Jailbirds New Orleans (2021) s01e01 Episode Script
That's Why She Got Jacked
1
[tense music playing]
[woman 1] Bitch, do you know me?
Do you fucking know me?
I'm gonna ask you one question.
Do you know me outside of this jail?
You don't know what the fuck I got, bitch.
- [woman 2] Yeah, you know.
- [woman 1] I don't got to lie.
Anything I say could be stamped
and verified, bitch.
You making yourself look bad.
I don't like, you know,
being mixed up in messes.
They sit and talk about each other.
I stay in my cell and read my books.
[woman 1] This bitch, she kept on saying
a bunch of shit about me.
I was like, are you serious?
Girl, you is nobody
for me to get in this toilet and speak on!
[woman 2] Man, we done.
We done with that, okay?
She's slanging Buster over a toilet.
'Cause they on the same wall.
You understand?
So when she opens her toilet,
and she opens her toilet,
they can hear each other.
You look like Diddy Kong,
and you're on your last life.
[woman 2] All right, we done.
We done, okay?
Over and out.
[woman 1] It's stupid and ridiculous.
I ain't got time for that.
I can't come to terms with putting
my head next to a toilet bowl.
Head, toilet don't go together.
Mm-mm.
- No.
- [indistinct chatter]
Move off of talking about me, yo.
You act like you obsessed with me, Trina.
I don't even know your name, baby!
- What's your fucking name?
- Good!
- I don't know your name! Gotta ask for it.
- I keep my name under wraps for a reason.
- Don't know your name, I'm gonna find out!
- Let's go. Lock down time.
It's not over. We gonna keep it calm
because Picard up in here,
but it's far, far, far from over.
Girl, go ahead and let's get it started.
[Trina]
You just don't know about me, bitch.
I live for this shit! [laughs]
["Ain't No Way"
by Robin Loxley & Jay Hawke playing]
- No, there ain't no way ♪
- Yeah, come on ♪
["We Play To Win" by The Hoof playing]
[man] In Orleans Parish Justice Center,
located in downtown
New Orleans, Louisiana,
we have 24 pods that hold 60 inmates.
I'm innocent!
We currently have
81 females with 908 males,
a total of 989 people.
The males and the females
is totally opposite.
The males, to me, is more laid back.
I got a 7-year-old daughter.
I do her hair better than her Momma.
So every day I've got to moisturize it.
- Oh, yeah. You got to do that.
- So
Well, it is scary, because everybody
don't have a chance in New Orleans.
"Whereas it's safe to say that
in this place today it was preordained
for me to be a target."
"Unlawful, but justice doesn't have
sympathy for a pigment such as mine."
"Another young Black male
misunderstood. Jailbird."
They is in a bad predicament,
and we're not here to judge them.
- [indistinct yelling]
- [excited screaming]
The females, they can get
rowdy and loud at times.
[excited screaming]
Look at Gigi face. She ain't having it!
[Picard] Females,
this is a competitive thing.
They will try you.
["Sky Is Falling Down"
by NineOneOne plays]
[chattering indistinctly]
[chattering continues]
Sometimes it's so freaking chaotic.
She's lying!
Something wrong with you!
You dirty fucking mustache ho!
Stupid bitch!
Fuck.
[kicking door]
[chuckles] It gets real wild in here.
[indistinct shouting]
["Sky Is Falling Down" continues playing]
[music ends, echoing]
Let's be clear, we have our good days
and we have our bad days.
Every situation is different,
every person is different.
It's a battle.
[Picard] How y'all doing this morning?
God is good.
Thank you, all the time.
Hey, how you all doing?
I know y'all better stop!
[indistinct chatter]
Jamie!
What?!
Man, don't fucking holler at me like that.
Fuck, stupid ass.
When I got released last time, I
I had a lot of things I wanted to do
and I said I was gonna do,
once I touched that world,
different story.
- And now you're busy
- Exactly, you're fake.
- You're fake, too. No problem.
- Fuck you, Jamie.
I'm just keeping it real with you.
Every time I went home and said I was
gonna keep it real with somebody, I did.
You know what I'm saying? And I was
in the penitentiary with these people.
- I kept it real. I wrote.
- You wrote.
You could have at least sent a card
with your named signed.
It don't take much. A card cost
50 cents at the dollar store.
Yeah.
I don't mind being here.
It's not bad for me.
I'm like a really regimented,
scheduled-type person,
and I get that in here.
Of course I want to go home to my family
and I wanna change the person I am,
but it's not hard for me to live in here.
I'm leaving in a few days.
- You ain't tell me that one.
- Thursday.
Give me my shampoo and conditioner back.
That's mine. But I'll give it to you.
That was mine at first.
- Okay, I'm gonna give it back. [laughs]
- Yeah. It was mine first.
All right.
- Well
- You gonna wax them hairs off your chin?
You Not on camera, bitch! [laughs]
Them hairs is bad.
Bitch, get the fuck [laughs]
["Feeling Strong"
by Robert W. Lamond playing]
[Harley] New Orleans, for me, is evil.
Because
I have destructed
my entire life down here.
Well, I have, uh, possession
of crack cocaine,
aggravated criminal damage to property,
theft,
trespassing, and absconding my probation.
I'm not even supposed to be down here.
Like, the judge literally
court ordered me to not be in this city.
I created such a ruckus and havoc.
[tense music playing]
[Harley] Unfortunately I was
high and up for entirely too long.
I attempted to get someone
in my car that I didn't know,
- ran into the back of their car.
- [tires screeching]
Now, this is allegedly, like, because
I don't quite exactly remember.
[thunderclap]
[Harley] Ran around
without clothes on for a little while,
- and, um
- [echoing laughter]
proceeded to tell people
that I was in the Secret Service.
[police siren blaring]
[Harley] The Secret Service
actually came and interviewed me.
The real Secret Service.
I know this sounds crazy, but it's true.
Because I was
impersonating a
federal agent.
[sucks teeth] So,
that's, uh,
that really messed me up.
[whimsical music playing]
[inaudible]
- It's okay.
- You spooking?
No, I'm not. Shut the door.
[Harley] My best friend is Taylor.
That's my only friend.
I only rock with one person.
And you're the only one I care about,
the person I plan on keeping
in contact with when I leave,
because I know
it's a life-long thing that we got.
You need to get right, though.
I can make such a good turnaround,
and you know my heart.
- You know my heart of hearts, you do.
- I do.
- If anybody knows, you know.
- I know.
And to go from always what I was
to always what I want to be,
it's gonna be major.
A major difference.
- Comeback.
- Right.
Bitch, I got that comeback.
My release date is coming up,
and I wanna get my life together.
So I can't afford to get
too messy in here.
I thought they said
Ooh, there goes Steele.
Ooh, she walking back and forth
like she tweaking.
[chuckles]
I thought they said [laughs]
I thought Whoa.
She's walking, she's
- [Harley] What'd she say?
- [Taylor] I don't know. Oh, shit.
[giggling]
[whimsical music continues]
- What she told you? Don't come up here?
- Yeah, she said not to come in the cell.
She be gnawin' it, like they really
taking it big 'ol serious.
I guess she trying to play like
she Big Kahuna right now.
Like, we have to be in here
to talk about what we need to talk about.
We can't talk about this outside.
[whimsical music continues]
Can I come out?
- [Taylor] Yeah.
- Okay.
So anyway, back to what
we was talking about.
If I wanna stay in here on lock-down,
I'll like make a fake body, like,
underneath my blanket.
I'll put my store bag, clothes and stuff
and make like it looks like a body.
And I'll just hide under the mat
until the deputy leaves and then
- everything's fine.
- [interviewer] Right.
- [Taylor] We got to do it to the max.
- I don't wanna be separated from her.
Like, ever.
For any length of time.
[all laughing]
I'm co-dependent on her. I am.
[laughter]
- She's what gets me through most of this
- Right.
[interviewer] Do you guys
get in trouble for doing this?
- Yup.
- Uh-huh.
Every other day.
I don't care.
- Aww. Himber!
- [Harley chuckles]
It's like, we not the same.
Our drug of choice not the same, but,
a lot of shit in our life
just like the same, so,
we just been close since I got here.
[intense music playing]
Harley and Jamie,
them the only two
I really fuck with in here.
High-five, friend.
Four five, friend.
- Yeah, keep them coming.
- Oh.
[interviewer]Is she a good friend?
Yeah, she aggravating, though.
Oh, I'm what?
Aggravating!
And what you are?
Calm, cool, and collected?
Ha! I don't think so. [laughs]
Anyways
[Taylor]
The relationship I got with Jamie,
we ain't been on each other
that long, but now
[Jamie] Huh?
