Lives in Hazard is a tough, uncompromising look at kids in gangs and the men they become in prison. Filmed in the barrios of east LA and in the prisons of California, this real-life drama follows the making of the Hollywood feature film American Me, in which director Edward James Olmos used real gang members and prison inmates as actors. The fictional scenes these homeboys portray pale in juxtaposition to the stark reality of their daily lives, a world where opportunities are scarce and guns plentiful. The brutal honesty of these gang members as they struggle to change makes Lives in Hazard a powerful story of kids caught up in a growing national crisis.

During his 18 years in Folsom Prison, street-gang leader Santana rules over all the drug-and-murder activities behind bars. Upon his release, Santana goes back to his old neighborhood, intending to lead a peaceful, crime-free life. But his old gang buddies force him back into his old habits.