Katherine Leggett's documentary short Gray Days packs a lot of information—and considerable emotion—into its brief 14-minute running time, as it introduces viewers to two elderly inmates in a North Carolina prison. Convicted murderer Lonnie, now 82 years old, reflects on a life spent behind bars and voices the hope that he'll be paroled to an old-age home. Shirley, at 67, is a former rest-home worker who shot the husband of one of her patients (Shirley claims she was attacked and fired in panic); her wish is that health problems will earn her a release before her older husband passes away. Leggett doesn't choose sides, but her succinct documentary raises troubling questions about the increasing number of elderly people in our prison population: over the past decade the numbers have risen from 30,000 to 140,000, and at an average cost of $65,000 per inmate, the total price tag is over $9 billion annually. A disturbing, thought-provoking piece, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (E. Hulse)
Gray Days
(2005) 14 min. VHS: $169, DVD: $199. Fanlight Productions. PPR. Color cover. Closed captioned. ISBN: 1-57295-444-2 (vhs), 1-57295-833-2 (dvd). Volume 21, Issue 6
Gray Days
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