The House I Live In (2012)

From the dealer to the narcotics officer, the inmate to the federal judge, a penetrating look inside America's criminal justice system, revealing the profound human rights implications of U.S. drug policy.

Director:

Eugene Jarecki

Writers:

Eugene Jarecki, Christopher St. John (additional writing)

Stars:

Eugene Jarecki, David Simon, Shanequa Benitez

4 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eugene Jarecki	...	Self - Narrator / Interviewer
David Simon	...	Self - Creator, The Wire
Shanequa Benitez	...	Self
William Julius Wilson	...	Self - Harvard University (as Prof. William Julius Wilson)
Glendon Goldsboro	...	Self - Providence Police (as Lt. Glendon Goldsboro)
Fabio Zuena	...	Self - Providence Narcotics
David Kennedy	...	Self - John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Michael Correia	...	Self - Commanding Officer, Narcotics (as Lt. Michael Correia)
Charles Bowden	...	Self - Investigative Reporter
Gabor Mate	...	Self - Physician, Addiction Expert (as Dr. Gabor Maté)
Mark W. Bennett	...	Self - U.S. Federal Judge (as Hon. Mark Bennett)
Maurice Haltiwanger	...	Self - ID# 03678-029
Jim K. McGough	...	Self - Maurice's Lawyer (as Jim McGough)
Eric Franklin	...	Self - Lexington Corrections Center (as Warden Eric Franklin)
Mike Carpenter	...	Self - Chief of Security, Lexington Corrections

Storyline

From the dealer to the narcotics officer, the inmate to the federal judge, a penetrating look inside America's criminal justice system, revealing the profound human rights implications of U.S. drug policy.

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Plot Keywords:

u.s. mexico border | despair | american history | judge | federal judge | 

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Taglines:

The war on drugs has never been about drugs.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Quotes

Himself - Physician, Addiction Expert: America's drug problem - a result of hundreds of years of history, economic policy, social policy, and misunderstanding. So let's not make the most physical manifestation of it - that is to say, people being out there on the street and using - the problem. It's not the problem. It's simply a manifestation of the problem. It's simply a symptom. It's sort of like saying that the problem with pneumonia is that you cough. "Let's suppress the cough, and that's okay." Well you can suppress the cough....

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Connections

Edited into Independent Lens: The House I Live In (2013)

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Soundtracks

LOCKED UP
Written by Akon (as A. Thiame)
Published by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, LLC
Performed by Akon
Courtesy of Universal Records
under license from Universal Music

User Reviews

Best Drug and Prison Documentary I Have Ever Seen

This needs to be seen by every law officer, every judge, every college student and beyond. This is a VERY powerful documentary that doesn't just paint a black and white picture telling us that drugs are acceptable or that drugs are bad, it talks about the HUNDREDS of elements which make up the complex drug and prison system we know of today.

Some of the top minds in the industry on both sides give the best and most insightful talks, this has really been an eye opening film for me.

I wish I could mass produce this DVD for free and mail it to every citizen of the US. We need to change this system, it's broken and heading down a very scary path. Most people think that drugs and prisons don't affect them so why bother with the issue, you couldn't be any more wrong. Thousands of times a day the authorities are searching people and seizing property without due process, many times never finding anything. A man was killed after a raid and nothing was found. This IS RELEVANT TO ALL CITIZENS OF America. The Constitution is our savings grace, don't let it burn to ash along with your freedom.

Please watch this, even if you don't agree with everything, I feel like you can still learn something and apply it to your community and the ballet box to make a positive change in the right direction.

Details

Official Sites:

BBC [United Kingdom] ITVS [United States]

Country:

Netherlands UK Germany Japan Australia USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 October 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

The House I Live In

Filming Locations:

New Haven, Connecticut, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,453, 7 October 2012

Gross USA:

$210,752

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$219,159

Company Credits

Production Co:

Al Jazeera Documentary Channel, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Charlotte Street Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min 98 min (total run time)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1