Bang Up Or Pay Back? - Award-winning Short Film (2010)

Award-winning short film, written and directed by Dan Wagstaffe - www.danwagstaffespeaksup.blogspot.com

'This is my house' says Carl Leighton (Paul Joseph). He's talking about life in prison where he's serving nine months for theft. This is Carl's seventh jail term in as many years.

This fictional drama takes us on a journey through two very different sentence options given by a magistrate. Carl is relaxed and imaginative in the confines of a prison cell; a Community Payback sentence is his worst nightmare. Many months spent living in the safe haven of a prison routine have been replaced by a need for personal responsibility, not to mention payback for his crime.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Action
• Dan Wagstaffe
• Drama
• Film
• Paul Joseph
• Prison
• Short

[BannyBanjo]

So what you trying to say? Community service is harder than prison? lol. Ive done both prison and community service. I just got out of prison again in august, community service is a joke, every order i have been given i have refused to do and blagged it with depression, sick notes etc, n its not hard unless your a lazy bastrad. Prison is hard if you have got a brain. Its not hell but its certainly aint a holiday camp!!! Loss of freedom and contact with the world is hard no matter what causes it

[DanWagstaffe09]

@BannyBanjo Thanks for the interest in the film. Bang Up Or Pay Back? is a film which is attempting to show that if Community Payback was tougher then it might be a better sentence option for magistrates than very short prison sentences. This isn't a documentary or a fly on the wall piece, but a fictitious drama, created to get a message across in an artistic way. The objective was to create debate.

[DanWagstaffe09]

danwagstaffespeaksup.blogspot.­com

[lcplkev]

My name is Kevin Malcolm and I have spent most of my teens inside prison walls, Prison is a holiday camp, 3 meals, bed, tv, people to talk to, but the best thing I liked about jail was the fact that I could get a job inside, I loved it, if it wasn't for my girlfriend I would defo end up back in jail. jails here should be like jail in USA hard and scary !

[DanWagstaffe09]

@lcplkev Hi Kevin - Thanks for watching the film. I appreciate the feedback. Do you think other people who have been in and out of prison over a sustained period would agree? Thanks again. Dan

[DanWagstaffe09]

@38MickMc I absolutely agree with you. I think it's vital to give offenders as much help, support and focus as possible - routine is crucial. I've never served a prison sentence myself, but I do understand the mentality of your friends who got caught up in the cycle. Thanks again for the feedback.

[38MickMc]

@DanWagstaffe09 Good question Dan, in my teens and twenties I had friends who would be in jail, then come out for a couple of weeks, commit more crime and be back in before the fortnight had finished, they didn't mind Jail and liked the kudos that went with "becoming a gangster", so the answer to your question would be a Community payback sentence, BUT in my day Community Service was a laugh (I hope its changed), give released prisoners help with housing and benefits, Good luck with your next fi

[DanWagstaffe09]

@38MickMc One question - If you were a magistrate and you were going to sentence someone who had served eight short prison sentences in as many years, do you 1) Hand out another short sentence? or 2) Give them a challenging Community Payback sentence?

[DanWagstaffe09]

@38MickMc I understand your point of view. You don't identify with the film because your experience of both doesn't correlate with what you see on screen. However, I must stress that the film is about 'institutionalised' repeat, low level offenders. The portrayal of prison life is seen through a character who is comfortable with frequent short prison sentences. The Community Payback seen in the film is a 'theoretical' model to show how it could be different to an 'easier' option.