Prison documentary explains how inmates' lives were changed following trauma

Director and producer Brenton Gieser spoke with ABC News Live about his new documentary, "The 50," which showcases the nation's first incarcerated substance abuse counselor program.

"The 50" documents the unprecedented journey of 50 incarcerated men who challenged society's expectations of them to become some of the first certified substance abuse counselors in the country.

It examines how those who are often overlooked can create powerful models of rehabilitation.

Gieser discussed why he made this film and the importance of it. Cameron Clark, one of the 50 participants featured in the documentary, weighs in on his experience with the program.

ABC NEWS LIVE: It's time now for the latest in our series, "Streamlined," where we bring you some of the biggest films and TV series hitting screens worldwide, speaking with some of the actors and creators of them. A new documentary takes us inside a world of concrete and razor wire. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was known for dangerous levels of overcrowding and substance abuse, a dangerous environment for the inmates inside. Federal courts ruled these conditions unconstitutional, spurring the need for new programs to rehabilitate incarcerated people. Let's take a look.

ABC NEWS LIVE: 'The 50,' directed and produced by Brenton Gieser, showcases the nation's first incarcerated substance abuse counselor program. It's the story of the first 50 participants in one of the most powerful models of rehabilitation, helping men serving life sentences turn into certified addiction counselors.

And we are joined now in studio by director Brenton Gieser and Cameron Clark, a member of the 50. Gentlemen, thank you both so much. Thanks for joining us. April is Second Chance Month and really echoes some of the themes that we see in 'The 50' of trauma of rehabilitation, of repair. Give us a sense of why you decided, Brenton, a decade after the program's inception, to release the documentary now.

BRENTON GIESER: Yeah. So the story for me, what struck me most about the stories of the men and just the stories of the 50, the program itself, was that this is a it's a story of healing. It's a story of this journey, this radical journey of healing and the courage it takes in order to heal and what could come out on the other side of this. It's a mirror that can be held up to anybody who watches this film. So really, it's a universal story that I hope everybody connects with.

ABC NEWS LIVE: The documentary is called the 50, but it focuses on the first three people, right? Three of them. And you're you're one of them. And we just heard Brenton talk about healing. I'm curious how the program has helped you to heal.

CAMERON CLARK: The program has helped me heal in so many ways. It's given me an opportunity to really look at my life. You know, as a young person and how I got to the point where I became incarcerated in the first place.

There was a whole lot of trauma that I had just pent up within me that I never really had a chance to express. I never had a chance to address as far as my upbringings are concerned.

And, you know, it really gave me an opportunity to lay everything on the table in a non-biased atmosphere. So 'The 50' gave me a safe place to bring my issues and to heal. And the program was just a beautiful program.

ABC NEWS LIVE: And, Brenton, you've talked about how many of the participants are victims as well as victimizers. How were you able to really kind of focus on the duality of that in the documentary?

GIESER: It's a challenge. It's a challenge. I think all of us, maybe to lesser degrees, can relate to that. We all experience traumas. We've all caused hurt and pain in our lives, you know, and we've seen the ripple effects of that happen. I think because of that, and having been one of those people who have experienced both sides of that in my own life, I knew I wanted to make sure to understand the story of the victims.

ABC NEWS LIVE: Cameron talked to us about how prevalent a problem drugs plays. How much does that really plague the insides of many of our prisons and jails throughout the country?

CLARK: Yeah. Well, we have to understand one thing about individuals being able to cope with their situations. I know that a lot of young men out there on the streets are going through it. Socioeconomics isn't really good.

We have to create ways in order to take care of ourselves. And this is as a result of what's the, what may be taking place in our household. Absent mother or father that might be on drugs. A community where older men might somewhat take advantage of the young people.

I know for myself, drinking alcohol was a supplement for me, right? So not having that family structure there, I created a family of my own, using drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism for some people to just get by. And for a lot of kids, it's that way as well. And so we find ourselves in situations where we get caught up and we become incarcerated as a result of not being able to manage what we had going on as youth.

ABC NEWS LIVE: Brenton Cameron, we thank you both so much for your time. Really appreciate the work that you're doing. Want to let our viewers know you can stream 'The 50' right now on Apple TV and Prime Video.