Hold on!
That's Jamie.
[scoffs]
They like me, because I'm shortie.
- But why?
- With a finger missing.
Like, this my best friend,
because I been knowing her longer.
But me and Jamie,
she says she's in love with me,
even though we're "friends."
And she think Harley and I,
be like, you know,
messing with each other,
but we really don't.
- Really. [indistinct]
- [Harley laughs]
[chuckling] But
[Taylor] Jamie just be territorial 'cause
she just do everything I say.
[Harley] I was here first, so, like,
you can't kick me out the spot I'm in.
But she really like a good friend though.
I would really fuck somebody up
for that little bitch.
For real.
She all right though.
[intimidating music plays]
[indistinct chatter]
What you got?
Why am I on lockdown?
Just for a fuss that I didn't
I wasn't even fussing back.
First, let's start from the beginning.
You're assuming I knew
that you had a fuss.
Well, it wasn't even a fuss.
We was all using "communication skills"
like you told us to use, right?
[chuckles] Okay, I'm listening.
You had an argument.
- She come up the stairs behind me.
- Mm-hmm.
So we pass a few words, so explain to me
why I'm on lockdown for that.
Because y'all passed a few words.
It's like a calm down period.
If y'all two got caught arguing,
I would lock y'all down too.
- I'm not gonna let anybody threaten me.
- Why we hollering at me?
You hollering at me,
I'm just talking to you.
Yo, I'm not gonna let nobody
tell me anything,
and then she was threatening me.
And that's the reason
why they're split off apart, then.
She jumped, said, "What you gonna do?"
So I'm like, "All right, do it."
These days
I don't care what they think ♪
Don't care who hears
Don't care who sees ♪
'Cause it's all fun and games
Unless no one bleeds, man ♪
I don't know why people come
to jail to make friends.
It, it It wasn't
I'll never grasp around the concept.
I mainly stay in my cell
and read to avoid bullshit.
Um, but some kind of way,
it finds me anyway.
I'm not messing, like
Mischievous, yeah. Messing, no. You know?
And you did admit y'all did
have a argument
- It wasn't
- even though she came towards you.
Yeah.
- I was not arguing. She was arguing.
- Okay, she had an argument with you.
I've been to a couple of jails before,
and all for fighting.
I don't start shit, I really don't,
but I got into it with a girl.
And she kept pulling a knife on me.
Like, I did have my days
with running up on knives.
I got scars from running up on knives,
but that was when I was younger and
a little bit more "not giving a fuck"-ish.
So, I didn't run up on her.
So I just flashed out
and started shooting at her.
She ran. She didn't get hit, thank God.
[Picard] All right, ladies,
y'all know what time it is. Let's do it.
Get moving on.
It's time to lock up.
Girl, what the hell now?
What's up? Go.
[male guard] You better gobble that quick
and hurry into your cell.
You got no time to finish your food.
I'll just sit right here.
'Cause you wait a long time to eat.
That's all on you.
- You got 15 minutes to eat your food.
- I was upstairs doing something.
Well, that was on you. That's on you.
Don't play them games.
[female inmates shouting indistinctly]
Now you made me waste my soup.
I got sentenced to four months
and three years probation.
The justice system for people of color
is designed to destroy them.
Once you're in the system,
it's made to keep you down.
Being four months in here,
I'm not gonna lie,
it had me real anxious.
Anxious to go home.
It caught me at a time where I was
really trying to get things moving,
like building a business,
building a empire.
And I don't wanna be
a moneymaker for this system.
I just wanna be a moneymaker for me.
[guard] Three spoon bites,
you should be finishing with that one.
I wish my children would sit down
and eat their food in three spoon bites.
Thank you.
[Trina] Get up, ho!
I have my own business.
I have a lash line.
It's called Pretty Savage.
Right now, it's just lashes,
different strip lashes.
I basically just wanna live off
my own income.
I'm so ready to go get my
get back to me.
[guard] Thank you.
- Juicy, she don't really mess with anyone.
- Right.
She doesn't really come out
and out of her cell. To talk.
- Right.
- To nobody.
Only thing I've ever heard of her mouth is
toilet talk and the arguing with this one.
And fucking herself.
She she made a dildo.
I've seen it, absolutely.
[chuckling] I've seen it.
I remember that first time
we got shook down that
- They threw that one there.
- I said, "What is that?"
She made a bigger and better one, baby.
She came back with a vengeance.
- [laughs]
- Yes.
You ever seen the, um,
the icicle brand, glass dildos?
- No, but I got the edible underwear.
- [laughs] Okay, it's solid glass.
You can put it in the microwave.
You can put it in the freezer.
- And then you stick it?
- Yes!
- Huh!
- Yes!
- So awesome.
- But it's just like the hot and the cold.
Like, I've done did the thing with
This is crazy, and I'm
Like candle wax?
- Yes.
- Done it.
- Love it. [laughs]
- Candle wax is cool as shit. [laughs]
Love it. Um
I'm into all kind of random shit,
you know?
- Whips and chains and handcuffs, a must?
- Yeah.
I can do without the handcuffs
nowadays, you feel me? But
True that.
I can totally mess with you
on the streets.
I'm just ready to go.
I'm ready to get out of here.
Man
They throw years at us like it's months.
[twangy electric guitar music plays]
I ain't think you really liked me.
[Capt. Steele]
Wait, I'm sorry? Let's go backwards.
I didn't think you cared for me too much.
'Cause you always got
this look on your face.
- [inmate] She just is, um
- [Jamie] But you're all right.
Don't speak it because, guess what?
You know what will happen to you.
- [Picard] Stop it.
- I did seven years in penitentiary.
- I just did seven years life.
- And what you think?
I was the worst inmate,
but then I became the golden inmate.
I think this should be
your last rodeo, okay?
I hope so.
I hope so.
You have to know better.
- But I'm addicted to fast money.
- No, listen.
You can't change where you've been,
but you can change where you're going.
[Picard] You get wiser.
Yeah, you see all this gray hair?
That's wisdom, baby, wisdom.
[laughs]
My nickname is "Shortie"
because I'm short, and I never grew
since I was about 12 years old.
I'm 4'9,
but on my license, I got 5'0.
I had to even it out.
["Delta Blues" by Nathan R. Coen
and Jonathan S. Lloyd playing]
Born and raised here, my whole life.
They got nice neighborhoods,
and bad neighborhoods.
The bad neighborhoods,
I would expect you to stay away from
because if you don't, you will get got.
I came from a good family, but
once we moved to the Ninth Ward,
the Lower Ninth Ward,
everything went to hell.
I'm 31 years old, and I spent about
a good 15 years of my life in jail.
I'm in here for four simple burglaries,
illegal possession of stolen goods,
a theft, and a warrant for
St. Bernard Parish for theft.
I'd been cutting up,
going to people's houses,
and I finally got caught.
I lost a finger and everything
within the last year.
I cut it on a fence, jumping the fence,
running from the police.
But they say at least
I got to keep my 'thug'.
[upbeat music playing]
[Juicy] Let me see,
let me see, let me see
[singing indistinctly]
Yes, I am gay.
I love women.
- [Jamie] Where you going?
- Get my stuff.
I'm coming with you.
Getting away from me. I'm not playing.
So you don't want me no more?
- Jamie, you are
- [laughs]
- For real!
- [Jamie] That's my friend. My good friend.
But it's just friendly flirting,
like casual, you know.
[Jamie] How old are you?
Oh, you like girls?
- Oh, all right.
- [Picard] Jamie!
I flirt with the inmates sometimes,
but not with the officers.
You need to keep your hair like that.
It look good.
[laughing]
I'm used to being locked up.
I'm used to the lifestyle on the streets.
I'm used to fast money,
to running real wild.
I'm used to doing what I want,
so it's like
How can I put it?
I'm comfortable here, like
The ranks here?
Like, Captain Ross and all them?
They knew me since I was 17 years old.
How you doing, Captain Ross?
You wanna go see pictures of my baby?
No, not right now.
I know that I ain't supposed to say this,
but it's like family,
more than my own family.
You cleaned up?
I told you I'd do it.
Let me see. Let me see if you cleaned up.
I did, but
Jamie, no. No.
I want you to clean up.
Jamie, this is not how
you supposed to be living.
I think if they gave me, like, a six-month
to a year program in rehab,
something might work out for me.
[upbeat music continues]
If all this went away,
I'd try to be a successful criminal
for the rest of my life.
Normally, it's only a few months.
[laughing] And then I get caught.
- Let me ask you this.
- What you say, girl?
How you know if these cameras are on,
these body cams y'all be wearing?
- I don't have a body cam on.
- No, not you.
I'm just saying period.
