https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiriEEYGU3k
Showing posts with label criminal justice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label criminal justice. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Maddow: For a would-be strongman, Trump is profoundly weak
Rachel Maddow points out that Donald Trump is following the "strongman" playbook so closely, and with such a lack of originality, that his behavior in his second term has become entirely predictable. And yet, for all of his aspirations to be a strongman, his leadership suffers from some profound weaknesses, from the economy to healthcare to criminal justice to immigration.
Monday, July 21, 2025
Wrongly convicted, he became 'The Jailhouse Lawyer' — and helped free himself (Terry Gross; Fresh Air podcast)
Calvin Duncan was 19 in 1982 when the police arrested him for a murder-robbery in New Orleans. The eyewitness testimony at his trial was unreliable, but Duncan's lawyer offered only a minimal defense, and he was sentenced to life in prison.
While in prison, Duncan studied law, hoping to appeal his case. In the process he became a jailhouse lawyer — officially as part of the Inmate Counsel Substitute Program at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola.
"In places like Louisiana, once a conviction is upheld on direct appeal, we're not entitled to a lawyer," Duncan says. "[Jailhouse lawyers] actually provide legal assistance to those individuals that cannot afford an attorney."
Duncan worked on hundreds of cases while he was in prison. "There are guys that committed their crimes. There are guys that didn't commit their crimes," he says. "As a jailhouse lawyer, we provided assistance to everybody that we determined that was not afforded a fair trial."
One of the biggest challenges Duncan faced was obtaining public records: "I used to donate my plasma just to save enough money to buy my records," he says.
Duncan helped many fellow inmates overturn their convictions. After years of trying to get his own case reopened, Duncan finally succeeded with the help of the Innocence Project of New Orleans. In 2011, he was released from prison after serving more than 28 years, and he was later exonerated of the crime.
Following his release, Duncan went to college and got his BA from Tulane. This past spring, at 60, he received his law degree from the Lewis and Clark University in Oregon. He now lives in New Orleans where he's the founder and director of the Light of Justice program, which works to improve access to the courts for people who are incarcerated.
"Going back to help people that need help is the thing that I live for," he says. "I know there's a lot of people in prison need help and they want people to come help them. And, for me, to go back to actually fulfill that obligation that's what keeps me going."
Duncan's new memoir, co-authored with Sophie Cull, is called The Jailhouse Lawyer.
Interview:
While in prison, Duncan studied law, hoping to appeal his case. In the process he became a jailhouse lawyer — officially as part of the Inmate Counsel Substitute Program at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola.
"In places like Louisiana, once a conviction is upheld on direct appeal, we're not entitled to a lawyer," Duncan says. "[Jailhouse lawyers] actually provide legal assistance to those individuals that cannot afford an attorney."
Duncan worked on hundreds of cases while he was in prison. "There are guys that committed their crimes. There are guys that didn't commit their crimes," he says. "As a jailhouse lawyer, we provided assistance to everybody that we determined that was not afforded a fair trial."
One of the biggest challenges Duncan faced was obtaining public records: "I used to donate my plasma just to save enough money to buy my records," he says.
Duncan helped many fellow inmates overturn their convictions. After years of trying to get his own case reopened, Duncan finally succeeded with the help of the Innocence Project of New Orleans. In 2011, he was released from prison after serving more than 28 years, and he was later exonerated of the crime.
Following his release, Duncan went to college and got his BA from Tulane. This past spring, at 60, he received his law degree from the Lewis and Clark University in Oregon. He now lives in New Orleans where he's the founder and director of the Light of Justice program, which works to improve access to the courts for people who are incarcerated.
"Going back to help people that need help is the thing that I live for," he says. "I know there's a lot of people in prison need help and they want people to come help them. And, for me, to go back to actually fulfill that obligation that's what keeps me going."
Duncan's new memoir, co-authored with Sophie Cull, is called The Jailhouse Lawyer.
Interview:
Monday, May 26, 2025
The Strike That Broke a Supermax Prison (Reveal podcast)
After spending years locked in solitary confinement, a group of California men united to launch the largest prison hunger strike in US history.
At 18, Jack Morris was convicted of murdering a man in South Los Angeles and sent to prison for life. It was 1979, and America was entering the era of mass incarceration, with tough sentencing laws ballooning the criminal justice system. As California’s prison population surged, so did prison violence.
