Meet Juan, Jarad, and Antonio, all in their teens, all facing decades in prison. Documentary. . 1 Hour 21 Minutes. He references the movie Avatar, and says, I feel like I gotta be these huge blue people for them so at night when they dream of stuff they could be doing, I could be one of those huge, blue people.. Ya disponible en todas las plataformas digitales junto, as de esta manera fue llevado ala justicia y ser presentado ante los tribunales con el fin de que pague con crcel todos los crmenes cometidos/los angelitos que no hacen nada. As Newt Gingrich says in a news clip at the start of Lears film, There are no violent offenses that are juvenile; you rape somebody, youre an adult; you shoot somebody, youre an adult.. [Antonio was advised by his lawyer to decline a follow-up interview.]. Antonio, Jarad and Juan are the subjects of the documentary "They Call Us Monsters," BMP Films The issue of juveniles tried as adults in our criminal justice system is a difficult one, and the . For more information, visit: HD. Love does not conquer all nor is Lear suggesting this. To see the short film, "Los," written by Juan, Jarad, and Antonio, visit InsideOUT Writers. Arrested at 16, Jarad faces 200 years-to-life for four attempted murders; Juan, also arrested at 16, faces 90-to-life for first-degree murder; Antonio was arrested at 14 and faces 90-to-life for two attempted murders.[4]. 1 They Call us Monsters, for me, was more than just another Netflix documentary. Cowan had the idea to starta screenwriting class for juvenile offenders after he gave a talk toincarcerated youth while working on another screenplay. Sitting in his white undershirt, he tries to reconcile the number of years Jarad. When you see these young, smart kids without resources, being taken advantage of in this way and locked up for life with no help, I call bullshit on that right away. I hope all works out for these fellas & every young person that happens to take the wrong or see the something that damages them, Our XML site map https://jjie.org/sitemap.xml, JJIE is published by the Center for Sustainable Journalism at Kennesaw State University. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all between 14 and 16, face decades in prison. You can look at that and say, OK, theyre obviously sociopaths. But what I would encourage people to do is peel a layer off, go a little bit deeper and entertain the idea that maybe theyre temporarily sociopaths, Lear said. Their parents grew up in identical conditions before them and know nothing of survival in an "acceptable" way because they have NEVER been given instruction. The kids needing to find monies for their families. Its protagonist, an amalgam of Jarad, Antonio and Juan, is played by a small and fresh-faced boy, a perfect casting choice that conveys the boys actual youth, that is, if it hadnt been cut short by gang violence, poverty, and an unjust system. Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez, and Jarad Nava. SALON is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark of Salon.com, LLC. In California, juveniles between the ages of 14 and 17 can be tried as adults and receive sentences longer than their natural life expectancy. Download a copy of Jarad Navas complete handwritten letter. In this movie, creator Ben Lear sheds valuable insight into the world of juveniles with life sentences. Jarad:Since the movie Ive been striving day after day to become a better person and hopefully re-enter society and just be a citizen, an asset, not a liability. With powerful subject matter and masterful conceptualization, the film was captivating, each scene leaving me eager to find out how the story and those featured in it would develop. This is true for Juan as well, who has a 90-year sentence. I got married to a beautiful amazing woman and we have two daughters, ones three, the second a [little] over one year. Juan mostly appears contemplative, or maybe just catatonic. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to watch the film, as it provided me insight into the lives of an often-forgotten part of the population, educated me on the debate, about juvenile justice reform, and left me with a hunger to learn more. As the boys work with Gabe on their screenplay, their complex stories are revealed. He was booked on . goes behind the walls of the Compound, a high-security facility where Los Angeles houses its most violent juvenile criminals. It is our responsibility to help the youth that want help. They Call Us Monsters. Juan:Man, theres so many things the audience dont get to see, especially the fact that Im grown now. 1.7K Likes, 32 Comments. TALKING" while everyone blathers on regardless. Next, Jarad sings a lyric from Hotel California that again captures the No Exit quality of the whole story: You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.. Legislators debate legislation that allows for adult charges for juvenile offenders.Legislators debate legislation that allows for adult charges for juvenile offenders.Legislators debate legislation that allows for adult charges for juvenile offenders. Download a copy of Juan Gamezs complete handwritten letter. Juan Gamez has close-cropped, black hair and a baby face that remains expressionless except when he smiles. Written By. She weeps as she talks about the harrowing moment in which she thought she was going to die. Its this capacity for change that, according to Budnick, Cowan, Lear and other prison-reform policy advocates, differentiates the young person from the adult. Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez and Jarad Nava are the youthful offenders at the heart of "They Call Us Monsters," a new documentary that follows their lives in a Los Angeles juvenile detention center. Cowan conceptualized the idea to teach screenwriting and then produce and shoot a movie from the script the kids wrote. They Call Us Monsters takes viewers behind the walls of the Compound, the facility where Los Angeles houses its most violent juvenile criminals. He approached fellow InsideOUT board member and founder of The Anti-Recidivism Coalition, Scott Budnick (The Hangover) who executive produced the They Call Us Monsters as a labor of love. . Ted Bundy, a good looking, well-educated monster, moved around the country killing at least 30 women in the 1970s, and for a time, he was the most wanted man in Colorado.. Bundy abducted and killed a 23-year old nurse who lived in Aspen. Meet the Monsters: Documentary Looks at California Juvenile Debate. The girl in Los turns out to be Abby, the love of Juans life whom he let get away. Receive a report. When the new law went into effect in January of 2014, it established a new parole process to be enacted on either the 15th, 20th or 25th year of incarceration, depending on the sentence or controlling offense for people who were under the age of 18 when they committed a crime and who had been tried and sentenced as adults. If they weren't waiting for a trial for a crime they committed, they appear to be typical American