Watch Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall

Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall is a 2013 documentary film by Edgar Barens. It is a moving account of the final moments in the life of an American veteran, Private Jack Hall, who was serving a life sentence for murder in the state prison of Iowa.

The film is shot inside the prison, and takes an unflinching look at the terminal illness of Private Hall, who was suffering from cancer. It details the efforts of a dedicated team of hospice volunteers, most of them fellow inmates, who work hard to bring comfort and solace to Private Hall in his last days. They help alleviate his pain, offer him companionship, and provide him with a sense of dignity and humanity that can often be absent from the prison environment.

The film is the result of a unique collaboration between the Iowa Department of Corrections and the award-winning documentary filmmaker Edgar Barens. It offers a compelling insight into the intersection of crime, incarceration, and mortality, and explores the difficult moral and ethical questions that arise when one considers how to treat those who are dying in prison.

The film opens with an introduction to Private Hall, an elderly man who is visibly sick and frail. He talks about his Vietnam war experience and his time in the army, as well as his crime, stating that he had no intention of killing anyone but he "lost his temper." His condition takes a turn for the worse, and he is soon diagnosed with cancer. The prison authorities decide to turn the hospice wing into a special unit for him, and a team of volunteers is assembled to help him through his final days.

We see the volunteers in action as they attend to Private Hall's needs. They help him eat, bathe, and talk to him about his life. Some of them share their own experiences of being in prison, and how they have come to accept their fate. One of the volunteers, who is serving a life sentence himself, talks about how he has found a sense of purpose and meaning in helping others, and how he feels like he is making a difference in the world.

As the days go by, Private Hall's condition worsens, and he eventually dies surrounded by the hospice volunteers. The film ends with a moving tribute to him, as his fellow inmates pay their respects and reflect on his life and death.

Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall is a powerful and poignant film that forces us to confront some of the difficult questions around incarceration, punishment, and compassion. It shows us the humanity that can exist in the most unlikely of places, and how even those who have committed terrible crimes can find redemption and purpose in helping others. Above all, it shows us the importance of treating everyone with dignity and care, even in the darkest of circumstances.