“You learn that in order to survive, you yourself then have to become predatorial,” Morris says. “And then, you then expose somebody else to that, and it’s a vicious cycle.”
When California started aggressively targeting prison gangs, Morris was accused of associating with one of the groups. The punishment was severe: He was sent to a special supermax unit at the state’s highest-security prison, Pelican Bay.
The facility was designed to isolate men deemed the “worst of the worst.” Like Morris, most lived in near-total isolation. No phone calls, no meaningful physical contact with another human, no educational classes, no glimpses of the outside world. The only regular time out of a cell was for a shower and solo exercise in another concrete room.
Decades later, prisoners at Pelican Bay, including Morris, started a dialogue through coded messages and other covert communication. They decided to protest long-term solitary confinement by organizing a hunger strike. It would become the largest in US history and helped push California to implement reforms.
This week on Reveal, we team up with the PBS film The Strike to tell the inside story of a group of men who overcame bitter divisions and harsh conditions to build an improbable prison resistance movement.
Interview:
At 18, Jack Morris was convicted of murdering a man in South Los Angeles and sent to prison for life. It was 1979, and America was entering the era of mass incarceration, with tough sentencing laws ballooning the criminal justice system. As California’s prison population surged, so did prison violence.
“You learn that in order to survive, you yourself then have to become predatorial,” Morris says. “And then, you then expose somebody else to that, and it’s a vicious cycle.”
When California started aggressively targeting prison gangs, Morris was accused of associating with one of the groups. The punishment was severe: He was sent to a special supermax unit at the state’s highest-security prison, Pelican Bay.
The facility was designed to isolate men deemed the “worst of the worst.” Like Morris, most lived in near-total isolation. No phone calls, no meaningful physical contact with another human, no educational classes, no glimpses of the outside world. The only regular time out of a cell was for a shower and solo exercise in another concrete room.
Decades later, prisoners at Pelican Bay, including Morris, started a dialogue through coded messages and other covert communication. They decided to protest long-term solitary confinement by organizing a hunger strike. It would become the largest in US history and helped push California to implement reforms.
This week on Reveal, we team up with the PBS film The Strike to tell the inside story of a group of men who overcame bitter divisions and harsh conditions to build an improbable prison resistance movement.
Interview:
Saturday, September 9, 2023
Is Legalizing Marijuana a Mistake? (John Donvan; Open to Debate podcast)
According to an October 2022 Pew survey, “88% of US adults say that marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use.”
While marijuana legalization is gaining more and more cultural acceptance, effectively regulating drugs has long flummoxed policy and lawmakers.
Some are even starting to have second thoughts, especially when it comes to how to practically enforce legal sales. In fact, voters in Oklahoma – one of the nation’s leading weed markets –overwhelmingly rejected recreational legalization earlier this year, even though voters backed medical marijuana legalization by a double-digit margin in 2018.
Those who argue “Yes” for marijuana legalization say legalization creates more problems for our legal system because it requires extra enforcement to crack down on already robust illegal markets to make way for new, regulated, and legal markets. Additionally, competition from illegal weed markets is undercutting legal sales, which means the expected revenue stream from a legalized industry is far lower than expected.
Those who argue “No” say legalization can reduce the burden on law enforcement and criminal justice systems, allowing resources to be redirected to more pressing issues. They also highlight marijuana’s medical benefits, such as for pain management and treatment of certain health conditions, which have made a difference in people’s lives.
Interview:
Sunday, September 3, 2023
Should Prosecutors Pursue Minor Crimes? (John Donvan; Open to Debate podcast)
In the United States, around 13 million misdemeanor cases are filed each year, which makes up about 80% of all cases that are processed. The district attorney’s offices in areas like Suffolk County, Massachusetts, and Manhattan have implemented new policies stating they would no longer prosecute certain low-level, nonviolent crimes —such as drug possession, disorderly conduct, shoplifting, prostitution, and certain other offenses — as long as they did not accompany felonies.
