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Rent Shackles (2005)

Ben, a struggling teacher in his 30s, is desperately trying to get his life back in order to win back his ex-wife. After abundant struggle and a haunting past, an old friend gets him a teaching position at Riker's Island Prison. Meanwhile, Gabriel, a 17-year-old drug-dealer is arrested and sent to the same prison. Ben is having terrible luck with his teaching program and is given an ultimatum that he must have more students or the program will be shut down. Gabriel and Ben's lives cross-paths when Ben decides to connect with his students by allowing them to create their own poetry in the form of rap lyrics. Although Gabriel has been getting into a lot of trouble with other inmates at Riker's, he excels in poetry and Ben enters him into a contest outside of the jail.

Although everything seems to be looking better, Ben takes a turn for the worst when he accidentally hits a female prison guard and is told that he will be removed from his job as soon as possible. A riot breaks out at Riker's and Ben is stabbed as he is trying to stop the violence. After his death, he becomes a martyr and a trial is held to determine whether the school he started should stay open...