- What you did inside that place
will be with you forever.
- No.
- The towering walls of the original prison exteriors,
erected over 300 years ago,
were left in place as a reminder
of the punishment awaiting Spanish citizens
who dared step outside the law.
Nearly 50 years ago,
a modern prison was built in the center
to hold some of Puerto Rico's most feared criminals,
an ironic clash of architecture
between the old and the new.
Today the concrete and metal structure
will come tumbling down this afternoon
on Santiago precinct,
but the foundation will remain in place
as the building block of the most contemporary
of condominium complexes
on the far edge of a city
that has continued to change.
Puerto Rico.
- Hey, what the hell are you doing here?
Huh?
Get out.
We're demolishing this place today.
Get out.
Hey, this place has been wired for two days.
- I know.
- You're lucky that I find you,
so get out.
- I just--
- I said get out, man.
- What else do you want from me?
What you did inside that place
will be with you forever,
forever.
- Miguel, after what I've done for you,
you decide to write letters to the press
about what you claim to be intolerable conditions
and injustices that are happening inside this prison.
The only thing your letters did, Miguel,
fan the flames,
which means I have to turn up the heat on you.
- No, no.
- No?
- No, no.
- No.
Since it is apparently not Mr. Mendoza
who is the cause of our current problems,
please make him understand how helpful it would be
if he can provide us with any information
that might assist us in our search.
Hey.
Governor Mandera sped up the execution process
to save the taxpayers money.
Now he thinks he can have it both ways?
- That's your friend.
- That's politics.
A few people protesting outside the prison walls
against the death penalty
shouldn't be enough to make the governor nervous.
- With all the stories breaking
about prisoner treatment, yes.
- What can I get you gentlemen?
- Will you get us a table please?
- Sure.
- How long have you been open?
- Just opened.
I am beginning to get the hang of it now.
Since it's your first time here,
the coffee is on the house.
- Thank you.
- The death penalty is only
a publicity stunt by politicians.
It doesn't violence.
- Excuse me?
- I couldn't help but overhear.
Two cups of coffee on the house.
- Thank you again.
The warden is only here to fulfill the will of the people.
- The will of the people?
- Yes, his job is to make sure the directive
of the people is completed as efficiently
and quickly as possible.
- What about all the reports
of prisoner beatings, guard violence?
- Are you one of those people
who has been protesting outside the prison walls?
- When I'm not here, yes.
It's important.
- Why would you do that?
Why spend time and energy
fighting for the rights of men
who've done so much harm to other people
they could never hope to repay them?
- Because they have rights.
- They have rights.
- Of course, thankfully we were able
to get rid of Warden Silva,
but since his replacement was appointed from within,
I'm sure he'll be a crooked son of a bitch as well.
- I happen to know that the new warden
is very committed to doing whatever is possible
to improve the conditions inside the prison.
- And how do you know that?
- 'Cause I'm the crooked son of a bitch.
See?
I'm sorry.
Listen.
It's very clear to me
that you're passionate about the issue,
and I like that.
I like that a lot.
In fact, I think that we need more passion
on both sides of it.
I'll have my secretary set something up.
You and I can sit down and talk more
at length about it, Mrs.?
- Burke, Maria Burke.
- Burke?
- Yes.
- I don't know your husband, do I?
- His name is Dylan,
Dylan Burke.
- Son of a bitch.
I think the Corrections Board will listen
to this proposal you've outlined, Mrs. Burke.
- I hope so.
From here, it can only get better, right?
- I'd like to ask you an indelicate question.
Did you meet your husband before he went to prison?
- I'm sorry.
- Your husband is a convict, correct?
- Ex-convict.
The reason I ask is we have to do background checks
on everyone who comes in and out of here,
including spouses.
- I didn't meet him until after that point in his life.
- I see.
Has he ever shared with you
any of the details about his past?
- No, not everything.
I didn't really need to know.
There I things I wouldn't tell him about mine.
They call it the past for a reason.
It's behind us.
- I have to tell you it is very refreshing
to meet someone like you.
- Don't you believe in second chances?
That should be on your mind every day.