The reasoning given is while ¾ of nonviolent misdemeanor cases don’t turn into convictions, this still permanently affects the person’s criminal record, job prospects, and ability to secure housing and these consequences are especially felt by people of color, people experiencing poverty, and LGBTQ people. Yet, those who argue “yes” to prosecuting minor crimes say it has important societal benefits. They argue that it is an essential way of keeping our communities safe and that not strengthening sentencing will let violent criminals back onto the street, fail to protect crime victims, and increase crime rates in cities.
Those who argue “no” say it doesn’t work to deter criminals or to decrease the chance of committing other crimes, and it distracts from better solutions like rehabilitation or community service. They also point to recent studies that suggest prosecuting minor crimes, especially those from first-time offenders, actually increases crime.
Interview:
Thursday, August 17, 2023
Musical Dockets (Allison Gill and Pete Strzok; Cleanup on Aisle 45 podcast episode #134 )
This week: Georgia handed up indictments to Donald Trump and 18 co-conspirators on RICO charges; the FBI shot and killed a man who made numerous death threats to elected Democrats including President Biden; another FBI whistleblower; plus Pete Navarro news; and more.
Read the indictment https://www.fultonclerk.org/DocumentCenter/View/2077/CRIMINAL-INDICTMENT
Interview:
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
DeSantis says he would push to repeal Trump criminal justice reform if elected
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Friday that if elected president, he would call on Congress to repeal the criminal justice reform bill signed into law by then-President Trump, his latest attack on Trump from the right…
Tuesday, January 3, 2023
Proof that Republicans Know Exactly How Racist They Are (The New Abnormal podcast
There are so many examples of revisionist history happening these days, particularly among conservatives, that historian and University of Princeton professor Kevin M. Kruse joins this episode of The New Abnormal politics podcast to set the record straight. He tells co-host Andy Levy about his book Myth America: Historians Take On the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past, which is a complication of historians crushing those myths, and shares proof that contrary to Republicans’ denials, the party actively engages in the racist “Southern Strategy.” Plus, Nixon’s role in it all. Also in this episode: TNA co-host Danielle Moodie interviews Jim Freeman, a civil rights lawyer and author of the book, Rich Thanks to Racism: How the Ultra-Wealthy Profit from Racial Injustice, to talk about the Defund the Police movement and the role police unions are playing in stopping it from happening.
Interview:
Monday, September 5, 2022
The Authors of “His Name is George Floyd” – Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa (Al Franken podcast)
Heartbreaking Bio of a Loving Son & Friend & Systemic Racism.
Interview:
Sunday, June 26, 2022
Will There Be Justice for Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman? and Bye Bye Miranda Rights! (Opening Arguments podcast OA607)
If you watched Tuesday’s hearing, you saw the heartbreaking story of how these two amazing women were viciously slandered by Rudy Giuliani and other members of the big lie insurrectionists. Their lives were absolutely turned upside down by complete racist fabrications. Do they have recourse? What will happen?
Then, Andrew breaks down the complete breakdown of the legal fabric of our society. Say goodbye to any meaningful sense in which you have the right to remain silent! The Supreme Court has gutted Miranda rights, because why the f not, apparently. Oh but they make up for it by eroding states’ ability to restrict open carry of guns. So that’s cool.
Interview:
Then, Andrew breaks down the complete breakdown of the legal fabric of our society. Say goodbye to any meaningful sense in which you have the right to remain silent! The Supreme Court has gutted Miranda rights, because why the f not, apparently. Oh but they make up for it by eroding states’ ability to restrict open carry of guns. So that’s cool.
Interview:
Sunday, June 12, 2022
Glenn Kirschner Predicts Trump CRIMINAL REFERRALS in Jan 6 Probe (MeidasTouch podcast)
On today’s episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast, we sit down with Glenn Kirschner, a 30 year federal prosecutor, homicide prosecutor, Army JAG & host of Justice Matters! Our conversation with Kirschner is a deep dive into the January 6 Committee hearings set to begin this week. During the interview, we get Glenn’s thoughts on what we should expect and what we need out of the J6 hearings. The remainder of the episode, we break down the latest news of the week to keep you up to date! We expose a political action group supporting Georgia Republican candidate Herschel Walker who bragged about practically bribing Georgians to vote for Walker by handing out free gas vouchers, a CBS poll that shows 44 percent of republicans believing we should ACCEPT mass shootings, the radical right group Turning Point USA wielding their main attraction Kyle Rittenhouse as a perfect future suitor for a female companion, and much more.