How you know if the deputy got it on?
Thank you.
Why We don't tell you that.
What's wrong with you?
- How you know we have it on?
- Yeah.
It's on all the time.
Well, all right, um,
I'm not saying nothing.
- Why?
- Sometimes, we put it on.
Girl, I'm not about to confide in y'all,
and it be on camera.
And still steal something. [laughs]
No, ma'am.
I tell y'all a lot of shit. Oh, no.
[chuckling]
[guard] Y'all know I see everything
and hear everything.
Oh, I already knew.
That's why I'm gonna go
behind my closed doors.
[funky music playing]
[indistinct chatter]
Bartholomew!
[knocking]
Press that button.
Let it go.
Oh, man, no!
- Toilet talking.
- [sighs]
[funky music playing]
[Harley] You already know I did.
Talking, huh?
If I catch it, I do flush the toilet.
For a person to have their head
in that toilet bowl
just does something to my soul.
Like, "Wait, what?"
Hello?
You know I didn't hear you.
What you say?
- Wait, what?
- What you doing?
Oh, the toilet talking?
I was like, "What?" I couldn't believe it.
Whatcha doin'?
Who this is?
This is like how I get through basically.
This is that extra little,
umph to my day.
This our phone right here.
- You just
- [clanging]
That's the ringer.
[interviewer] What are you doing now?
Pumping the toilet out.
I take the end of my mattress,
I put it on top of the toilet,
and I just push my knee
into it repeatedly.
- And so, it like drains the water.
- [inmate laughs]
And then
I just made a little mic.
Talk in the toilet, and then
listen for a response.
Talk in the toilet, listen for a response.
What's popping, lovies?
Ooh, that's like my best friend. Oh!
Best friend!
Also, the down part of this is
I have to pee in the sink.
So we don't want put our people on hold
Well, they on hold, but they not on hold.
And we don't wanna have to pump back out.
So we just get up
And then, we just
sit down.
Piss.
It's like, I didn't have
to get off the phone.
The first time I saw
somebody do it, I was like,
"What are y'all doing?" They're like,
"We're talking to boys."
I was like, "Talking to boys?
I wanna talk to some boys down there."
Hey, bae!
Everybody in here basically
has a toilet boyfriend.
What's up?
Listen!
[Magen] I love you so much!
I love you too.
Once I got in there, I never got out.
It was the f They're so funny there.
They're like real comedians.
[male inmate]
I love that toilet bowl girl!
I love you.
I love him. Like, I have love for him.
Even though I have no idea
what Dale looks like.
Not a clue.
They do it throughout the whole day.
At night, noon, morning.
- Throughout the whole day.
- [female inmate] What you doing?
[knocking]
Don't get involved in that, hear?
Some of them fall in love
with each other's guys, so,
then it cause a fight or altercation.
[man] Don't lie.
I'm not lying. When we get
out of the toilet, I flush my toilet.
Like, I don't talk to nobody.
You know I don't play no games with you,
D-boy, ever, okay?
I talk to a boy named D-boy. [laughs]
You don't want these boys in here.
You want a boy that's in college, okay?
Man, just sit right there,
I'm gonna be back!
Oh, all right.
That is my future husband,
and his name is Brian Wade.
I call him Fu-Fu, and
yeah, we just started talking
through the toilet.
["Light Falls" by Alexander D. Bachell
and Samuel R.C. Sutton playing]
You know who should be on lockdown
and who shouldn't be on lockdown.
I should not be on lockdown.
I don't feel like I should be on lockdown.
- [Picard] At all?
- No.
I'm in a lockdown cell because I wanted
to like, fight and all this other stuff.
Lockdown sucks. You can't get
no commissary or anything.
I've been trying to, like,
mind my business and stay in my lane.
Me being from Memphis, like
They know that I'm not from here,
so I'm really not gonna have people
that come behind me, like they do.
They see you're not
gonna stand your ground,
they're gonna feel like
they can do whatever to you.
You dumb as a box of rocks.
I'm not even talking to you, girl!
I'm not even talking about you.
You is an non-factor.
You is irrelevant.
I'm not even worried about you.
Get some help.
[Magen screams]
They feel like they can, like,
take your stuff, tell you what to do, wh
Like, if they feel like they can run you,
it's over with for you.
After being in here and meeting
a lot of people that I've met in here,
I don't think I would ever care
to come back here in my life.
- [interviewer] Where?
- New Orleans.
This is, like, just the most
messed-up city I've ever been to.
["Step'n To Horaces"
by Aaron Kaplan playing]
[Jamie] New Orleans.
Orleans.
How can I describe it?
It's a beautiful place.
I love New Orleans.
I would never leave this city.
[woman] They say the city
that never sleeps is New York.
Those bars shut down at two
in the morning. Ours stay open 24/7.
Seven o'clock in the morning,
you can walk in on a Sunday, get a beer.
You have fun when them type
of festivities going on and all that.
But it's also like a breeding ground
for all type of fucked up shit to happen.
With the tourists coming down here,
oh, that's an easy target. Easy money.
You can bump into 'em and take their
wallet and go about your business.
That's the easiest crime ever.
And 75% of the time, you don't get caught.
'Cause they don't know who did it,
they're so drunk.
I was always into the drug life.
We grew up on a bayou.
My daddy is a commercial fisherman.
Shrimp and crab and oyster and
That's us. I made damn good money.
[chuckles]
Damn good money. But
it just ain't enough.
You know, when you drugging,
it's never enough.
[Magen] New Orleans, to me, is very evil.
I don't know, I guess it's the evil
voodoo spirits or something.
[man] "Police harassment
happens all the time in my city."
"Mental illness, poor curriculum,
which forces this predicament,
fables of stray bullets and
citizens' cries,
beefing over territories
neither yours nor mine."
[Amber] I can't seem to get away from it.
I feel like I, um
I'm supposed to be there.
[interviewer] Well, you're here.
[laughs] Oh, yeah, I'm here all right.
[male inmate]
I mean, it's really just like a cesspool.
But I love my city though,
and uh, I wouldn't trade it for the world.
[loud slam]
[ringing]
[announcer] Ladies, day room.
Come out for day room.
[Picard] Come on.
- You gotta move, let's move.
- [inmate] I'm not moving.
Let's go, ladies, come on.
There's a game we need to play,
it's called "Never Have I Ever".
It's like, you put your hands up,
and you say something you never did.
If you did it, put your finger down.
And whoever go out first, loses.
Wait, what?
[laughing]
[female inmate] Never have I ever
been with more
than one person at one time.
Uh
I know you lying.
No, I'm not lying. [laughs]
- Yeah, you lying.
- Oh, you little liar!
[all laughing]
- We can't play if we're not playing right.
- Right, you lying.
I don't think I need to play this.
Okay, fuck y'all.
Never have I ever had a fetish.
I got a thing for big lips.
Is that like a fetish?
That would be a fetish.
- I love big lips.
- All right.
[all laughing]
Whoever cheated
on a person they were with?
Psh, down.
[all laughing]
ever had sex with someone
old enough to be my dad.
I had sex with someone old enough
to be my mom. Does that count?
- Yeah.
- [laughs]
- Not my dad!
- I'm down too.
- [Jamie] Let me say something.
- All right.
Ever had anal sex?
Are you sweating, Magen?
- Yes, bitch.
- All right.
You're lying.
[all laughing]
Next question!
[Harley] Never have I ever
had a threesome
with the same sex as me,
so two females.
Hmm.
- Damn, I wish I did.
- I had it. Wait
Wait
[laughter]
I got two fucking fingers, uh-uh.
Bitch, you missing a finger!
[all laughing]
[laughter continues]
[door buzzing]
[sultry jazz music playing]
[indistinct chatter]
Gotta stay fresh, you know.
[jazz music continues]
[Juicy]
That look like a chicken patty to me.
What that is?
[Julie] That's something different.
Oh, shit. I left my cookie back there.
I need to pick that bitch up.
[female inmate]
You know, they feed us here, you know,
and it's disgusting!
It's like Uh-uh!
Girl, no. I'm sorry. [laughs]
That's why I'm trying
to get my commissary.
Commissary, and it's necessary too,
'cause I don't eat everything.
Come on now.
[Picard] Commissary today. And guess what,
today we're gonna have a good day.
Store, canteen, commissary.
It's whenever we get to go and,
and pick regular world
We call it "the world", "the world food".
Their family will order, they can order
from the outside world and get sent here.
Who puts money on your books?
How do you pay commissary?
My daddy.
My mom puts money, or somebody
puts money on my commissary.
[inmate] have a great man.
Justin puts money on my books.
I used to get 300 dollar stores.
[guard] They able to order 300 dollars
of commissary per week.
