The House I Live In Official Trailer #1 (2012) Drugs Documentary Movie HD
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN commenters recommend the film itself as an eye-opening account of how drug laws drove mass incarceration and militarized policing.
What it is
Official trailer for Eugene Jarecki's 2012 documentary The House I Live In, an investigative look at America's war on drugs and its effect on the criminal justice system. It won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.
Recommended by 4 HN commenters across 5 different months, 2013 to 2015.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec asr2bd · 2013-07 · on “Militarized police overreach — a second excerpt from Radley Balko's book”
Since drug war/prison system/militarized police keeps popping up on HN, I'd highly recommend anyone very interested in learning more about how this came to be to watch the documentary "The House I Live In." Trailer: [this video] Link to site: [LINK] It's an excellent explanation of how drug laws and being "tough" on crime have led to skyrocketing incarceration rates, trigger happy cops, and broken communities.
Strong rec hawkharris · 2013-09 · on “Drug Agents Use Vast Phone Trove Eclipsing N.S.A.’s”
If you haven't already seen The House I Live In, I recommend watching the documentary online. It will change the way you think about drugs and the United States' prison system. The movie doesn't focus specifically on technology, but it explores the by-any-means-necessary approach to law enforcement that helps facilitate things such as the Hemisphere Project mentioned in the story. Trailer: [this video]
Strong rec sharkweek · 2014-03 · on “Solitary confinement’s psychological effects”
For anyone a little less familiar with mandatory minimum sentencing -- I highly recommend the documentary 'The House I Live In' [this video] Streams instantly on Netflix - one of the most important documentaries I've ever seen
Strong rec sharkweek · 2014-07 · on “The New York Times Calls for Marijuana Legalization”
Two plugs I always make during any drug law discussion on HN: One - The Economist's 2009 article "Failed states and failed policies" - [LINK] (you might have to Google the title to get around a paywall) Two - The documentary, The House I Live In - [LINK] (trailer - [this video] ) Both make such a fascinating case that drugs should have never been a crime and punishment issue, but rather one of public health. I highly recommend both for a read and a watch, and both will articulate the case far superior to anything I would be able to write here.
Strong rec kristofferR · 2015-05 · on “In Norway, a Prison Built on Second Chances”
Cool that this appeared here right now, as I'm in the middle of rewatching The House I Live In, a fantastic documentary about the US drug war/justice system. Go watch it now. [this video] The current US system is mindblowingly stupid. People who are treated like animals tend to act like it, especially if they're encouraged to.