Interview:
Wednesday, June 1, 2022
Liberia’s stunningly effective way to reduce shootings and other crimes - Vox
Brotherton has long argued that mainstream US policy is counterproductively coercive and punitive. His research has shown that helping at-risk people reintegrate into mainstream society — including by offering them cash — is much more effective at reducing violence…
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Monday, May 23, 2022
Biography examines how systemic racism shaped the troubled life of George Floyd (Dave Davies; Fresh Air podcast)
Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis in 2020. Washington Post reporters Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa reconstruct the course of his life in His Name is George Floyd.
Interview:
Sunday, May 15, 2022
How a 7-Year Prison Sentence Turns Into Over 100 (Reveal podcast)
Anthony Gay was sentenced to seven years of prison on a parole violation, but ended up with 97 years added to his sentence. How does that happen?
Interview:
Sunday, January 23, 2022
Former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance Discusses Trump’s Myriad Civil and Criminal Vulnerabilities (Al Franken podcast
Federal Pridon? Rikers? NY State Prison? Georgia State Prison? Perjury?
Interview:
Monday, November 29, 2021
Moving the BLM (Allison Gill; Mueller, She Wrote podcast)
This week: We have a bit of an abridged show for you today because of the holiday weekend, but I’m here for you with some stories from the weekend including a judge ordering the release of Apprentice outtakes; some new direction from the Attorney General; a new covid variant; an update on the Georgia DA who obstructed the Ahmaud Arbery murder investigation; plus the Fantasy Indictment League. 
Interview:
Sunday, November 28, 2021
Three Racist Murderers Found Guilty of Murdering Ahmaud Arbery (Opening Arguments podcast OA546)
Wait the system… can work? It did in this instance at least, and it was a very important one. Three pieces of racist trash were found guilty of the horrifying murder of Ahmaud Arbery. Andrew explains the verdict. However, the system also… very much doesn’t work. Andrew breaks down the disturbing case of a judge giving a 4 time rapist NO jail time after praying on it. Then finally, we break down an interesting new argument in the Trump records case.
Interview:
Mississippi Goddam Chapter 6: Mississippi Justice (Reveal podcast)
There have long been concerns about the quality of investigations into the suspicious deaths of young Black men in the state, especially when police are involved.
Curley Clark, vice president of the Mississippi NAACP, calls Billey Joe Johnson Jr.’s case an example of “Mississippi justice.”
“It means that they still feel like the South should have won the Civil War,” Clark said. “And also the laws for the state of Mississippi are slanted in that direction.”
Before Johnson died during a traffic stop with a White sheriff’s deputy, friends say police had pulled him over dozens of times. And some members of the community raised concerns that police had been racially profiling Black people.
Reveal investigates Johnson’s interactions with law enforcement and one officer in particular.
Interview:
Curley Clark, vice president of the Mississippi NAACP, calls Billey Joe Johnson Jr.’s case an example of “Mississippi justice.”
“It means that they still feel like the South should have won the Civil War,” Clark said. “And also the laws for the state of Mississippi are slanted in that direction.”
Before Johnson died during a traffic stop with a White sheriff’s deputy, friends say police had pulled him over dozens of times. And some members of the community raised concerns that police had been racially profiling Black people.
Reveal investigates Johnson’s interactions with law enforcement and one officer in particular.
Interview:
Sunday, November 21, 2021
Debunking the Left’s Rittenhouse Trial Myths (Opening Arguments podcast OA544)
Let’s face it – the conspiracy theory/fake news coming from the left on the Rittenhouse Trial is really terrible. AND THAT DOESN’T MEAN that the left is as bad as the right or anything like that. However, we on OA have found it to be exhausting and frustrating. So Andrew is here to set the record straight!
But first! We’ve got some activism for ya. Biden’s bull crap Supreme Court Commission is filled with Federalist Society conservatives. It’s a waste of time and we need to do something about it. Fortunately, there’s a meeting that we can crash! Get the details here.
Interview:
But first! We’ve got some activism for ya. Biden’s bull crap Supreme Court Commission is filled with Federalist Society conservatives. It’s a waste of time and we need to do something about it. Fortunately, there’s a meeting that we can crash! Get the details here.
Interview:
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