With all the banter in the press about OWN programming, no one can complain about Oprah’s choice of documentaries. OWN is batting 3 for 3 and this viewer is in love. This past Thursday brought us OWN’s very first original documentary, “Serving Life”. Executive producer, narrator and Academy Award winner, Forest Whitaker, allowed viewers a chance to explored the depths of compassion in a place that confines those who typically represent the polar opposite…a state prison. 

The average sentence in the Louisiana’s Angola State Penitentiary is 93 years meaning that over 85% of all prisoners will take their last breath behind bars. It wasn’t a matter of if someone would die, it was a matter of when. “I just felt sorry for these old men. They were up here dying and they were just abandoned and here was hospice….this was just a no brainer,” warden Burl Cain shared. “Hospice is a way to die with dignity with your family and this is their family.”

Once known as the “bloodiest prison in the south”, one would think that Angola prison would be an unlikely place to find hospice volunteers. However, administrators were able to find the “best of the best” in a prison full of the worst inmates in the state. The candidates were screened carefully and the program only selected those who met the strictest of criteria.

The documentary “Serving Life” followed the path of redemption for four inmates: Justin Granier, Charles “Boston” Rodgers, Ronald Ratliff and Anthony “Shaheed” Middlebrooks, Jr. All of them were new to the hospice program. This story followed their journey as they became part of a program that changed their lives.

The approach was interesting. The warden believed that the “only true rehabilitation was moral.” Realizing that most criminals are selfish, he knew he needed to find a way for the inmates to do the opposite and become givers. The hospice care program offered the perfect opportunity for them to find both compassion and redemption. It was all about giving unselfishly. Bathing a man, feeding him, dressing bed sores, cleaning up feces and preparing a body for burial….not the easiest of tasks. However, in the darkest of moments, we find out who we truly are and what we are capable of.

At times it was hard to watch. My soul ached as people suffered. Yet, in the back of my mind I never lost sight that these men created suffering for families as well. I was amazed by the strength and compassion of the inmates at Angola. The hospice program had the ability to change lives. To offer the spirit a second chance to do good. “God uses people for all kinds of things and I didn’t know what my purpose was and I think now I know what my purpose is” an inmate shared. It isn’t easy to teach compassion, but somehow Angola was making serious progress. 

Each of the volunteer’s experience was unique…different paths that seemed to lead to a common ground. Compassion for their fellow inmates, for their victims, for their own families and for themselves. The process was intense. There was no preaching. No “let me tell you” speeches. Through death and helplessness, each man was able to learn something about himself. At times some were unsure if they could withstand the emotional weight of the experience. 

The program was truly one of compassion. Each patient had volunteers sit vigil over them as they approached the end. No one was to die alone. The “first vigil will demand true courage, not false bravado,” the film reminded us. Volunteers struggled to find a way to help in the only ways possible…by just being there. Many of these inmates had seen death, but nothing like what they saw. There they were completely helpless and unable to do anything. It takes incredible courage and compassion to stay with someone as they die. To know you may be the last person to bring them comfort. It can’t help but change you and your the way you see life. 

Life went on for those on the outside as well as for those in Angola. For a moment, the documentary brought them both together. Boston had a son…a son that didn’t know him. He had a chance to meet his son for the first time. Nervous about what to say or how to act, he did his best to prepare for the moment. His mother informed him that his son believed it wasn’t Boston’s fault that he was in prison. Determined to prevent his son from making the same mistakes, he was determined to set him straight. He let him know that it was his fault for making the choice to be involved in the crime. I felt horribly for his son. Not knowing his father. Not knowing what to think. He had to be confused and have a thousand questions. I can’t help but wonder how his life will turn out. Children with a parent in prison have a 50% more likely to go to prison. Hopefully Boston will continue to talk to his son and help him to avoid making any stupid mistakes. Choices can change your life.

The road to redemption can be long…and at times take you on a completely unexpected path. By giving back to those who needed them, the Angola inmates were able to find something to feel proud of…something to value about themselves. Many of them found a deep compassion and strength that they never knew they were capable of. It didn’t surprise me that many of these men found themselves drawn back to the hospice even on their off days. The longer I watched “Serving Life”, the less it became about a prison hospice program and the more it became about the human spirit.

There were so many lessons to be learned from this documentary…

• Live your life with humanity.
• It feels good to feel needed and to make a difference.
• Even if it is decades overdue, it is important to reach out to family.
• It is never too late to make a change.
• Each of us has the strength and compassion within us to handle anything; we just need to believe in ourselves and the process.
• No one is worthless.

 As the documentary came to a close, Forest Whitaker tweeted out, “If redemption and healing can happen for these killers in jail, then can it not happen in your life?” It is never too late or too early to make a change in your life. No one is a lost cause. Since my nephew was a young boy, I have reminded him that the only thing in life that someone can’t take from you is your mind and your soul. Money, objects and people come and go, but what you have learned and who you are can’t be taken from you. Although you can’t erase your past, you CAN change your future. No one is beyond redemption. Everyone matters. Showing compassion to those around you can at times be hard, especially if they don’t always seem deserving. Just remember, it isn’t our job to judge. All we need to do is be the best person we can be in each and every moment…living our life with humanity.