“No Way Home,” a new documentary about a mother’s struggle to bring her son home from prison, will screen at Theatre Horizon in Norristown on Friday, July 14 at 6:30 p.m.

The film tells the story of Lorraine Haw, known as Mrs. Dee Dee, a leader in the movement to end mass incarceration in Pennsylvania. There are over 5,000 people in Pennsylvania sentenced to die in prison because of a life without parole sentence. This is the highest per capita rate in the United States.

One of these people is Mrs. Dee Dee’s son, Phillip. Mrs. Dee Dee’s story is similar to the experiences of thousands of people in Pennsylvania who have both lost loved ones to gun violence and lost loved ones to the carceral system.

Under the felony murder rule, a person is liable for murder if someone dies while they commit a felony –– even if they did not personally kill anyone and didn’t intend for anyone to die, like a getaway driver in a robbery.

In Pennsylvania, the minimum sentence for felony murder is Life without Parole, also known as Death by Incarceration. 

No Way Home features interviews with Kris Henderson, Executive Director of Amistad Law Project, and Mike Lyons, Professor at St. Joseph’s University and co-founder of The Redemption Project.

Their analysis maps out the rise of mass incarceration in Pennsylvania and highlights the need for second chances for people serving mandatory Life Without Parole. Right now, people like Phillip have little hope of coming home no matter how much work they put into turning their lives around. 

A town hall discussion on the movement to end Life Without Parole will follow the screening. The panel will feature the documentary’s key protagonist, Mrs. Dee Dee; Felix Rosado of the Youth Art and Self-Empowerment Project; and Rasheeda Bagwell, the Women’s Reentry Program Coordinator with Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program.

The film is a part of an impact campaign, led by Amistad Law Project and Straight Ahead, to educate about the human cost of Death by Incarceration. 

Event Date: July 14, 2023

Event Time: 6:30PM 

Location: Theatre Horizon: 401 DeKalb St, Norristown, PA 19401 

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No Way Home Trailer