Kids in Jail doc shows life inside Burnaby youth custody centre
NFB doc by former youth custody volunteer shows inmates learning to tell their stories
When Larry Lynn started volunteering as a film teacher at the Burnaby Youth Custody Service Centre, he knew he had a documentary on his hands.
Lynn looks at incarcerated youth at the Burnaby facility in the new National Film Board documentary, Kids in Jail, currently being streamed online.
"I went to the prison in the first place just to volunteer," he told On The Coast guest host Gloria Macarenko.
"I started to put together a few things … about storytelling, helping them to tell stories, tell their stories, little animated films. We did a lot of things that were cool for them."
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The Burnaby youth custody centre was recently the scene of a violent prison riot, but when Lynn was there, he said, he saw it in a more peaceful state.
Love story
One of the narratives in Lynn's film is a love story that developed behind prison walls.
Male and female inmates attended programs together at that time, and he noticed one female inmate was taking all the same programs as a particular male inmate.
"She had a horrible upbringing among criminal elements. What she knew was 'the game,'" Lynn said.
He says the male inmate didn't have that type of upbringing but acted out because of boredom, drugs, alcohol and peer pressure.
"He was angry. And he didn't have anything to do with his anger," Lynn said.
He says the relationship also caused jealousy and tension among the inmates, making things more difficult.
Filming changes filmmaker
The film was made over several years, and during that time, Lynn says a lot changed for him.
His wife, actress Babz Chula, died in 2010 during filming. Lynn, himself, became an ordained minister.
He no longer volunteers at the prison but encourages others to do so.
"The inmates always treat visitors and volunteers with great respect," he said. "I would encourage anyone who wants to volunteer to go there and do that and witness that there's a life out there you could live up to."
Kids in Jail is free to watch online.
With files from CBC Radio One's On The Coast
To hear the full story, click the audio labelled: Kids in Jail, new doc, shows life inside Burnaby youth custody centre