We get coffee, we get snacks.
Food, dill pickles.
Tootsie Pops good, 25 cents.
You order like nine of them.
T-shirts.
They got hygienes and all that.
I like to order the
Lever 2000.
I'm talking about shampoos, soap,
it's just personals.
Anything and everything you want
is there, readily available.
Very expensive, though. Very expensive.
- You mean, that Reeses for the cake?
- Yeah, that's for the cake.
- Thank you, fair mama.
- You're welcome, baby.
[Jamie] Commissary is like cash.
You feel on top of the world
when you get your commissary.
It's money.
It's all about money.
Wait, and the candy bar.
Thank you.
Hey, we good?
Yeah!
We're not supposed to trade,
but, oh, well.
[interviewer] Jamie, how'd you get that?
Don't worry about that now.
I'm gonna incriminate myself.
- Cellmate Himber!
- I'm right here.
- Thank you.
- You supposed to take your medicine there.
So I just have some coffee, some noodles,
and some sweets.
I'm happy. It's like payday.
Jasmine!
I been on lockdown, right?
I couldn't get my commissary.
So what I did was,
I was trying to beat the system,
and I put the money on Jamie's books,
and I told her she could order
like $5 worth of stuff for doing it.
You wanna save your CMTs, too.
I'm about to go get my commissaries.
[laughing]
Fuck yeah.
[Taylor] Secure the bag, yo.
[Jamie] Shut up, shut up, shut up.
Oh, Jamie. I'm about to get all my shit.
[Jamie] What you doing, bitch?
That's mine. My money.
[Magen] Man, why you just lying?
[Jamie] You ain't getting nothin'.
That was my money.
[Magen] GIve me my stuff.
You don't do no crackhead shit like that.
What you gonna do, make a big scene,
bitch? You can't do nothin'.
Shorty thinks it's her stuff
because she a bum.
She used to taking people's shit.
Today, she's trying to say
she put money on my books,
but you did not put money
on my books, ma'am.
That money was mine. My family brought it.
You asked me to order you
a few things, I told you no.
Well, at first I did tell her yeah,
then I was like, "Nah, I can't do it."
She this little and this big.
Girl, I will beat the fuck out of you.
Don't play with me.
Hey, bitch, you can never
punk Jamie, bitch.
I might be 4'9,
but I stand a giant in my mind,
you understand?
[laughing]
She's on my law now.
Ain't no money gone.
[Taylor chuckles]
[Magen] The whole shysty shit she did,
I'm tired of seeing people
doing that fake shit.
Yeah.
[chuckles]
That girl don't even make no store.
[Taylor] You really don't want
I'm not worrying about nothin'
nobody talkin' 'bout.
[inmate] Fuck you.
Who you You talkin' to me?
I'm talking to whoever.
[Taylor] Oh, no, I'm asking you,
is you talking to me?
I'm talking to all three y'all.
All three y'all.
[Taylor] What you gotta do with anything?
Who you is?
[Jamie] Nobody?
Like, who does she think she is? Like
[indistinct shouting]
[Taylor] I'm going there
'cause she want some.
- Like
- [Jamie] No, it ain't us! It's not us.
[Taylor] Who you Who you is?
[indistinct clamoring]
Let's go!
[Picard]
Okay, you about to go on lockdown!
- [groans]
- [inmate] Back to your cell!
Like, she doing all that for what?
[Taylor] Who she talking of?
- Open that door.
- [guard] Go back, cooperate. In your cell.
You stupid, dumb bitch.
All right.
She narcing us out.
I apologize for the situation
that y'all are in right now.
But this is the situation,
and I just want my stuff.
- I'm so mad right now.
- So look
- [guard] So, how much was the, you know
- It was like, $88 exactly.
- My money ain't funny.
- Who put
- My money ain't funny
- This ain't about your money being put.
- You put $88
- I wanted what I wanted!
- on somebody else's account, though?
- Yeah! I wanted what I wanted.
[Picard] I just wanna know one thing.
What's your involvement?
- She started this.
- I wanna know what role
I don't want Tell me the truth.
She was supposed
to bring me half the stuff.
So why did you do that?
She was supposed
to break me off half the store.
- She said five dollars!
- No!
At first, it was supposed to be half.
That's what I'm trying to tell you.
Then she went down to $5.
That's why she got jacked.
Oh, so you robbed her.
No! I ain't robbed her,
but it is what it is.
I'm from the Nine, and I don't mind dyin'.
That's the Lower 9th Ward slang.
Cutthroat committee.
[interviewer] For snacks?
For snacks.
[laughing]
You feel me, Miss Steele?
No, oh no, she's not feeling you.
Ain't no laughing this end.
- Do you feel her?
- I don't know.
We're gonna have to do something quick,
because she already gave
the whole thing to me.
Okay
[Jamie] Take Tell Harley,
take all the coffee out. Hurry up!
Man
[Taylor] They blowin' this thing.
[whispering] Take all the coffee out.
Back up.
Open up on 16.
[Picard] Where that commissary?
- Right there under my bed.
- Give it here.
- Give it here, everything.
- Hey, please!
[Picard] Don't come to this table
unless I call you. Now back up.
No, 'cause some of my stuff in her bag,
too, 'cause that's my friend.
You heard. I'm dealing with something.
You better back up.
- All right.
- This ain't what you want.
[tense music playing]
Oh, Miss Picard!
I think we should have
a discussion about this.
- Yeah, 'cause she
- Hold!
If y'all say one word,
I'm gonna deal with y'all.
[munching]
What are we gonna do?
- Everything is here.
- We could just send all this stuff back.
- Huh?
- Send everything back.
Yep.
'Cause guess why.
She lied to manipulate the system,
because she was on lockdown.
She took it in. So send it all back.
[Picard]
Tell her to take the hold off that door.
- Huh?
- Now nobody ain't gettin'.
- [Harley] Deputy!
- That's how we gonna do this.
- [Jamie] That's my bag!
- Can I get my shit?
[Picard] You gonna be all right.
[groans]
Yeah, bring me my shit, please!
Fuck her, I want some!
- I just say it's commissary day.
- It's commissary day.
Commissary day. It always happens.
Chaos.
They mad. They big mad. But guess what.
We all on lockdown rules.
Y'all ain't accomplished nothin'.
I was like, "Where my shit?!"
She said, "Oh, I ain't got it."
Hey! I'm fuckin' with that!
Come here!
No, I want her moved out
to Cell 9 at the top,
'cause all she do is talk to Fu all day.
She ain't about to be comfortable.
You had a chance to talk.
You didn't tell me the truth.
Why didn't you tell me the truth?
She not about to be comfortable
talking to that toilet bowl!
Toilet, I don't wanna hear about that.
I'm talkin' 'bout the commissary, Jamie.
I talk 'bout her! She about to be
on lockdown and comfortable.
No, ma'am. I'mma make her miserable.
- [Picard] What?
- Huh?
So that's a threat?
- No!
- [woman] That's 30 days.
- Guess what, you just made a threat.
- No, ma'am, I'm sayin', like,
she got Fu on that toilet
and she got me jonesin' all day,
- she ain't 'bout to be comfortable!
- So you made a threat.
No, I'm just sayin',
like that's fucked up!
- That's my thing. She got
- That could get somebody hurt.
But Fu is the one
bucking her up to do everything!
But, Jamie, guess what, though.
You lied to me at first.
But at the end of the day,
Ms. Picard, this is jail.
We are criminals!
How are you?
[indistinct chatter]
Yo, listen.
I need I need a moment,
'cause, check this out.
My attitude right now
is just, like, fuck it,
and I'm not trying to take it out on you.
I've been in here 11 months now.
And I just
I don't want no dealings with it.
I just wanna go home. [chuckles]
Back to Memphis.
It's definitely lonely, like,
being here without nobody down here.
And the toilet-talking. It's, like,
it just makes the time go by fast,
and it makes you forget about
some of the stuff you're going through.
[tense music playing]
She's on a pretty, you know, bad charge.
It's
a big trial that's coming up, uh,
so I don't think I'm gonna be able
to tell y'all, like, details or anything.
[faint, indistinct chatter]
Basically, some things happened,
and I ended up in here on a murder charge.
[unsettling music playing]
Uh, yeah.
- I don't know what else. [laughs]
- [interviewer] Okay!
Let's go back a little bit.
["Ain't No Way"
by Robin Loxley & Jay Hawke playing]
You ♪
Heart-breaker ♪
Sold me down the line ♪
You ♪
Soul-taker ♪
Took away my life ♪
Love hates you ♪
They break me ♪
And there's no way to change my mind ♪
No there ain't no way ♪
There's no way to change my mind ♪
No there ain't no way ♪
[tense music playing]
[woman 1] Bitch, do you know me?
