of child imprisonment. As such, this is Bloomstein’s most radical prison film. The article concludes with an interview with Rex Bloomstein, where he discusses this film.

Key Words: children • documentary • juveniles • media • prison

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