teenagers. Juan, Jarad, and Antonio, all between 14 and 16, face decades in prison. PBS Independent Lens airs the film on Monday, May 22. SB 260 may have finally passed in California, as well as Prop 57, but most states still impose juvenile life sentences with no chance of parole. Of course, I would like to participate in activities like those even though Im incarcerated. Because the prisoners became so vulnerable, I felt connected to them and their raw humanity in a way I did not expect given their crimes. Press Check button. Antonio Hernandez is the second kid we learn about in the film. He commented that after the experience of making the film he no longer thinks that there is a type of person who can pull the trigger and one who cannot. Also, people who have done enough time in prison age out of violent crime in their thirties and forties. Built with the Largo WordPress Theme from the Institute for Nonprofit News. hey mickey baby tate - brae. Three kids facing life in prison. Yet, I also felt the film was successful in demonstrating that these are no little Charles Mansons, as a state senator in the documentary called them. TikTok video from Antonio Hernandez (@antoniohernandez5046). They Call Us Monsters goes behind the walls of the Compound, a high-security facility where Los Angeles houses its most violent juvenile criminals, to follow three young offenders who sign up to take a screenwriting class with producer Gabe Cowan as they await their respective trials. We have a small favor to ask. They Call Us Monsters is a 2016 American documentary directed and produced by Ben Lear. All Rights Reserved. - Juvenile Justice News for People Who Care About Children and the Law, Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez and Jarad Nava are the youthful offenders at the heart of . I dont know if its because I was acting like a fool. 2023 Independent Television Service (ITVS). Prior to his imprisonment, Antonio was an honor roll student and he seemed like the perfect student up until his arrest. 83%. Let me clarify, I dont think juveniles should just be let free or given a slap on the wrist. Antonio, a methamphetamine addict, recounts seeing a man shot to death in front of him when he was 8, but insists hes not traumatized: I guess you do kind of get used to it. And when he was 12, Jarad found his stepfather trying to stab himself to death an unsuccessful attempt that nonetheless resulted in the breakup of his family. That states legislature also eliminated the chance of life-without-parole sentences for all but a few juvenile offenders and made more young inmates eligible for early parole. . A part of PBS, America's Home for Documentaries. 2017. And, even if he is released, Juan faces deportation and separation from his family, including his infant son. The miscreants alluded to in the title of the documentary "They Call Us Monsters" are a trio of teenage boys, incarcerated in a California juvenile detention facility for charges ranging. They are lively, tattooed gangbanger street-wise kids, who show no remorse for their crimes. 1091 Media. In many countries children are used as hitmen, mainly because they are disposable, but also precisely because legal systems work different for them and that is not right. Change is possible but forgiveness is needed.. Its a lot harder for him to find drugs. After passing SB 260, California also passed SB 261 in 2015, a law that raised the age of SB 260 to 22-years old, affecting an additional 16,000 inmates. Last edited on 2 September 2022, at 03:33, "Meet the 'Monsters:' Documentary Looks at California Juvenile Debate", "Review: 'They Call Us Monsters,' but Do We Deserve Life Sentences? Hernandez was arrested at 14 for two attempted murders, and faced a 90-year life sentence but was granted parole for good behavior during filming since he was still under the age of 18. Another important area centers on the cognitive development and decision-making ability of minors in dangerous home environments. I really was." They Call Us Monsters contrasts the actions that have the three prisoners facing life sentences and glimpses of their jovial boyhood still remaining. You can see them hugging, you can see they felt a lot of success together, they went through a real experience together.. Lear was available for questions after the showing at Redlands. They show Cowan a chair in a cell and Antonio says, King George sat here, and Juan laughs and makes a fart joke. Even if he appears remorseless, there seems to be a softness there, or maybe just a deep need for approval. Director Benjamin Lear . Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all between 14 and 16, face decades in prison. While the gravity of their crimes is great, these young men are still simply teenagers. Learhad been visiting "The Compound," a high-security facility where Los Angeles houses its most violent juvenile criminals. Reviews for January 20th, 2017 Documentary Round-Up. She weeps as she talks about the harrowing moment in which she thought she was going to die. 38 deaths from fire arms not ruled homicide. When California advocates began pushing to scale back punishments for offenders like those in his film, Lear said, it seemed hopeless. By 2010, about. Read more, EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE POLICY I have to admit that it was weird to see myself from an outside perspective. They are locked up in a separate guardhouse, where legal actions will be served on teenagers in the same way that they are served on adults. Have you seen They Call Us Monsters yet and if so what was your reaction to seeing yourself in the film? He receives a letter from Jarad. Reflecting back on his first week teaching his screenwriting class, Cowan says he was struck by the teens saying they don't have friends. They have to pay for what they did, Lear said. December 21, . Juan was charged with murder, while Jarad and Antonio were accused of attempted murder. Help bring programs like Independent Lens to your PBS station. Watch They Call Us Monsters (2016) full movie online for free Legislators debate legislation that allows for adult charges for juvenile offenders. To the system, theyre adults. I appreciate the support and open-mindedness.. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all young teens, face decades in prison. Watching this documentary would lead one to realize that the society plays an important role in the prevention of juvenile delinquency. Associated Press articles: Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. His face during this moment, the flicker of anguish and regret, is full of pathos. Nevertheless, it proved to be very insightful because I [saw] how I was coping with pain, hurt and the fact I forfeited my freedom. Moved by his friends predicament, he says that he wants to become successful for him. Maybe it takes 15 years. The plot emerged when the teens were talking about their fears. Mothers staying home to care for their children. 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