Why Are Millions Of Americans Unable To Vote?
With the presidential election just around the corner, we speak with two experts about this heated debate.
The Rise of the Corporate Dispensary
We discuss the current inequities and the failure to maintain a model that helps populations who’ve been disproportionately affected by the war on cannabis get a seat at the table.
Viewpoints Explained: Alabama Will Soon Be The First To Use This New Execution Method
Kenneth Eugene Smith has been on death row since 1990 and his next scheduled execution is late next month. But now, he’s opting for a new method that’s never been tested before in this setting.
Viewpoints Explained: Why We’re Failing Our Inmates
Why aren’t U.S. prison systems - which receive billions of dollars in public funding each year - doing better?
Viewpoints Explained: Why Are Prison Breaks Becoming More Common?
Aging infrastructure, fewer correctional officers, and a large inmate population. These are just some of the factors feeding into why prison breaks, and then large-scale manhunts, seem to be popping up more these days.
A Pathway to Exoneration
We explore what factors feed into these wrongful convictions and how advocates in the arena are fighting for justice.
Giving Birth Behind Bars
Dr. Carolyn Sufrinjoins us this week to talk about the challenges pregnant prisoners face and what needs to change to make the prison system more humane, compassionate, and rehabilitation-focused for women in this situation.
When the Guilty Are Marked As Innocent
Why do we believe one person but believe another is lying? This week, author Sarah Weinman joins us as we discuss the story of one American man in the 1950’s who was able to dupe millions and get released from prison.
Finding Employment After Incarceration
In the U.S., there are roughly 19 million people with felony convictions. For this population, finding stable work can be a tumultuous and draining process. Without a job, it can be all too easy to slide back into a past life and end up behind bars once again.
The Mental Health Effects of Solitary Confinement & Imprisonment
The United States still has the highest number of inmates in the world, with more than 2 million people behind bars. For a segment of this population, spending weeks, months, or even years in solitary confinement is very much a reality. We speak with two criminal justice experts about the lasting effects of solitary confinement and the mental health crisis …
Long-Term Youth Incarceration
The U.S. prison population has decreased during the pandemic, but the number of people behind bars is still close to two million. Some of these inmates have been in prison for decades and at a young age were deemed by the justice system to be ‘unfixable’. This week, we shed light on the cycle of youth incarceration in this country and why people like Ian …
Rehabilitation While in Prison: Getting to the Root of the Problem
Each year, prisons cost taxpayers 80 billion dollars. But with two thirds of those incarcerated returning back behind bars within a few years, clearly something within the system is broken.
Saving the Child Bully: Why We So Quickly Condemn Troubled Children
It's back-to-school season, and while schools have put in place comprehensive anti-bullying campaigns, we seldom focus on making sure child bullies themselves get the help they need to deal with the problems that are causing them to act out in the first place. We still punish troubled kids with detentions, suspensions and from there it escalates onward. Many …
Pregnant and Incarcerated: Childbirth behind bars
After working for years as an OB/GYN for inmates at San Francisco Jail, author Carolyn Sufrin wanted to tell the story of the women she helped. She talks about what health care for pregnant women in jails and prisons looks like, and the changes she hopes to see in the system.
The Truth Behind Faith-Based Prison Ministry
Since the beginning of the U.S. prison system, religion has been suggested as a way to help rehabilitate criminals. We talk to Tanya Erzen, a professor of religion, about why that is and what role prison ministries play in the lives on inmates.
When a Young Person Gets Sent to Adult Prison
There are millions incarcerated in American prisons, even many juveniles who were sentenced to long terms alongside adults. We talk to guests about how and why this happens, whether it should continue, and what life is like for young people behind bars.
Religion Behind Bars (2017)
We talk to Tanya Erzen, a professor of religion, what role prison ministries play in the lives on inmates.
Pushed Out of School
We talk to a professor who has studied the effect that extremely strict school rules have on the students and the teachers who are made to enforce them.
Juveniles Sent to Adult Prison (2016)
Should children be tried as adults and sent to adult prisons? Our guests discuss so many people are incarcerated and how juveniles should be given another chance.
Women in Prison Part 2 – Changed Lives for the Better
What’s a women’s prison really like? Motherhood, drama and romantic relationships are all quite common. We visited Rockville Correctional Facility and sat down with two inmates to discuss their prison experience, past regrets and what they’ve learned while serving their sentences.
Women in Prison Part I – A Look Inside the Bars
The Netflix television show, Orange is the New Black, depicts life in a women’s prison – but is it real? Are the inmates whose lives they portray realistic? We toured a real women’s medium-security prison, talked to the administration and some inmates there to find out.