- It is, and I used to believe in second chances
when I was very naive.
You have to understand, Mrs. Burke.
There is no one in here
who is under the illusion
that they are being remolded
to fit into society outside of these walls.
The best we can hope to do
is contain these men
and do that with the limited resources
we have available to us.
- Does your wife agree with you?
- My wife didn't get to experience this part of my life.
She unfortunately was taken from me
a very long time ago.
- I'm sorry.
- No, it's all right.
What does your husband do?
- He's a fisherman.
He loves it out there.
In fact, his whole crew is made up
of men that he did time with at one point or another.
- I see.
- It's his way of making up for his past.
- We all need that, don't we?
Well, I will speak informally with the Board about this,
take their temperature.
You and I should meet again very soon,
keep the momentum moving forward.
That would be key.
- Thank you very much.
- You're welcome.
Hello, Mrs. Burke.
- Warden, did you speak to anyone on the Board?
- Yes, I did.
- And?
- And they, well, there is a shot
that we can get a lot of, well,
most of your proposals in front of the Board.
- Great.
- Should we go have a bite and talk about it?
You've been cooped up
at your coffee shop all day, I'm sure.
Why don't we just go have dinner
and continue talking?
- No, thank you.
I'll come to your office
to talk about this further.
I'll check with your secretary.
- Good, I'll let her know to expect your call.
- Goodnight.
- That's the look of a man with a good strike.
- That's the look of a man in love.
- Listen up.
If any of you ever find a woman
to stay by your side,
let alone one like Maria,
you better treat her with the proper attention,
or she will end up looking for comfort
in some other smelly, tequila drinking,
good for nothing man's arms.
- But if he didn't come back,
I sure would have taken Maria out,
and then in and showed her a good time.
- Who said that?
Was it the gringo that sweats like a pig,
the one with the limp rod and the empty bed?
- Yeah, but that all could change.
- What did you say?
- Oh.
- Kick his ass.
* There's no hope
- See you later, boys, all right?
* Without feeling
* Tell my love
* That no matter how far
* My dear old shipmate
* Will make this trip, mate
* The devil sea
* Is a place
* Where the fishermen go
* If they don't go to hell
* Where the skies seem clear
* Nothing seems wrong
* And it adds to this song
* You'll never hear me say your name *
* You'll never catch me
* Looking your way
* Too proud
* To say it out loud
* How I love
* When you look at me like this *
* Like we're the only
* Two people that exist
* I breathe you in
* I feel you up against my skin *
* And now I know
* I give in to you
* You've got me hooked
* You take me higher than
* I've ever been
* You take me higher than
* I've ever been
- It was perfect.
Yes, ma'am.
Really, huh?
- Well, it's your anniversary.
I needed to make sure that you're gonna celebrate properly.
- Beers on me.
- Wow.
- What are you doing?
- Just pick a goddamn ball and shoot.
- Whoa, there's people waiting in line.
If I were you,
I would grab a beer and wait for your turn.
- I got next.
- Yeah, I got a problem with that.
- Do you?
- Yeah, I got a problem with that.
- Why don't you stop running your mouth?
- Hey, hey, come on.
Calm down.
We'll work this out.
Come on, hey.
- I'm not gonna let this clown talk to you like that.
- Come on, hey.
Don't say that, bro.
Don't say that.
You know, I actually think my man,
what was your name?
- Shane.
- Shane, I think my man Shane here has a point, okay?
if I put the eight ball straight in.
- No, why--
- Hey, but if I put it in off one rail, he's second.
Two rails, he's third,
and three rails, he grabs his money and walks home.
- You?
- Well, what do you think?
- I think that's a terrible idea.
I want to have a good night.
- You have no faith--
- I set up this whole thing--
- You have no faith.
Hey, shut up.
Shut up.
Okay, well, what do you think, Shane?
- Okay.
- All right, there you go, okay.
All right, now I'm gonna tell you boys something.
Whatever happens after this shot,
the most important thing
is that I have made a new friend tonight.
Isn't that right, Shane?
Come on.
- Come on.
- Hey, hey, hey.
Hey.
