Check Out Our Best-of Picks: Movies, Books, Self-Help Reads, Stories & Podcasts for Your Holiday Break!
Top 5 Movies to Stream about the Justice System over the Holidays
As you snuggle up with your hot cocoa in that oversized Snuggie your aunt gave you but can’t return, check out these movie recommendations to keep you engaged, inspired, and hopeful about ending mass incarceration:
Sing-Sing
Divine G (Colman Domingo), imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn't commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men, including a wary newcomer (Clarence Maclin), in this stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art, starring an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors.
The Strike
The Strike is a feature documentary that tells the story of a generation of California men who endured decades of solitary confinement and, against all odds, launched the largest hunger strike in U.S. history.
Songs From the Hole
A moving chronicle of forgiveness, family, and the transformative power of art, Songs From the Hole weaves music and storytelling into an innovative documentary visual album. Through clear-eyed narration and lyrical journal entries, incarcerated musician James "JJ'88" Jacobs reveals his innermost struggles as a person who has both committed and experienced violent harm. While serving a double-life prison sentence, he searches for healing and peace as he comes of age in this documentary-musical odyssey composed behind bars.
The Alabama Solution
Inside one of the nation’s deadliest prison systems, incarcerated men defy the odds to expose a cover-up in this powerful documentary.
Fireboys
Fireboys is the untold story of young men incarcerated in California who are offered a way out: by fighting wildfires. This immersive and personal documentary is a coming-of-age story told from the perspectives of young men as they summon the courage to fight fires and confront their pasts.
Top 5 Books to Read About the Justice System This Holiday Season
As the rainy winter keeps you indoors, grab your favorite ARC mug and dive into our recommended book list, with powerful stories of redemption, resilience, and the pursuit of freedom:
How to Be Free: A Proven Guide to Escaping Life's Hidden Prisons by Shaka Sengor
We all have hidden prisons—grief, anger, shame, trauma, and self-doubt. But these prisons have doors. Drawing from his extraordinary journey from incarceration to New York Times bestselling author, resilience expert, and entrepreneur, Shaka Senghor reveals the mindset and proven practices that transformed his life—and can help anyone achieve their wildest dreams.
Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah ( a work of fiction)
Enter a world where, watched by millions, incarcerated people fight like gladiators for the ultimate prize: their freedom. Perfect for fans of The Handmaid's Tale, Squid Game, and Watchmen. Welcome to Chain-Gang All-Stars, the popular and highly controversial program inside America's prison system. In packed arenas, watched by millions of live-stream viewers, incarcerated people compete as gladiators for the ultimate prize: their freedom.
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
An unforgettable true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to end mass incarceration in America — from one of the most inspiring lawyers of our time. Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit law office in Montgomery, Alabama, dedicated to defending the poor, the incarcerated, and the wrongly condemned.
The Rent Collectors: Exploitation, Murder, and Redemption in Immigrant LA by Jesse Katz
Winner of the 2024 Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Tattoos on the Heart meets Ghesttoside in this gripping true story about a botched gang murder set in the invisible economy of LA's immigrant street vendors.
Felon: Poems by Reginald Dwyane Betts
Felon tells the story of the effects of incarceration in fierce, dazzling poems—canvassing a wide range of emotions and experiences through homelessness, underemployment, love, drug abuse, domestic violence, fatherhood, and grace—and, in doing so, creates a travelogue for an imagined life. Reginald Dwayne Betts confronts the funk of post-incarceration existence and examines prison not as a static space, but as a force that enacts pressure throughout a person’s life.
Top 5 Self-Help Books To Check Out This Holiday Season
As you recharge this winter, make sure your New Year’s resolutions don’t fizzle out by January 2nd. Use these self-help books recommended by ARC staff:
Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman (recommended by Jose)
The story follows the inner journey of Dan Millman, a college student and world-champion athlete who is haunted by a feeling that something is missing from his life. Awakened one night by bad dreams, he wanders into an all-night gas station where he meets an old man named Socrates who soon becomes his mentor. Guided by this eccentric old warrior, and drawn to an elusive young woman named Joy, Dan begins a spiritual odyssey into realms of light and shadow, leading toward a final confrontation that will deliver or destroy him.
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (recommended Ebony)
Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, the Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love. The Four Agreements are: Be Impeccable With Your Word, Don't Take Anything Personally, Don't Make Assumptions, and Always Do Your Best.
The Wise Heart by Jack Kornfield (recommended by Edwin)
You have within you unlimited capacities for love, for joy, for communion with life, and for unshakable freedom—and here is how to awaken them. In The Wise Heart, one of the leading spiritual teachers of our time offers the most accessible and illuminating guide to Buddhism’s transformational psychology ever published in the West.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (recommended by Tyson)
As relevant as ever before, Dale Carnegie's principles endure and will help you achieve your maximum potential in the complex and competitive modern age. Learn the six ways to make people like you, the twelve ways to win people to your way of thinking, and the nine ways to change people without arousing resentment.
Designing Your Life: Build a Life that Works for You by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. (Recommended by Ashley)
Whether we’re 20, 40, 60, or older, many of us are still looking for an answer to that perennial question, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ In Designing Your Life, Silicon Valley design innovators Bill Burnett and Dave Evans use their expertise to help you work out what you want – and how to get
it.
Top 5 Criminal Justice Stories of 2025 to Read This Holiday Season
As your uncle tells the same story about how he swears he could beat Steph Curry one-on-one, step away from the table and dive into the year’s best criminal justice journalism—featuring stories that inform, inspire healing, and celebrate fresh starts.
The Fire of Freedom by Erika Hayasaki. Men’s Health Magazine
At 20 years old, Fausto Lopez was one of thousands of heroic firefighters who fought the Los Angeles wildfires—some of the most destructive in California history. But amid the black smoke and fierce winds, he also faced a bigger battle: for a second chance in life.
From Life in Prison to the Eras Tour by Joe Garcia. The New Yorker
While serving time for murder, Joe Garcia heard Taylor Swift’s music and thought of the woman he loved. Last year, they were reunited.
Life after California’s death row: What happens when condemned inmates get a second chance by Hannah Wiley. The Los Angeles Times
Shortly after taking office in 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a moratorium on executions and ordered death row dismantled. Years later, incarcerated people say they have a bittersweet new lease on life.
I Mentored The Menendez Brothers: Here’s Why I Have Hope For Them by David Amaya. The Sacramento Bee
ARC’s Hope and Redemption Team (HART) Director, David Amaya, wrote a powerful op-ed about his experience mentoring the Menendez brothers and why he still has hope for their future.
Felony Murder: Last Week Tonight. HBO
John Oliver discusses felony murder, a way you can wind up in prison for murder without actually killing anyone.
Top 5 Podcasts of the Year Featuring Formerly Incarcerated Voices
While your younger brother blabs on about his protein intake, plug your ears and tune in to our top podcast picks of the year, featuring authentic voices and heartwarming stories.
Our Way Out
Our Way Out is a podcast created and produced by ARC members that amplifies the voices of those impacted, from incarceration to the foster system. Real stories of healing, growth, and transformation.
Last Mile Radio
TLM Radio shares inspirational stories from justice-impacted people who have experienced personal transformation.
The Prison Post Podcast
The Prison Post is a podcast interviewing leaders in the criminal justice reform, restorative justice, and social justice movements. From our friends at non-profit reentry group CROP
The Homeboy Way
The Homeboy Way Podcast invites listeners into stories of healing, kinship, and transformation.
Ear Hustle
Ear Hustle brings you the daily realities of life inside prison, shared by those living it, and stories from the outside, post-incarceration.
