When someone goes to prison, their family on the outside often feels as though they serve a sentence also. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, there are 2.2 million people in the nation’s prisons and jails—a 500% increase over the last 40 years. This makes the United States the world's leader in incarceration.

However, these 2.2 million inmates do not exist in a vacuum. Many have families and loved ones who have experienced waiting for their return. Consequently, the National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated at Rutgers University estimates that approximately 10 million children have experienced parental incarceration at some point in their lives.

Most research does not show prison's impact on the wives, girlfriends, nieces, nephews, and sisters who wait just as intently for a homebound loved one. This film elevates the voices of whole families impacted by a single incarceration.

"The Waiting" follows three families, all at different stages of waiting for the release of a family member. Charisse raises her daughter's children as she waits for her daughter, Melinda, to get a release date. Ebony waits for her youngest sister, Takia, as she tries to keep herself afloat both financially and emotionally.  Richie waited for his father, James Davis, for his whole life--he was conceived just before Davis got arrested and ultimately served 45 years behind bars. Richie's mother Camille has been in love with Davis all this time. 

While all three families have unique experiences, they all share the complicated and paradoxical sentiment of trying to move forward with their lives, as they are consumed by waiting.

Meet the Families here.