When Maria first introduced me to the man
that was to be her husband,
I told my sister than an ex-con fisherman
with a crew exactly just like him,
well, he'd never provide the life she deserved,
and Maria, she responded with forgiveness.
I didn't come to their wedding,
yet they flew to me in Miami two weeks later
with pictures of their wedding
and a piece of cake.
It was then when I learned
that the heart wants what the heart wants,
and it can never go wrong,
so I want to make a toast.
I need a drink.
I'd like to make a toast to my wonderful,
the best sister that you could ever have,
and the man that I'm so proud
to have in my family now.
I love you guys.
Happy anniversary.
- Come here.
Come here.
- Hey, I love you guys.
- Are you okay?
- Yeah.
- What the fuck, man?
Fuck is your problem, man?
- Ow,.
- Marcus, Marcus.
- You're lucky.
- You know, I had to call in a lot of favors
to let this slide.
Some wrong judge could easily overlook
your last 10 years,
and you would have ended up back in here doing time, my boy.
- Yeah, well, you know why they call it the past, right?
- Give Maria my best.
- I will, and thank you.
- You bet.
- The wife must not like it anymore.
- What did I tell you to do?
- You told me to provoke him.
- Right, not to blindside him in a parking lot.
- Things just didn't play out right.
- No, they didn't,
but they're going to next time.
Do you understand me?
- Yes, sir.
- You're gonna come in tonight
and replace again Hadigan on the night shift.
You make sure as many guards
and prisoners see you as possible.
Then you're going to disappear
for a couple of hours.
- And then what?
- And then you figure out how to draw him out properly.
He's got a short fuse, Shane.
All you have to do is light it.
- It's okay.
It's okay.
- All of the sudden,
he decided to turn on me, on you.
What would have happened?
I mean, I'd be implicated.
I think I'm so tied to this,
and I just can't--
- Okay, okay, okay.
I promised my sister that I would take care of you
and not let anything happen to you, right?
- Yes, you did, but this is--
- And now I'm here for you, okay?
You went to work tonight, yes?
- Yes.
- You signed in.
- Yes.
- Did anyone see you leave earlier?
- No, no, I came through the back gate, no cameras.
- Good.
Good.
Okay, so,
change into your uniform.
Go back inside.
Talk to the guards.
Make your rounds.
Talk to the prisoners.
Make sure there's as many witnesses as possible
that you were there.
I will take care of the rest.
- All right.
- It's okay.
- Hey, man.
I spoke to Lisa.
She said she'd fly in if Maria needs her.
- This can't be good.
All right, take it easy.
Take it easy.
Whoa, hey, hey, Marcus,
hey, hey, promise me no matter what happens,
you're gonna take care of her--
- Ain't nothing gonna happen--
- Fucking promise me.
- Burke.
- I promise.
- I love you, bro.
- Let's go.
- I love you too.
- Come on.
- My lawyer's number is on the fridge.
Give him a call.
Take care of her, all right?
- I will.
- This guy's head was split almost in half, Dylan.
Got somebody pretty pissed off, right?
And your jacket was found full of his blood, all right,
and then just cavalierly tossed onto his neighbor's lawn
like, who gives a shit?
- Well, it wasn't me.
- Somebody who doesn't care.
- It wasn't me.
- Somebody's just--
- My jacket, my jacket was in my car,
the one that got smashed.
I already told you.
They must have taken it away.
- So you say, but who's they?
- All right, what about this other guy?
What about this other guy,
the guy that was with him at the bar, Shane?
Did you find him?
- Yeah, we found Shane.
Shane promised to come in first thing, man,
right after he gets off his shift
at the Santiago Prison.
He's a prison guard.
He'll get all the alibis he needs,
not to mention the fact
that he's the warden's nephew, Warden Calvin.
- Daniel Calvin.
- Yeah.
Why?
- I need you to do me a favor.
- Signed in at 10:54 p.m. that night,
singed out at 7:15 a.m. the next day,
six guards and countless prisoners
will testify to that fact,
but there is one testimony that would refute all of that,
and that is if I testify
that he never actually signed in that night.
- What do you want for that testimony?