Do you fucking know me?
I'm gonna ask you one question.
Do you know me outside of this jail?
You don't know what the fuck I got, bitch.
- [woman 2] Yeah, you know.
- [woman 1] I don't got to lie.
Anything I say could be stamped
and verified, bitch.
You making yourself look bad.
I don't like, you know,
being mixed up in messes.
They sit and talk about each other.
I stay in my cell and read my books.
[woman 1] This bitch, she kept on saying
a bunch of shit about me.
I was like, are you serious?
Girl, you is nobody
for me to get in this toilet and speak on!
[woman 2] Man, we done.
We done with that, okay?
She's slanging Buster over a toilet.
'Cause they on the same wall.
You understand?
So when she opens her toilet,
and she opens her toilet,
they can hear each other.
You look like Diddy Kong,
and you're on your last life.
[woman 2] All right, we done.
We done, okay?
Over and out.
[woman 1] It's stupid and ridiculous.
I ain't got time for that.
I can't come to terms with putting
my head next to a toilet bowl.
Head, toilet don't go together.
Mm-mm.
- No.
- [indistinct chatter]
Move off of talking about me, yo.
You act like you obsessed with me, Trina.
I don't even know your name, baby!
- What's your fucking name?
- Good!
- I don't know your name! Gotta ask for it.
- I keep my name under wraps for a reason.
- Don't know your name, I'm gonna find out!
- Let's go. Lock down time.
It's not over. We gonna keep it calm
because Picard up in here,
but it's far, far, far from over.
Girl, go ahead and let's get it started.
[Trina]
You just don't know about me, bitch.
I live for this shit! [laughs]
["Ain't No Way"
by Robin Loxley & Jay Hawke playing]
- No, there ain't no way ♪
- Yeah, come on ♪
["We Play To Win" by The Hoof playing]
[man] In Orleans Parish Justice Center,
located in downtown
New Orleans, Louisiana,
we have 24 pods that hold 60 inmates.
I'm innocent!
We currently have
81 females with 908 males,
a total of 989 people.
The males and the females
is totally opposite.
The males, to me, is more laid back.
I got a 7-year-old daughter.
I do her hair better than her Momma.
So every day I've got to moisturize it.
- Oh, yeah. You got to do that.
- So
Well, it is scary, because everybody
don't have a chance in New Orleans.
"Whereas it's safe to say that
in this place today it was preordained
for me to be a target."
"Unlawful, but justice doesn't have
sympathy for a pigment such as mine."
"Another young Black male
misunderstood. Jailbird."
They is in a bad predicament,
and we're not here to judge them.
- [indistinct yelling]
- [excited screaming]
The females, they can get
rowdy and loud at times.
[excited screaming]
Look at Gigi face. She ain't having it!
[Picard] Females,
this is a competitive thing.
They will try you.
["Sky Is Falling Down"
by NineOneOne plays]
[chattering indistinctly]
[chattering continues]
Sometimes it's so freaking chaotic.
She's lying!
Something wrong with you!
You dirty fucking mustache ho!
Stupid bitch!
Fuck.
[kicking door]
[chuckles] It gets real wild in here.
[indistinct shouting]
["Sky Is Falling Down" continues playing]
[music ends, echoing]
Let's be clear, we have our good days
and we have our bad days.
Every situation is different,
every person is different.
It's a battle.
[Picard] How y'all doing this morning?
God is good.
Thank you, all the time.
Hey, how you all doing?
I know y'all better stop!
[indistinct chatter]
Jamie!
What?!
Man, don't fucking holler at me like that.
Fuck, stupid ass.
When I got released last time, I
I had a lot of things I wanted to do
and I said I was gonna do,
once I touched that world,
different story.
- And now you're busy
- Exactly, you're fake.
- You're fake, too. No problem.
- Fuck you, Jamie.
I'm just keeping it real with you.
Every time I went home and said I was
gonna keep it real with somebody, I did.
You know what I'm saying? And I was
in the penitentiary with these people.
- I kept it real. I wrote.
- You wrote.
You could have at least sent a card
with your named signed.
It don't take much. A card cost
50 cents at the dollar store.
Yeah.
I don't mind being here.
It's not bad for me.
I'm like a really regimented,
scheduled-type person,
and I get that in here.
Of course I want to go home to my family
and I wanna change the person I am,
but it's not hard for me to live in here.
I'm leaving in a few days.
- You ain't tell me that one.
- Thursday.
Give me my shampoo and conditioner back.
That's mine. But I'll give it to you.
That was mine at first.
- Okay, I'm gonna give it back. [laughs]
- Yeah. It was mine first.
All right.
- Well
- You gonna wax them hairs off your chin?
You Not on camera, bitch! [laughs]
Them hairs is bad.
Bitch, get the fuck [laughs]
["Feeling Strong"
by Robert W. Lamond playing]
[Harley] New Orleans, for me, is evil.
Because
I have destructed
my entire life down here.
Well, I have, uh, possession
of crack cocaine,
aggravated criminal damage to property,
theft,
trespassing, and absconding my probation.
I'm not even supposed to be down here.
Like, the judge literally
court ordered me to not be in this city.
I created such a ruckus and havoc.
[tense music playing]
[Harley] Unfortunately I was
high and up for entirely too long.
I attempted to get someone
in my car that I didn't know,
- ran into the back of their car.
- [tires screeching]
Now, this is allegedly, like, because
I don't quite exactly remember.
[thunderclap]
[Harley] Ran around
without clothes on for a little while,
- and, um
- [echoing laughter]
proceeded to tell people
that I was in the Secret Service.
[police siren blaring]
[Harley] The Secret Service
actually came and interviewed me.
The real Secret Service.
I know this sounds crazy, but it's true.
Because I was
impersonating a
federal agent.
[sucks teeth] So,
that's, uh,
that really messed me up.
[whimsical music playing]
[inaudible]
- It's okay.
- You spooking?
No, I'm not. Shut the door.
[Harley] My best friend is Taylor.
That's my only friend.
I only rock with one person.
And you're the only one I care about,
the person I plan on keeping
in contact with when I leave,
because I know
it's a life-long thing that we got.
You need to get right, though.
I can make such a good turnaround,
and you know my heart.
- You know my heart of hearts, you do.
- I do.
- If anybody knows, you know.
- I know.
And to go from always what I was
to always what I want to be,
it's gonna be major.
A major difference.
- Comeback.
- Right.
Bitch, I got that comeback.
My release date is coming up,
and I wanna get my life together.
So I can't afford to get
too messy in here.
I thought they said
Ooh, there goes Steele.
Ooh, she walking back and forth
like she tweaking.
[chuckles]
I thought they said [laughs]
I thought Whoa.
She's walking, she's
- [Harley] What'd she say?
- [Taylor] I don't know. Oh, shit.
[giggling]
[whimsical music continues]
- What she told you? Don't come up here?
- Yeah, she said not to come in the cell.
She be gnawin' it, like they really
taking it big 'ol serious.
I guess she trying to play like
she Big Kahuna right now.
Like, we have to be in here
to talk about what we need to talk about.
We can't talk about this outside.
[whimsical music continues]
Can I come out?
- [Taylor] Yeah.
- Okay.
So anyway, back to what
we was talking about.
If I wanna stay in here on lock-down,
I'll like make a fake body, like,
underneath my blanket.
I'll put my store bag, clothes and stuff
and make like it looks like a body.
And I'll just hide under the mat
until the deputy leaves and then
- everything's fine.
- [interviewer] Right.
- [Taylor] We got to do it to the max.
- I don't wanna be separated from her.
Like, ever.
For any length of time.
[all laughing]
I'm co-dependent on her. I am.
[laughter]
- She's what gets me through most of this
- Right.
[interviewer] Do you guys
get in trouble for doing this?
- Yup.
- Uh-huh.
Every other day.
I don't care.
- Aww. Himber!
- [Harley chuckles]
It's like, we not the same.
Our drug of choice not the same, but,
a lot of shit in our life
just like the same, so,
we just been close since I got here.
[intense music playing]
Harley and Jamie,
them the only two
I really fuck with in here.
High-five, friend.
Four five, friend.
- Yeah, keep them coming.
- Oh.
[interviewer]Is she a good friend?
Yeah, she aggravating, though.
Oh, I'm what?
Aggravating!
And what you are?
Calm, cool, and collected?
Ha! I don't think so. [laughs]
Anyways
[Taylor]
The relationship I got with Jamie,
we ain't been on each other
that long, but now
[Jamie] Huh?
Hold on!
That's Jamie.
