With 2023 marking 50 years of mass incarceration in the U.S. -- the prison population has expanded by 500% since 1973 -- there is a clear need to reimagine the country's public safety infrastructure, according to a new report by The Sentencing Project (TSP) which...
Paul Hyman
Both Sides of the Bars – Wife after Prison – Sept 2023
In this episode, Sheila discusses her marriage to a man who spent 28 years behind bars which lead to "unimaginable turns of events" and psychological issues in both their lives.
Both Sides of the Bars – Reform – July 2023
This episode's guest is Mr. Myrick, who is now president and CEO of People For The American Way (PFAW), a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit progressive advocacy group, focuses on the three steps public officials need to take to end today's public safety crisis.
Both Sides of the Bars – Reform – July 2023
Our guests today – three reentry non-profit leaders based in New York -- will discuss the challenges of confronting efforts to rollback reforms, and the need to shift narratives to show that these reforms advance racial justice as well as stronger and safer...
Both Sides of the Bars – Sentencing Reform for Criminalized Survivors – June 2023
Despite the criminal legal system’s espoused goal of securing justice for crime victims, all too often survivors of domestic violence are arrested, prosecuted, and punished. For instance, survivors may be criminalized for coerced criminal acts or for protecting...
Both Sides of the Bars – 13th Forwards – May 2023
In this episode of BSOTB, two members of 13th Forward – Jacalyn Goldzweig, leader of the 13th Forward Coalition for The Legal Aid Society, and Wilfredo Laracuente, 13th Forward leader, educator, and formerly incarcerated advocate, discuss their current legislative...
Both Sides of the Bars – Repurposing Closed Prisons – Apr 2023
In this episode of BSOTB, the report's author -- TSP senior director of advocacy Nicole D. Porter -- discusses how out of step the U.S.'s scale of incarceration is with the rest of the world and the unacceptable racial bias that dominates criminal legal practices.
Both Sides of the Bars – Women Building Power in Community – Mar 2023
In celebration of Women's History Month, Lily Shapiro -- policy counsel of the David Rothenberg Center for Public Policy at The Fortune Society -- speaks with two formerly incarcerated women who are building power in their communities.
The Chart – 45-22 – Feb 20 2023
This is the weekly ranking of contemporary music as generated by one of the most important radio stations in South America. Content: Top 5 songs2 new suggestions. Count down of the top best songs of the last week.
Both Sides of the Bars – Criminal Justice Reform-The Road Ahead – Part 2 – Feb 2023
Topics include bail reform, fearmongering in the media, Rikers Island, mental health in jails and prisons in the U.S., and what do the mid-term election results mean for criminal legal reform both nationally and locally?
Both Sides of the Bars – Year-In-Review – Jan 2023
2022 has been a year of significant change within the criminal justice reform movement. In this first of two episodes, a panel of experts looks back at 2022 and discusses where we are now and where the criminal legal reform world is heading in 2023.
Both Sides of the Bars – Housing Discrimination – Nov 2022
Overcoming intersectional discrimination that faces three overlapping populations – justice-impacted women, people living with HIV/AIDS, and the LGBTQIA+ community – is vital to creating supportive, inclusive, and safe communities.
Both Sides of the Bars – The Arts & Advocacy – Sept 2022
Creative arts – drawing, painting, acting, writing, music, and more – are becoming a prime tool for the calling for an end to mass incarceration in the United States, the promoting of alternatives to incarceration, and the supporting of successful reentry after...
Both Sides of the Bars – Bridging the Digital Divide: Behind the Bars, Beyond Release. – August 2022
Technology is essential to modern life – now, more than ever. The reliance on technology has only increased as we navigate society during a pandemic. But government research shows that people behind bars are among the most digitally excluded in society. Too many...
Both Sides of the Bars – Six Long Journeys Home From Prison – July 2022
This episode’s guests are Lauren Kessler as well as one of the individuals in the book, Sterling Cunio, a PEN America Writing for Justice fellow who was sentenced to life without parole at the age of 16 and then spent 27 years in prison before his sentence was...
Both Sides of the Bars – Beyond the Count – June 2022
The Prison Policy Initiative, a Northampton, MA-based non-partisan non-profit, has just come out with an analysis of a unique, large-scale survey of incarcerated people that provides a richer picture of just who is locked up in state prisons.
Both Sides of the Bars – Credible Messenger – May 2022
Serving as mentors in community programs, credible messengers are individuals who are able to connect with and motivate youth who are experiencing challenges because they come from the same communities.
Both Sides of the Bars – The Color of Justice – Apr 2022
This episode's guest is the author of that report, Ashley Nellis, Ph.D. Ashley's background is in analyzing criminal-justice policies and practices, racial disparities, youth justice, and long-term imprisonment. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the...
Both Sides of the Bars – The Importance of Higher Education Programs – Mar 2022
College opportunity is one of the most impactful activities that can be offered in prison. Restoring access to college financial aid to help low-income people in prison prepare to re-enter society is a moral imperative and a public good.
Both Sides of the Bars – Tapping Into An Untapped Labor Market – Feb 2022
The United States has a near-record number of job openings and companies complain they can't find enough help. One solution for employers? Open your doors to people with criminal backgrounds who have historically found themselves unemployed and unable to earn a...
Both Sides of the Bars- Criminal Justice Reform And The Road Ahead – Jan 12 2022
2021 has been a year of significant change within the criminal justice reform movement. In this episode, The Fortune Society’s CEO, JoAnne Page, will participate in “Both Sides of the Bar’s” year-in-review – a look at the year 2021 and a discussion of where we are now...
Both Sides of the Bars- Aging People in Prison – Dec 15 2021
The American criminal justice system holds almost 2.3 million people, an alarming and ever-growing number of whom are aged men and women who cannot readily climb stairs, haul themselves up to their top bunk, or walk long distances to meals or the pill line. Their old...
Both Sides of the Bars- Automatic Expungement – Nov 18 2021
Over 70 million Americans have criminal records which keeps many from accessing basic opportunities, like employment and housing. Due to the prevalence of background checks, many people with past convictions feel they can never move forward with their lives.
Both Sides of the Bars- 50 Years Since Attica – Oct 16 2021
Fifty years ago, in 1971, the uprising at the Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York – considered the deadliest in U.S. history – took the lives of 43 people … 10 correctional officers and civilian employees as well as 33 incarcerated people. It lasted for...