So you'll testify your nephew was out the whole night
and not working as he claims?
- I loved my wife more than life itself.
I know you can understand that.
I never got to
hold my own child.
That's what your husband took from me.
- Does the defense have any additional witnesses?
- The defense rests.
- You do have one more,
but there is another witness.
- Quiet, there will be order in my court.
All rise.
Madam Foreman.
- On the count of murder in the first degree,
we the jury find the defendant guilty.
- Love you.
- We'll take care of her, okay?
We'll take care of her.
- Because of the violent
and premeditated nature of this crime
coupled with your past history of violence,
this court condemns you to death as ordained by law.
You are to hang by the neck
until pronounced dead.
May God grant you redemption in the next life.
- Okay.
Have them rebuild the gallows.
Let me know when it's done.
- You must understand patience, amigo.
I've been here almost 50 years,
and I believe the right usually triumphs in the end.
- Yes, he told me he would give me an appointment.
Well, yes, it's very important.
- I thought that I was the baddest man in the penitentiary.
So did he.
They added almost a year to my sentence
just because of the fights that took place
because of us.
I hated him like I've never hated another man,
but when I got out of prison
and I'd served my time,
this man was the only person
standing outside the gate waiting
with a six pack in one hand
and a handshake in the other.
I should have taken the offer and joined your crew.
- Yeah, you should have.
- I would have been a fisherman.
- You would have tried.
- How the fuck did you get back in here?
- You need to shut it down.
Shut it down now.
Got to find out where that leak came from.
I thought it was Miguel,
but, okay, I was wrong.
You talk to the governor?
- I will talk to the governor,
but he is always gonna do
what keeps him in the voters' good graces.
- Well, why would he give me this job, Ron,
if he doesn't want me to do it?
He's listening to the prisoners.
He's listening to the protestors.
You understand.
You understand the difficulties
I'm dealing with here, right?
- Yes, I do.
- I'm gonna cut off all the mail
coming in and out of this place
until I find the leak.
- Sir, you can't do that.
If you think things are bad now,
you will become exactly what the protestors
are saying that you are.
- I'll deal with that heat when it comes.
- Anybody here have any experience with wood?
- Yeah, I do.
- All right.
We have to build this nice and strong
so none of us have to go like Miguel did.
- My name is almost at the top of the list,
so I'm not long for this world.
Every one of those men out there
believe that they've been wronged in ways
as bad as you.
Don't forget that.
Not now.
- No pool table in here,
so I guess I won't get the chance to get even.
Too bad.
- I know the fight in you.
I've seen it,
but you have to bury that fight deep inside of you.
You'll get to live long enough
to get the real motherfucker
and not this piece of shit.
- Weapons check.
What's this?
- You're a little bitch.
- Take him to the hold, three days.
You got something to say to me?
- Patience.
- Cell 93, close.
- You planted the same shank in Burke's cell
that we took off Rivera a month ago.
It was documented, see?
You're gonna finish out the week here,
and then you're going to Alabama Correctional.
You understand me?
I don't know what else I can do for you,
but because I'm your uncle,
I'm gonna try and make this go away.
- You pull all kinds of strings, don't you, sir?
- I'm sorry.
I didn't understand what you said.
- All I know is that Burke's been convicted
with little evidence,
so I got to think these strings
are tied to your hands,
and now you're sending me out there,
the one person who knows everything you've done to this man.
You really trust me, Uncle,
'cause you're sending me out there
with secrets that dare not find the light of day.
- Ah hah.
- Hope we could still have dinner like we always do.
- I see you, Burke.
See, it's all about time, time.
Time plays on all of us in different ways.
For example, I have nothing but time.
You are running out of time.
Time will make her forget you.
Enough time goes by,
she's gonna come to the realization
in her own heart that the best thing
that she can do is to let you
and her past go.
She is an extraordinary woman, Burke,
but I can't allow her
to disrupt things here anymore.
You are going to tell her to stop what she is doing,
to forget about you, and move on with her life
because if you don't,
I promise you the rest of your days in here
will make this month seem like a vacation.
- I can never repay what I took away from you,
never,
but I am a different man.
- Keep telling yourself that, convict.
- Burke.
Burke.
- It has come to my attention
that some of you are confused
about who runs this prison.
I can assure you that I run this prison.
I am damn sure not going
to let outside pressure
determine how things are done inside these walls.
From this moment on,
none of you will be able to send
or receive anything from the outside indefinitely
or till such time as some of you
get your minds right.
Have I made myself clear?
- Yes, sir.
- Come on.
Come on.
- No, oh, no.
No.
- Ai, Maria.
I don't know why you keep trying
to make things so difficult.
It wasn't so bad, was it,
our time in that little room?
I can feel you shaking,
so I know you can hear me.
I couldn't see you living a decent life with him,
not after what he took from me.
I couldn't do it.
Okay.
I just need you to tell me one thing, Maria.
The baby,
is it mine, or is it his?
- What else do you want from me?
- I've come to ask for your forgiveness.
- Get out of here.
- I just need you to forgive me.
- Get out of here.
- No, no, no, no.
Listen to me.
There's a lot of pain and suffering
that can befall Dylan
while he waits behind those tall gray walls
to swing from the rope.
Okay.
- What happened to Dylan?
- It's not that he doesn't want to be here, Ms. Burke.
- But is he okay?
- He's all right.
He's strong, and that's because he has something
on the other side of these walls to hold on to.
There's nothing more a man in here could ask for.
- I'm sorry.
I'm sorry about your wife and child.
I'm sorry.
- I don't ignore the fact
that everyone in that prison has done bad things,
but hanging a man by a rope
isn't going to change anything he's done.
We must keep fighting for what is right.
- I think we need to put pressure on both fronts.
We need to create a public image
that cannot be denied.
- And how do we do that exactly?
At most, we've been able to take 50 people
out there at one time.
We need 10 times that number to make an impact.
- We get out tomorrow,
and we work harder.
- Normally I wouldn't agree to meet
with anyone who was threatening me.
- I'm not threatening you, Governor.
I'm just making it clear
that you have an election coming up in six months,
and there is a line of candidates
who agree that the death penalty
needs to be reexamined at the very least.
- There's no one registered to run against me.
- As of now, you're right,
but six months ago,
we were only a small chorus of voices outside the prison.
Now we are loud enough
to make it all the way to your office.
There are a half dozen candidates
calling us to gain our support.
It's good to have choices, Governor.
- And if I were to do this,
it'll push your support my way.
- For that, Governor,
you'd need to cut out the heart of the problem.
Warden Calvin follows the laws of this land to a tee,
as far as I understand,
in an overcrowded and underfunded prison.
I'm sorry.
- I know this man's character, Governor,
and the darkness in him.
I want him fired.
- You have a lot of gall walking into my office
and asking me to destroy a man's life.
- Spicy?
- Spicy as they can make it.
- It's been like this for three weeks now.
They have protestors at my summer home.
- I'm sorry about that, Governor.
- You told me we could weather this storm.
You didn't tell me this was gonna be a hurricane.
- We need to be mindful
of the will of the people.
They still believe in the death penalty.
- Have you seen the latest polls?
- Polls?
- That's a crock of shit.
Because of those polls, I'm elected,
and you're appointed because of the fact
that I'm elected,
so I'm sure as hell not gonna fall on my sword
over a cause that I happen
to personally disagree with.
The people are speaking now,
and if I don't listen,
I'll be standing next to the next governor
as he places his hand upon the Bible.
Monday morning, I'm signing an executive order
to halt any further executions
until this matter can be thoroughly debated
in the next legislative session.
- You understand that the men on death row destroy lives,
countless lives and families.
We spend more money to keep them on death row
than we spend on public education for our children.
Luis, you gave me this job,
and I'm grateful.
I've always thought of you as being an honorable man,
but sometimes I forget
you're just a politician.
- By the end of next week,
I'll have your transfer request on my desk.
- And if I don't?
- If you cross me on this,
I will take your job, your pension,
and your reputation.
Daniel, we've been doing what we do
for a long time now.
You've earned a lot.
Step away from this situation on your own with dignity.