[scoffs]
They like me, because I'm shortie.
- But why?
- With a finger missing.
Like, this my best friend,
because I been knowing her longer.
But me and Jamie,
she says she's in love with me,
even though we're "friends."
And she think Harley and I,
be like, you know,
messing with each other,
but we really don't.
- Really. [indistinct]
- [Harley laughs]
[chuckling] But
[Taylor] Jamie just be territorial 'cause
she just do everything I say.
[Harley] I was here first, so, like,
you can't kick me out the spot I'm in.
But she really like a good friend though.
I would really fuck somebody up
for that little bitch.
For real.
She all right though.
[intimidating music plays]
[indistinct chatter]
What you got?
Why am I on lockdown?
Just for a fuss that I didn't
I wasn't even fussing back.
First, let's start from the beginning.
You're assuming I knew
that you had a fuss.
Well, it wasn't even a fuss.
We was all using "communication skills"
like you told us to use, right?
[chuckles] Okay, I'm listening.
You had an argument.
- She come up the stairs behind me.
- Mm-hmm.
So we pass a few words, so explain to me
why I'm on lockdown for that.
Because y'all passed a few words.
It's like a calm down period.
If y'all two got caught arguing,
I would lock y'all down too.
- I'm not gonna let anybody threaten me.
- Why we hollering at me?
You hollering at me,
I'm just talking to you.
Yo, I'm not gonna let nobody
tell me anything,
and then she was threatening me.
And that's the reason
why they're split off apart, then.
She jumped, said, "What you gonna do?"
So I'm like, "All right, do it."
These days
I don't care what they think ♪
Don't care who hears
Don't care who sees ♪
'Cause it's all fun and games
Unless no one bleeds, man ♪
I don't know why people come
to jail to make friends.
It, it It wasn't
I'll never grasp around the concept.
I mainly stay in my cell
and read to avoid bullshit.
Um, but some kind of way,
it finds me anyway.
I'm not messing, like
Mischievous, yeah. Messing, no. You know?
And you did admit y'all did
have a argument
- It wasn't
- even though she came towards you.
Yeah.
- I was not arguing. She was arguing.
- Okay, she had an argument with you.
I've been to a couple of jails before,
and all for fighting.
I don't start shit, I really don't,
but I got into it with a girl.
And she kept pulling a knife on me.
Like, I did have my days
with running up on knives.
I got scars from running up on knives,
but that was when I was younger and
a little bit more "not giving a fuck"-ish.
So, I didn't run up on her.
So I just flashed out
and started shooting at her.
She ran. She didn't get hit, thank God.
[Picard] All right, ladies,
y'all know what time it is. Let's do it.
Get moving on.
It's time to lock up.
Girl, what the hell now?
What's up? Go.
[male guard] You better gobble that quick
and hurry into your cell.
You got no time to finish your food.
I'll just sit right here.
'Cause you wait a long time to eat.
That's all on you.
- You got 15 minutes to eat your food.
- I was upstairs doing something.
Well, that was on you. That's on you.
Don't play them games.
[female inmates shouting indistinctly]
Now you made me waste my soup.
I got sentenced to four months
and three years probation.
The justice system for people of color
is designed to destroy them.
Once you're in the system,
it's made to keep you down.
Being four months in here,
I'm not gonna lie,
it had me real anxious.
Anxious to go home.
It caught me at a time where I was
really trying to get things moving,
like building a business,
building a empire.
And I don't wanna be
a moneymaker for this system.
I just wanna be a moneymaker for me.
[guard] Three spoon bites,
you should be finishing with that one.
I wish my children would sit down
and eat their food in three spoon bites.
Thank you.
[Trina] Get up, ho!
I have my own business.
I have a lash line.
It's called Pretty Savage.
Right now, it's just lashes,
different strip lashes.
I basically just wanna live off
my own income.
I'm so ready to go get my
get back to me.
[guard] Thank you.
- Juicy, she don't really mess with anyone.
- Right.
She doesn't really come out
and out of her cell. To talk.
- Right.
- To nobody.
Only thing I've ever heard of her mouth is
toilet talk and the arguing with this one.
And fucking herself.
She she made a dildo.
I've seen it, absolutely.
[chuckling] I've seen it.
I remember that first time
we got shook down that
- They threw that one there.
- I said, "What is that?"
She made a bigger and better one, baby.
She came back with a vengeance.
- [laughs]
- Yes.
You ever seen the, um,
the icicle brand, glass dildos?
- No, but I got the edible underwear.
- [laughs] Okay, it's solid glass.
You can put it in the microwave.
You can put it in the freezer.
- And then you stick it?
- Yes!
- Huh!
- Yes!
- So awesome.
- But it's just like the hot and the cold.
Like, I've done did the thing with
This is crazy, and I'm
Like candle wax?
- Yes.
- Done it.
- Love it. [laughs]
- Candle wax is cool as shit. [laughs]
Love it. Um
I'm into all kind of random shit,
you know?
- Whips and chains and handcuffs, a must?
- Yeah.
I can do without the handcuffs
nowadays, you feel me? But
True that.
I can totally mess with you
on the streets.
I'm just ready to go.
I'm ready to get out of here.
Man
They throw years at us like it's months.
[twangy electric guitar music plays]
I ain't think you really liked me.
[Capt. Steele]
Wait, I'm sorry? Let's go backwards.
I didn't think you cared for me too much.
'Cause you always got
this look on your face.
- [inmate] She just is, um
- [Jamie] But you're all right.
Don't speak it because, guess what?
You know what will happen to you.
- [Picard] Stop it.
- I did seven years in penitentiary.
- I just did seven years life.
- And what you think?
I was the worst inmate,
but then I became the golden inmate.
I think this should be
your last rodeo, okay?
I hope so.
I hope so.
You have to know better.
- But I'm addicted to fast money.
- No, listen.
You can't change where you've been,
but you can change where you're going.
[Picard] You get wiser.
Yeah, you see all this gray hair?
That's wisdom, baby, wisdom.
[laughs]
My nickname is "Shortie"
because I'm short, and I never grew
since I was about 12 years old.
I'm 4'9,
but on my license, I got 5'0.
I had to even it out.
["Delta Blues" by Nathan R. Coen
and Jonathan S. Lloyd playing]
Born and raised here, my whole life.
They got nice neighborhoods,
and bad neighborhoods.
The bad neighborhoods,
I would expect you to stay away from
because if you don't, you will get got.
I came from a good family, but
once we moved to the Ninth Ward,
the Lower Ninth Ward,
everything went to hell.
I'm 31 years old, and I spent about
a good 15 years of my life in jail.
I'm in here for four simple burglaries,
illegal possession of stolen goods,
a theft, and a warrant for
St. Bernard Parish for theft.
I'd been cutting up,
going to people's houses,
and I finally got caught.
I lost a finger and everything
within the last year.
I cut it on a fence, jumping the fence,
running from the police.
But they say at least
I got to keep my 'thug'.
[upbeat music playing]
[Juicy] Let me see,
let me see, let me see
[singing indistinctly]
Yes, I am gay.
I love women.
- [Jamie] Where you going?
- Get my stuff.
I'm coming with you.
Getting away from me. I'm not playing.
So you don't want me no more?
- Jamie, you are
- [laughs]
- For real!
- [Jamie] That's my friend. My good friend.
But it's just friendly flirting,
like casual, you know.
[Jamie] How old are you?
Oh, you like girls?
- Oh, all right.
- [Picard] Jamie!
I flirt with the inmates sometimes,
but not with the officers.
You need to keep your hair like that.
It look good.
[laughing]
I'm used to being locked up.
I'm used to the lifestyle on the streets.
I'm used to fast money,
to running real wild.
I'm used to doing what I want,
so it's like
How can I put it?
I'm comfortable here, like
The ranks here?
Like, Captain Ross and all them?
They knew me since I was 17 years old.
How you doing, Captain Ross?
You wanna go see pictures of my baby?
No, not right now.
I know that I ain't supposed to say this,
but it's like family,
more than my own family.
You cleaned up?
I told you I'd do it.
Let me see. Let me see if you cleaned up.
I did, but
Jamie, no. No.
I want you to clean up.
Jamie, this is not how
you supposed to be living.
I think if they gave me, like, a six-month
to a year program in rehab,
something might work out for me.
[upbeat music continues]
If all this went away,
I'd try to be a successful criminal
for the rest of my life.
Normally, it's only a few months.
[laughing] And then I get caught.
- Let me ask you this.
- What you say, girl?
How you know if these cameras are on,
these body cams y'all be wearing?
- I don't have a body cam on.
- No, not you.
I'm just saying period.
How you know if the deputy got it on?
Thank you.
