Criminal (in)justice

Following Derek Chauvin's conviction in the murder of George Floyd, the Justice Department launches a "pattern or practice" investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

A Minneapolis jury has found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all three counts in the murder of George Floyd. What does it mean for criminal justice reform?Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

In the US, the local prosecutor – usu the district attorney has a huge influence on the criminal system. The DA influences who gets prosecuted, for what, how long they serve if convicted – even who gets the death penalty. So what happens when the usual tough on crime DA gets replaced – by someone determined to bring transformational change to prosecution? We’ll talk with Larry Krasner, the unlikely Philly DA; his election and attempt to bring that change to an entrenched system is told in “Philly DA,” a multi-part documentary airing on PBS beginning April 20. Krasner’s memoir, “For the People,” about his life and career up to the day of his swearing in, will be published the same day.  Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

The apparently racially-motivated spa murders in Atlanta have reignited discussion about hate-crime statutes. How do these laws work? How often are they applied, and to what ends?Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

For years, advocates for better policing have pushed various reforms: consent decrees, civilian oversight, body cameras. But after George Floyd’s death and 2020, is reform still a viable alternative? Or is it defund or bust?Our guest is Christy Lopez, Professor of Practice at Georgetown Law. She headed multiple police reform investigations at the U.S. Department of Justice, and now runs the Innovative Policing Program at Georgetown. Her article, “Defund the Police? Here’s What That Really Means,” ran in the Washington Post on June 7, 2020.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

A happy ending to the story of Chris Young, as told by former federal judge Kevin Sharp back in episode #55.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

We’ve spoken here about exoneration of the wrongfully convicted – how difficult and how important it is. But what happens to the exoneree – to that person – after release? How does that person build a life after years in prison, for something he or she did not do? We’ll talk to filmmaker Jia Wertz; she looks at these questions through the case of exoneree Jeff Deskovic in her debut film “Conviction,” available now on Amazon. "Conviction"TrailerAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

An ambitious but controversial program to surveil the entire city of Baltimore from above is on hold after its philanthropic backer had second thoughts.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Returning to life outside of prison: It’s called re-entry. Getting people ready to go home just makes sense if you want them to succeed, and over 95 percent of all imprisoned people are eventually released. But we didn’t always do much to assure reentry success, and in many places and many ways, we still don’t. What does the evidence show about what works? Our guest is Dr. Christy Visher, Professor of Sociology at the University of Delaware and Director of the University’s Center for Drug and Health Studies. She was one of the principal investigators for the path-breaking study “Returning Home: Understanding the Challenges of Prisoner Reentry.”Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

David from Skokie wonders if Donald Trump could be charged as an accomplice in the January 6 killings at the U.S. Capitol.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin and Los Angeles DA George Gascon are the newest members of a club we've been following for a while: progressive prosecutors elected on ambitious criminal justice reform platforms. Like their counterparts in Chicago, Philadelphia, St Louis, and other cities where voters have demanded sweeping change, Boudin and Gascon are facing fierce pushback from defenders of the status quo.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Leaving incarceration, and returning to life outside of prison.  It’s a difficult process, and many end up back behind bars.  What does it take to make it work?  What more can be done to support those coming home?  We hear it directly from two men who have done it.  Mr. F. and Mr. R. (identities withheld) describe their steps into the free world after each served decades in prison.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Andrew from Australia raises an intriguing possibility: could Donald Trump be held directly responsible under the doctrine of felony murder for lives lost on January 6th? Dave explains how felony murder charges work and how they might be applied in the aftermath of the U.S. Capitol attacks.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Criminal Injustice returns with new episodes on February 9, 2021. Until then, we're reposting some of our favorite interviews. This episode originally appeared November 19, 2019.In the U.S., our prisons are full of people raised in the poorest neighborhoods, who only had access to the worst schools. So what happens when they can enter a first-class college program – inside prison?On this episode, Wesley Caines, an alum of the program and now Chief of Staff at Bronx Defenders, and Lynn Novick, award-winning documentary filmmaker, discuss College Behind Bars, premiering Nov. 25 and 26 on PBS.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Criminal Injustice returns with new episodes on February 7, 2021. Until then, we're reposting some of our favorite interviews. This episode originally appeared Sep 3, 2019. Many people make their social media posts public.  Everyone can see them, like a signed billboard visible anywhere in the world. So, what should we think when we learn that *some* police officers, in some departments, have been posting racist messages or memes endorsing violence, visible to anyone on the Internet?  Emily Baker-White is founder of The Plain View Project, an organization that gathered and analyzed thousands of social media posts by police officers, from many police departments. The results reveal much – none of it positive – about the racial and other attitudes of some officers. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Surprised at how many current and former law enforcement officers participated in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol? Don't be."The Cops at the Capitol," The Appeal 1/13/21#106: Police Attitudes in Plain View (Emily Baker-White)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

In the storm of protests after the murder of George Floyd, many say that having more African American and Latino officers will reduce police violence and force used against people of color. Will it?Our guest is the Dr. Rayshawn Ray, Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland, show studies the impact of race in policing, and how we can meet the challenges it brings.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Some reflections on the events of January 6 in Washington D.C.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Criminal Injustice returns with new episodes on January 19, 2021. Until then, we're reposting some of our favorite interviews. This episode originally appeared June 30, 2020.The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis set off outrage, weeks of demonstrations across the country and around the world, and has started discussion and legislative action at every level of government. On this episode, we’ll ask an African American law enforcement leader what policing has been like – and where it goes now.Our guest is Dr. Cedric Alexander, former police officer and chief of several police departments, and the author of “In Defense of Public Service: How 22 Million Government Employees Will Save the Republic,” published in 2020.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Criminal Injustice returns with new episodes on January 19, 2021. Until then, we're reposting some of our favorite interviews. This episode originally appeared September 8, 2020.More than two million Americans are incarcerated in prisons and jails. These are often violent, difficult, and unhealthy places. But if prison is dangerous, how much more so – is Death Row? And how does a person live, knowing the only way out is death by execution? Our guests are writer Tessie Castillo, and Terry Robinson, a resident of Death Row in North Carolina. Along with others on Death Row, they wrote “Crimson Letters: Voices from Death Row”Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands