Prison Song

Prison Song is a 2001 United States prison film about a boy brought up in group homes with a gift and passion for art. The film centers around a character named Elijah (Q-Tip), who is an adolescent at the story’s outset. His mother (Mary J. Blige) is a hard-working woman who’s spent the last several years attending night school – with the eventual goal of becoming a lawyer. But given that she’s from a lower class area, she’s having a tough time finding employment as a legal secretary. Her boyfriend, Cee (Harold Perrineau), is supportive and has a genuine bond with Elijah – but later is incarcerated after assaulting an officer, serving twenty-five to life term for having three consecutive charges. Not only that, Elijah finds himself incarcerated at a juvenile correctional facility for a prank played on a police officer, which enrages his mother because she wasn't able to get him back. She loses her cool and ends up in a mental institution. The film picks up years later, and Elijah is... full article at wikipedia