Civil Brand (2002)

Director Neema Barnette draws compelling parallels between modern prisons and nineteenth-century plantations in the hard-edged, socially conscious B-thriller Civil Brand (2002). LisaRaye plays a victim of circumstance--a self-reliant young woman who’s tossed in the slammer after being convicted of a murder she didn’t commit. In the pen, she quickly falls in with a group of rabblerousing activists dedicated to improving conditions for prisoners. Together with Little Momma (Lark Voorhies), Frances (LisaRaye) fights to put an end to sexual aggression, labor exploitation, and other abuses. Barnette’s film isn’t your typical babes-behind-bars flick, but it boasts many of the same draws. For example, LisaRaye and N’Bushe Wright both look pretty incredible as they peel almost completely out of their prison-issue jumpsuits.