Why We don't tell you that.
What's wrong with you?
- How you know we have it on?
- Yeah.
It's on all the time.
Well, all right, um,
I'm not saying nothing.
- Why?
- Sometimes, we put it on.
Girl, I'm not about to confide in y'all,
and it be on camera.
And still steal something. [laughs]
No, ma'am.
I tell y'all a lot of shit. Oh, no.
[chuckling]
[guard] Y'all know I see everything
and hear everything.
Oh, I already knew.
That's why I'm gonna go
behind my closed doors.
[funky music playing]
[indistinct chatter]
Bartholomew!
[knocking]
Press that button.
Let it go.
Oh, man, no!
- Toilet talking.
- [sighs]
[funky music playing]
[Harley] You already know I did.
Talking, huh?
If I catch it, I do flush the toilet.
For a person to have their head
in that toilet bowl
just does something to my soul.
Like, "Wait, what?"
Hello?
You know I didn't hear you.
What you say?
- Wait, what?
- What you doing?
Oh, the toilet talking?
I was like, "What?" I couldn't believe it.
Whatcha doin'?
Who this is?
This is like how I get through basically.
This is that extra little,
umph to my day.
This our phone right here.
- You just
- [clanging]
That's the ringer.
[interviewer] What are you doing now?
Pumping the toilet out.
I take the end of my mattress,
I put it on top of the toilet,
and I just push my knee
into it repeatedly.
- And so, it like drains the water.
- [inmate laughs]
And then
I just made a little mic.
Talk in the toilet, and then
listen for a response.
Talk in the toilet, listen for a response.
What's popping, lovies?
Ooh, that's like my best friend. Oh!
Best friend!
Also, the down part of this is
I have to pee in the sink.
So we don't want put our people on hold
Well, they on hold, but they not on hold.
And we don't wanna have to pump back out.
So we just get up
And then, we just
sit down.
Piss.
It's like, I didn't have
to get off the phone.
The first time I saw
somebody do it, I was like,
"What are y'all doing?" They're like,
"We're talking to boys."
I was like, "Talking to boys?
I wanna talk to some boys down there."
Hey, bae!
Everybody in here basically
has a toilet boyfriend.
What's up?
Listen!
[Magen] I love you so much!
I love you too.
Once I got in there, I never got out.
It was the f They're so funny there.
They're like real comedians.
[male inmate]
I love that toilet bowl girl!
I love you.
I love him. Like, I have love for him.
Even though I have no idea
what Dale looks like.
Not a clue.
They do it throughout the whole day.
At night, noon, morning.
- Throughout the whole day.
- [female inmate] What you doing?
[knocking]
Don't get involved in that, hear?
Some of them fall in love
with each other's guys, so,
then it cause a fight or altercation.
[man] Don't lie.
I'm not lying. When we get
out of the toilet, I flush my toilet.
Like, I don't talk to nobody.
You know I don't play no games with you,
D-boy, ever, okay?
I talk to a boy named D-boy. [laughs]
You don't want these boys in here.
You want a boy that's in college, okay?
Man, just sit right there,
I'm gonna be back!
Oh, all right.
That is my future husband,
and his name is Brian Wade.
I call him Fu-Fu, and
yeah, we just started talking
through the toilet.
["Light Falls" by Alexander D. Bachell
and Samuel R.C. Sutton playing]
You know who should be on lockdown
and who shouldn't be on lockdown.
I should not be on lockdown.
I don't feel like I should be on lockdown.
- [Picard] At all?
- No.
I'm in a lockdown cell because I wanted
to like, fight and all this other stuff.
Lockdown sucks. You can't get
no commissary or anything.
I've been trying to, like,
mind my business and stay in my lane.
Me being from Memphis, like
They know that I'm not from here,
so I'm really not gonna have people
that come behind me, like they do.
They see you're not
gonna stand your ground,
they're gonna feel like
they can do whatever to you.
You dumb as a box of rocks.
I'm not even talking to you, girl!
I'm not even talking about you.
You is an non-factor.
You is irrelevant.
I'm not even worried about you.
Get some help.
[Magen screams]
They feel like they can, like,
take your stuff, tell you what to do, wh
Like, if they feel like they can run you,
it's over with for you.
After being in here and meeting
a lot of people that I've met in here,
I don't think I would ever care
to come back here in my life.
- [interviewer] Where?
- New Orleans.
This is, like, just the most
messed-up city I've ever been to.
["Step'n To Horaces"
by Aaron Kaplan playing]
[Jamie] New Orleans.
Orleans.
How can I describe it?
It's a beautiful place.
I love New Orleans.
I would never leave this city.
[woman] They say the city
that never sleeps is New York.
Those bars shut down at two
in the morning. Ours stay open 24/7.
Seven o'clock in the morning,
you can walk in on a Sunday, get a beer.
You have fun when them type
of festivities going on and all that.
But it's also like a breeding ground
for all type of fucked up shit to happen.
With the tourists coming down here,
oh, that's an easy target. Easy money.
You can bump into 'em and take their
wallet and go about your business.
That's the easiest crime ever.
And 75% of the time, you don't get caught.
'Cause they don't know who did it,
they're so drunk.
I was always into the drug life.
We grew up on a bayou.
My daddy is a commercial fisherman.
Shrimp and crab and oyster and
That's us. I made damn good money.
[chuckles]
Damn good money. But
it just ain't enough.
You know, when you drugging,
it's never enough.
[Magen] New Orleans, to me, is very evil.
I don't know, I guess it's the evil
voodoo spirits or something.
[man] "Police harassment
happens all the time in my city."
"Mental illness, poor curriculum,
which forces this predicament,
fables of stray bullets and
citizens' cries,
beefing over territories
neither yours nor mine."
[Amber] I can't seem to get away from it.
I feel like I, um
I'm supposed to be there.
[interviewer] Well, you're here.
[laughs] Oh, yeah, I'm here all right.
[male inmate]
I mean, it's really just like a cesspool.
But I love my city though,
and uh, I wouldn't trade it for the world.
[loud slam]
[ringing]
[announcer] Ladies, day room.
Come out for day room.
[Picard] Come on.
- You gotta move, let's move.
- [inmate] I'm not moving.
Let's go, ladies, come on.
There's a game we need to play,
it's called "Never Have I Ever".
It's like, you put your hands up,
and you say something you never did.
If you did it, put your finger down.
And whoever go out first, loses.
Wait, what?
[laughing]
[female inmate] Never have I ever
been with more
than one person at one time.
Uh
I know you lying.
No, I'm not lying. [laughs]
- Yeah, you lying.
- Oh, you little liar!
[all laughing]
- We can't play if we're not playing right.
- Right, you lying.
I don't think I need to play this.
Okay, fuck y'all.
Never have I ever had a fetish.
I got a thing for big lips.
Is that like a fetish?
That would be a fetish.
- I love big lips.
- All right.
[all laughing]
Whoever cheated
on a person they were with?
Psh, down.
[all laughing]
ever had sex with someone
old enough to be my dad.
I had sex with someone old enough
to be my mom. Does that count?
- Yeah.
- [laughs]
- Not my dad!
- I'm down too.
- [Jamie] Let me say something.
- All right.
Ever had anal sex?
Are you sweating, Magen?
- Yes, bitch.
- All right.
You're lying.
[all laughing]
Next question!
[Harley] Never have I ever
had a threesome
with the same sex as me,
so two females.
Hmm.
- Damn, I wish I did.
- I had it. Wait
Wait
[laughter]
I got two fucking fingers, uh-uh.
Bitch, you missing a finger!
[all laughing]
[laughter continues]
[door buzzing]
[sultry jazz music playing]
[indistinct chatter]
Gotta stay fresh, you know.
[jazz music continues]
[Juicy]
That look like a chicken patty to me.
What that is?
[Julie] That's something different.
Oh, shit. I left my cookie back there.
I need to pick that bitch up.
[female inmate]
You know, they feed us here, you know,
and it's disgusting!
It's like Uh-uh!
Girl, no. I'm sorry. [laughs]
That's why I'm trying
to get my commissary.
Commissary, and it's necessary too,
'cause I don't eat everything.
Come on now.
[Picard] Commissary today. And guess what,
today we're gonna have a good day.
Store, canteen, commissary.
It's whenever we get to go and,
and pick regular world
We call it "the world", "the world food".
Their family will order, they can order
from the outside world and get sent here.
Who puts money on your books?
How do you pay commissary?
My daddy.
My mom puts money, or somebody
puts money on my commissary.
[inmate] have a great man.
Justin puts money on my books.
I used to get 300 dollar stores.
[guard] They able to order 300 dollars
of commissary per week.
We get coffee, we get snacks.
