A Truly Egalitarian Film | The Alabama Solution

We wish to proudly recognize the astonishing achievements of The Alabama Solution and award it the 2025 Egalitarian Film of the Year.

Filmmakers Andrew Jarecki & Charlotte Kaufman deliver an uncomfortable, voyeuristic film that forces its audience to witness a despicable humanitarian crisis, heavily documented by its victims. At their own risk, prisoners reveal to us the belly of the beast, capturing haunting images we were never meant to see.

Though the film primarily surrounds Alabama's prison system, it also speaks to a broader issue within the United States. It asks the question: What is justice?

Watching the documentary in early 2026 evokes contextual parallels to the Trump administration's use of ICE. The prison's admins, the guards, the politicians, they all view prisoners as disposable bodies behind a cell. No matter the context for their crime, their humanity is stripped from them inch by inch. The promise of "correcting" their behaviors is a farce-- a hollow mantra to ease any discomfort that arises from the inhuman punishments happening behind closed doors.

Are all those in power complicit? Does anyone have a conscience? Have we all really bought into the idea that crime, no matter its damage, impact, or cicumsncanstce is all equally deserving of torture? Because at the end of the day, that's what we witness in the film-- torture. Not rehabilitation. Not justice.

At one point in the documentary, the mother of a man brutally beaten to death by prison guards is shown at a committee hearing. Before presenting a picture of his corpse, demanding answers, Justice Champ Lyons, Chairman of the Governor’s Study Group on Criminal Justice Policy, makes an appalling opening statement straight out of the depths of hell:

“Of course, the way to assure absolute and total protection of the public upon the conviction of a crime would be the execution of all who are convicted. However, conscience and the limits of the U.S. Constitution do not tolerate such extreme consequences of wrongdoing. So we live with the reality that most of those convicted of crime will someday walk the streets.”

Ironically, the committee was initially formed to address a broken prison system. And to Lyons, prison IS what's broken, it shouldn't exist, it's nothing more than a forced obligation or narrowly protected inconvenience. This is a man who quite literally said to the public that all criminals, with no distinction for crime or context, should be killed-- murdered. It's one of the most openly evil quotes in the entire film, and yet, it's quickly overshadowed, forgotten, and buried under an inconceivable amount of immoral atrocities.

As citizens of a turbulent country, struggling to rectify justice against cruel and unusual punishment, it feels as though we have empowered and entrusted so many truly horrifying people-- criminals themselves in any other context-- to positions of authority.

Neither the film nor I argues for abolishing prison. In fact, the prisoners themselves do not advocate for such anarchy; they're advocating for basic-- human-- rights. Many who enter the prison system are non-violent criminals who can successfully be reintegrated into society. Even those who have some history of violence, given the right correctional resources and incentives, are capable of change.

That said, we have to address the underlying issue-- we must face the uncomfortable question: Is correction really what we want? Or, is this injustice a response to a more horrifying reality? Do we, as a collective, believe that committing a crime is equal to sacrificing your humanity, and thus, should be granted none in return?

When applied too broadly, I think most, including myself, would reject such a hyperbolic insinuation. Of course, I don't think all acts of crime make someone any less human. Yet, we bypass the challenging aspects of the question with this sort of response.

When, if at all, has someone truly lost their humanity? Where is this line? Does it even exist?

You see, the guards, the politicians, the voters who provide them with power-- these are the people who act without humanity. Then there are the mass shooters, rapists, and serial killers-- bad actors consumed with hatred, violence, and the desire to make others suffer. All examples of why our justice system is necessary, prison is necessary. And yet, I can't consciously claim to relish in their ability to be granted the same rights as anyone else...

Oh. There it is. The hypocrisy. You see-- I've manifested Lyon. Admitting that their existence is an inconvenience to me and my moral system.

Of course, I'm just trying to make a point. I, unlike Lyon, believe the justice system exists beyond my emotional reasoning. That my feelings about a crime or a criminal are not due justice. That our institutions, our legal guardrails, protect us from ourselves.

With what this film reveals, it is my hope that we continue to reform and strengthen our institution, and in turn, protect our own humanity.

It is with all the said that I proudly award The Alabama Solution for being an outstanding work of art, and a shining example of egalitarian values.