Civil Brand is a 2002 thriller drama film written by Preston A. Whitmore II and Joyce Renee Lewis, and directed by Neema Barnette.

The film is about a group of female inmates fighting back against their abusers and taking over Whitehead Correctional Institute, where they are incarcerated.

Her story begins as she meets Frances Shephard, a timid woman that is new to the prison system, during their bus ride to the correctional facility.

As Frances is escorted by an officer to the jail cell she will be living in, she enters to a scene of female convicts gambling, smoking, and talking amongst themselves.

After two officers take Aisha away for starting the fight, Dease has an intimidating conversation with Michael, informing him that he runs the prison, not Nelson, the warden.

As Michael attempts to defend himself and the mistreated female inmates, Dease proceeds to yell at him that these women have no respect for society and therefore, deserved to be treated poorly.

The ladies receive bad news that Frances was denied an appeal, Nikki's children would not come to visit, and Wet gets a citation for creating a petition to end the prison's harsh working conditions.

When she returns, Wet and the other inmates collaborate and create another petition in a few days to present to Miller, a man that Nelson hopes will invest in the prison's cheap labor.

During this period, they share stories and Frances helps Nikki overcome the temptation of snorting the cocaine that Dease takes to her room.

When she returns to the jail cell, bleeding profusely and in terrible pain, the other inmates rush her to the infirmary where she suffers a miscarriage and dies.

In the infirmary, the convicts release Michael, handcuff the wounded Dease, and call Nelson, telling him he has one hour to get the governor on the phone.

During her final narration, Sabrina explains that after taking the evidence to a lawyer, the women file a lawsuit against the prison for their abuse and win the case.

[4] In order to carry out the idea of exploitation replacing rehabilitation, Barnette focuses on the interaction between characters Warden Nelson and Captain Dease, the officials in charge of the prison.

[5] Nelson hides the unhappiness of the inmates in order to provide his business partners with the guarantee that they are investing in a reliable source of labor.

[4] The female inmates struggle with the abuse by men in their previous lives prior to their crimes as well as inside the prison walls.

Before they enter the prison walls, Barnette portrays these women as the weak victims who were punished crimes provoked by the abuse from the men they were with.

As they attempt to stand up against their male opponents, Barnette demonstrates that these inmates were dismissed by the prison system and treated unequally.

A battle for authority and respect is created with a division between the men, who are officers holding a powerful position in the prison, and the women, who are the inmates subjected to abuse and harsh labor conditions.

The DVD includes an audio commentary track from director Neema Barnette and screenwriter Joyce Renee Lewis.

[16] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times reviewed the film positively, commending Barnette for avoiding the elements of "lurid women's prison pictures of the '60s and '70s" and instead "[making] adroit use of melodrama, drawing upon her wide experience in television and theater and as an experimental filmmaker.

"[17] Describing the film as "vivid and harrowing", Thomas said the "uncompromising Barnette moves beyond melodrama to tragedy and finally affirmation, proclaiming women's power to effect change.

"[17] Jonathan W. Hickman of Entertainment Insiders wrote, "This is a film about the abuses of privatization and presents a negative view of what might happen if corporate America gets control of the business of corrections.

"[18] Hickman said the "film's conclusion works the same way 'Set it Off' left you impacted and at one point watching 'Brand,' I remembered that terrific scene in 'New Jack City' when Pookie (Chris Rock) called out for help.

Although the film loses its way in the late going with a preponderance of melodramatic elements that dilute the more compelling social message, for much of its running time it packs a visceral punch, thanks in large part to a strong cast headed by LisaRaye, N'Bushe Wright and Mos Def.

"[19] Negative reviews centered on Da Brat's narration, the cast's acting skills, and the indirect focus on the main issue of exploitation.

[20] While some cast members' performances received positive notices, particularly McCoy, Wright, Da Brat, and Mos Def,[17] some critics opined they were masked by the overacting of other actors.

[20] Writing for FilmCritic.com, Blake French opined the narration of Da Brat's character Sabrina "gives the film a comedic tone, but Civil Brand doesn't want to be a comedy; it wants to be a thought-provoking message movie.

[9] During an interview, Barnette stated that she was shocked to have received the award and it was amazing to be congratulated by her idols Robert Townsend, Keenen Ivory Wayans, and Chris Tucker.

[11] Mos Def received a nomination for Outstanding Actor in an Independent Film at the 2003 Black Reel Awards for his role as Michael Meadows.