Browse films

Imprisoned for Profit

John Wright
United States, 2020, 13 min.

In English.
This film is family friendly.

Phoenix attorney John Dacey quit his private practice to focus on challenging the existence of the private prison industry, which he believes exploits the convicted for profit. He and his team plan to bring a case against the industry all the way to the Supreme Court.

Director's Statement

This short doc is really a labor of love, on a topic that I hadn't known much about before I met John Dacey, the lawyer interviewed for the film, last year. I am convinced that this Arizona-based story, about a man who left his job to mount a steep challenge, is an important one. My co-producer Cassandra Nicholson and editor Kennedi Martin jumped in because they both feel strongly about the issue. Together, we wanted to set out the issue and themes simply but powerfully, and then leave it with the viewer to respond!

Category: Documentary, Arizona Film, Short Doc.
Themes: Human Spirit, Prison, Social Justice.

More in Documentary

  • Becoming Benjamin Lay

    Becoming Benjamin Lay

    Tony Buba
    United States, 2026, 55 min.

    In the documentary Becoming Benjamin Lay, director Tony Buba and historian Marcus Rediker explore the life and ideas of an unknown radical Quaker... more ›

  • You're No Indian

    You're No Indian

    Ryan Flynn
    2025, 83 min.

    THIS IS NOT A MOVIE. IT’S A MOVEMENT. Thousands of Native Americans, including elders, teachers and children, have been unjustly banished from their... more ›

  • Worse than Nuking: A Family's Tale of Survival

    Worse than Nuking: A Family's Tale of Survival

    Kareem El Damanhoury
    Egypt, 2025, 15 min.

    Worse than Nuking follows Fedaa, a pediatrician and mother of three living in Gaza, as she struggles to care for children in a hospital while... more ›