Documentary Follows Life After Prison For Mass. Ex-Convicts

The documentary, "Beyond The Wall," starts with Louie Diaz, a former drug dealer and ex-convict, repeating his mantra:

"Sixteen years ago, thought I would die the way I was running. And when I got to prison I heard this quote: If you continue doing what you've always done, you'll continue getting what you've always gotten."

It's the same mantra he tells over and over to inmates he works with in Middlesex County. For years now, he's dedicated himself to helping other former prisoners reenter society.

For four years, filmmakers followed Louie and the formerly incarcerated men he works with, through the powerful emotional, financial and even spiritual challenges they face as they try to stay out of prison.

"Beyond the Wall" is screening Monday at 6 p.m. in Lowell at the Fusion Theater. It's also screening August 3 at 7 p.m. at the Woods Hole Film Festival and August 7 at the American Correctional Association in Boston.

Jenny Phillips, director of "Beyond The Wall."

Louie Diaz, reentry and outreach specialist at Lowell House.