ABOUT THE PROJECT
LOGLINE
An immersive, verite style film, COMING HOME follows one man—sentenced at 15 to spend the rest of his life in prison—as he fights to change how our society addresses harm and healing, and grapples with the responsibilities of an extraordinary second chance.
SYNOPSIS
Philadelphia was once the world capital for imposing automatic life-without-parole sentences on children, accounting for more than 10% of all “juvenile lifers” in the United States. In 2016, following a series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions about the unconstitutionality of the sentence, more than 2,800 individuals across the country became eligible for resentencing. Now, hundreds of “juvenile lifers” have come home to Philadelphia, and emerged as leaders in the city that once sentenced them to die in prison. As our society turns back to “tough on crime” narratives, the film reveals the extraordinary human capacity for transformation and redemption.
The documentary follows one man, sentenced at age 15 to spend the rest of his life in prison, as he fights to end life-without-parole sentences in Pennsylvania and promote restorative justice alternatives for young people. We accompany his journey to be a guiding force in his child’s life and facilitate healing conversations with a tight-knit community of formerly condemned children as they navigate the joys and challenges of freedom.
PROJECT TYPE Documentary Feature
DIRECTOR Kate Steiker-Ginzberg and Fábio Erdos
PRODUCER Kate Steiker-Ginzberg, Fábio Erdos, and Alyse Shorland
CO-PRODUCER Kempis Songster
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