16 BARS is a feature length music documentary that shines a light on a just a few of the many human stories, and songs, that lie hidden behind bars in our nation’s jails and prisons.

In 2017, Grammy winner Speech Thomas, from the legendary hip hop crew Arrested Development, traveled to Virginia to conduct music workshops with inmates at the Richmond City Justice Center (the only jail in the country with a recording studio). His goal was to record their original songs and bring them to listeners around the world.

Through the lens of these songs, the film paints an honest and unflinching portrait of the complex cultural and institutional forces behind the American criminal justice system’s revolving door.

For more information: www.16barsthefilm.com