Omar & Pete

Reduced to its most sensational elements, the criminal justice system is a fount of melodramas featuring violation, heartbreak, and retribution. Beyond the snarling punks and streetwise cops of fictional lore is a far more prosaic story of ordinary people struggling to free themselves of poverty, addiction, and the legacies of broken families. Like Pete and Omar, they struggle ultimately to free themselves of the dehumanizing cycle that takes them from crime on the streets to prison and back again. With extraordinary cooperation from the Maryland Department of Corrections (MDOC), this film provides an insider's view of innovative efforts in Maryland to build the social and community support that will allow more ex-inmates to succeed.