Don't do anything that'll make me take it all away from you
'cause I will.
- Anything you want from in there.
- Have you made your peace with God?
- Hey, hey.
He's going to order it.
The governor is ordering a stay on all executions
as of Monday morning.
We did it.
- You probably wondered why I've asked you here.
This is the conjugal visit cell
where we allow prisoners
to spend intimate time with their wives.
Makes them feel like free men again.
Your wife will not be visiting you here,
although she has been here,
but you think about this.
The baby she's carrying,
will it have your eyes or mine?
- Tonight it's gonna start.
Men are going to swing and suffer
because he lost his fight.
The men are ready to fight back,
but they need themselves a leader.
They will follow you
if you are willing to take one more stand.
- With executions in Santiago Prison halting Monday,
it is clear that hangings are now in full force.
They will likely continue
until the governor's executive order takes effect.
- No.
- We need to get her to a doctor.
Doctor said you wanted to see me.
- Yes.
You have to get something to Dylan for me, okay?
You've got to promise to do it.
- I promise.
* Tell my love
* That no matter how far
* I'll be home in her heart
* Before too long
* If I don't
* Make it alive
* My dear old shipmate
* Will make the trip, mate
* And bring my heart home
- There's a lot of bad men in this world.
Some of them get what's coming to them,
and some don't.
There comes a time
when a man has to stand on both his feet
and give as good as he gets.
You and me, we ain't long for this world, my friend,
but if we go out fighting
for what we believe in,
then we won already.
- Look at her.
Those are your eyes.
Here.
* Make it alive
* My dear old shipmate will make the trip, dear *
* Tell my love that no matter how far *
* I'll home in her arms before too long *
* If I don't make it alive
* My dear old shipmate will take the trip, dear *
* The devil sea is a place I've heard tell *
* Soul disappears and as to this song *
- You're in this God forsaken prison
because of the crimes that you committed.
Every single one of you
walked yourselves through these doors.
I'll string enough of you up,
so they have to cut all you sons of bitches down.
Do you understand me?
I said, do you understand me?
That's enough.
You want it.
- There's a fucking riot in the prison.
Elliot, get the fuck out.
- I don't care, man.
- Hey, you okay?
You okay?
- Yeah, I'm okay.
- Calvin.
- Dylan.
- Calvin.
She's so beautiful,
so beautiful.
- Lifelong man of the sea?
- Well, only the last half of my life,
so I'm still learning.
- My name is Anita.
I own this little place,
well, with my mom.
- I worked at the prison for a short while.
- I need to get to my work.
- Then I should give you this now.
I was the last man to speak
to your father before he died,
and he asked me to give you this
when I thought the time was right.
The time is right.
Please.
My sweet Anita,
please know that my heart overflows for you,
but my words are limited to this single sheet of old paper.
That regret I feel that I will never see you in person
is only replaced by the knowledge
that you have been raised by Maria Burke.
She was my lighthouse.
I'm sure she told you only the good things about me,
but know there was also much bad in me.
That's the same for all of us in this life,
so whomever comes your way,
understand that they're struggling
between who they are and who they could be.
- I'm sorry.
- Smile.
See the best in them.
That'll often be enough
to help a man find his best self.
There are good people,
even in the darkest places.
If you're reading this letter,
then you have proof.
If I have learned anything,
it's to forgive so that you
can go forward a little lighter.
My dear Anita,
if you ever feel fear,
just move forward
'cause I am behind you, and,
if you ever feel a cool water breeze
kissing your heart,
that is because you are wrapped tightly in my arms
for that brief moment.
I love you.
I love your mother
forever.
* If only I knew how
* To break my hard
* Armor down
* I long
* To let you know
* How I adore
* When you pull me in like this *
* Like I'm the only
* One you need
* I breathe you in
* I feel you up against my skin *
* And now I know
* I give in to you
* You've got me hooked
* You take me higher than
* I've ever been
* You take me higher than
* I've ever been
* You take me higher than
* I've ever been
* I feel you up against my skin *
* And now I know
* I give in to you
* You've got me hooked
* You take me higher than
* I've ever been
* You take me higher than
* I've ever been