Food, dill pickles.
Tootsie Pops good, 25 cents.
You order like nine of them.
T-shirts.
They got hygienes and all that.
I like to order the
Lever 2000.
I'm talking about shampoos, soap,
it's just personals.
Anything and everything you want
is there, readily available.
Very expensive, though. Very expensive.
- You mean, that Reeses for the cake?
- Yeah, that's for the cake.
- Thank you, fair mama.
- You're welcome, baby.
[Jamie] Commissary is like cash.
You feel on top of the world
when you get your commissary.
It's money.
It's all about money.
Wait, and the candy bar.
Thank you.
Hey, we good?
Yeah!
We're not supposed to trade,
but, oh, well.
[interviewer] Jamie, how'd you get that?
Don't worry about that now.
I'm gonna incriminate myself.
- Cellmate Himber!
- I'm right here.
- Thank you.
- You supposed to take your medicine there.
So I just have some coffee, some noodles,
and some sweets.
I'm happy. It's like payday.
Jasmine!
I been on lockdown, right?
I couldn't get my commissary.
So what I did was,
I was trying to beat the system,
and I put the money on Jamie's books,
and I told her she could order
like $5 worth of stuff for doing it.
You wanna save your CMTs, too.
I'm about to go get my commissaries.
[laughing]
Fuck yeah.
[Taylor] Secure the bag, yo.
[Jamie] Shut up, shut up, shut up.
Oh, Jamie. I'm about to get all my shit.
[Jamie] What you doing, bitch?
That's mine. My money.
[Magen] Man, why you just lying?
[Jamie] You ain't getting nothin'.
That was my money.
[Magen] GIve me my stuff.
You don't do no crackhead shit like that.
What you gonna do, make a big scene,
bitch? You can't do nothin'.
Shorty thinks it's her stuff
because she a bum.
She used to taking people's shit.
Today, she's trying to say
she put money on my books,
but you did not put money
on my books, ma'am.
That money was mine. My family brought it.
You asked me to order you
a few things, I told you no.
Well, at first I did tell her yeah,
then I was like, "Nah, I can't do it."
She this little and this big.
Girl, I will beat the fuck out of you.
Don't play with me.
Hey, bitch, you can never
punk Jamie, bitch.
I might be 4'9,
but I stand a giant in my mind,
you understand?
[laughing]
She's on my law now.
Ain't no money gone.
[Taylor chuckles]
[Magen] The whole shysty shit she did,
I'm tired of seeing people
doing that fake shit.
Yeah.
[chuckles]
That girl don't even make no store.
[Taylor] You really don't want
I'm not worrying about nothin'
nobody talkin' 'bout.
[inmate] Fuck you.
Who you You talkin' to me?
I'm talking to whoever.
[Taylor] Oh, no, I'm asking you,
is you talking to me?
I'm talking to all three y'all.
All three y'all.
[Taylor] What you gotta do with anything?
Who you is?
[Jamie] Nobody?
Like, who does she think she is? Like
[indistinct shouting]
[Taylor] I'm going there
'cause she want some.
- Like
- [Jamie] No, it ain't us! It's not us.
[Taylor] Who you Who you is?
[indistinct clamoring]
Let's go!
[Picard]
Okay, you about to go on lockdown!
- [groans]
- [inmate] Back to your cell!
Like, she doing all that for what?
[Taylor] Who she talking of?
- Open that door.
- [guard] Go back, cooperate. In your cell.
You stupid, dumb bitch.
All right.
She narcing us out.
I apologize for the situation
that y'all are in right now.
But this is the situation,
and I just want my stuff.
- I'm so mad right now.
- So look
- [guard] So, how much was the, you know
- It was like, $88 exactly.
- My money ain't funny.
- Who put
- My money ain't funny
- This ain't about your money being put.
- You put $88
- I wanted what I wanted!
- on somebody else's account, though?
- Yeah! I wanted what I wanted.
[Picard] I just wanna know one thing.
What's your involvement?
- She started this.
- I wanna know what role
I don't want Tell me the truth.
She was supposed
to bring me half the stuff.
So why did you do that?
She was supposed
to break me off half the store.
- She said five dollars!
- No!
At first, it was supposed to be half.
That's what I'm trying to tell you.
Then she went down to $5.
That's why she got jacked.
Oh, so you robbed her.
No! I ain't robbed her,
but it is what it is.
I'm from the Nine, and I don't mind dyin'.
That's the Lower 9th Ward slang.
Cutthroat committee.
[interviewer] For snacks?
For snacks.
[laughing]
You feel me, Miss Steele?
No, oh no, she's not feeling you.
Ain't no laughing this end.
- Do you feel her?
- I don't know.
We're gonna have to do something quick,
because she already gave
the whole thing to me.
Okay
[Jamie] Take Tell Harley,
take all the coffee out. Hurry up!
Man
[Taylor] They blowin' this thing.
[whispering] Take all the coffee out.
Back up.
Open up on 16.
[Picard] Where that commissary?
- Right there under my bed.
- Give it here.
- Give it here, everything.
- Hey, please!
[Picard] Don't come to this table
unless I call you. Now back up.
No, 'cause some of my stuff in her bag,
too, 'cause that's my friend.
You heard. I'm dealing with something.
You better back up.
- All right.
- This ain't what you want.
[tense music playing]
Oh, Miss Picard!
I think we should have
a discussion about this.
- Yeah, 'cause she
- Hold!
If y'all say one word,
I'm gonna deal with y'all.
[munching]
What are we gonna do?
- Everything is here.
- We could just send all this stuff back.
- Huh?
- Send everything back.
Yep.
'Cause guess why.
She lied to manipulate the system,
because she was on lockdown.
She took it in. So send it all back.
[Picard]
Tell her to take the hold off that door.
- Huh?
- Now nobody ain't gettin'.
- [Harley] Deputy!
- That's how we gonna do this.
- [Jamie] That's my bag!
- Can I get my shit?
[Picard] You gonna be all right.
[groans]
Yeah, bring me my shit, please!
Fuck her, I want some!
- I just say it's commissary day.
- It's commissary day.
Commissary day. It always happens.
Chaos.
They mad. They big mad. But guess what.
We all on lockdown rules.
Y'all ain't accomplished nothin'.
I was like, "Where my shit?!"
She said, "Oh, I ain't got it."
Hey! I'm fuckin' with that!
Come here!
No, I want her moved out
to Cell 9 at the top,
'cause all she do is talk to Fu all day.
She ain't about to be comfortable.
You had a chance to talk.
You didn't tell me the truth.
Why didn't you tell me the truth?
She not about to be comfortable
talking to that toilet bowl!
Toilet, I don't wanna hear about that.
I'm talkin' 'bout the commissary, Jamie.
I talk 'bout her! She about to be
on lockdown and comfortable.
No, ma'am. I'mma make her miserable.
- [Picard] What?
- Huh?
So that's a threat?
- No!
- [woman] That's 30 days.
- Guess what, you just made a threat.
- No, ma'am, I'm sayin', like,
she got Fu on that toilet
and she got me jonesin' all day,
- she ain't 'bout to be comfortable!
- So you made a threat.
No, I'm just sayin',
like that's fucked up!
- That's my thing. She got
- That could get somebody hurt.
But Fu is the one
bucking her up to do everything!
But, Jamie, guess what, though.
You lied to me at first.
But at the end of the day,
Ms. Picard, this is jail.
We are criminals!
How are you?
[indistinct chatter]
Yo, listen.
I need I need a moment,
'cause, check this out.
My attitude right now
is just, like, fuck it,
and I'm not trying to take it out on you.
I've been in here 11 months now.
And I just
I don't want no dealings with it.
I just wanna go home. [chuckles]
Back to Memphis.
It's definitely lonely, like,
being here without nobody down here.
And the toilet-talking. It's, like,
it just makes the time go by fast,
and it makes you forget about
some of the stuff you're going through.
[tense music playing]
She's on a pretty, you know, bad charge.
It's
a big trial that's coming up, uh,
so I don't think I'm gonna be able
to tell y'all, like, details or anything.
[faint, indistinct chatter]
Basically, some things happened,
and I ended up in here on a murder charge.
[unsettling music playing]
Uh, yeah.
- I don't know what else. [laughs]
- [interviewer] Okay!
Let's go back a little bit.
["Ain't No Way"
by Robin Loxley & Jay Hawke playing]
You ♪
Heart-breaker ♪
Sold me down the line ♪
You ♪
Soul-taker ♪
Took away my life ♪
Love hates you ♪
They break me ♪
And there's no way to change my mind ♪
No there ain't no way ♪
There's no way to change my mind ♪
No there ain't no way ♪