SOLUTIONS FROM THE YARD

Episode 14: 13th Amendment - Part 2

The gentlemen continue their discussion on the 13th Amendment, Prison, and Slavery by opening with the definition of chattel slavery and how it relates to the modern carceral system. The hosts also delve into the dehumanization of black people and its effects on society by detailing the Dred Scott case and its similarities to “wards of the state.” 
The profiteering off of prison labor is big business directly related to the erasure of humanity in the prison system, and our hosts give their thoughts on this fractured system plus more.

Episode 13: 13th Amendment - Part 1

This episode focuses on the 13th Amendment and its recent appearance on the voting ballot in 5 states. The podcast hosts discuss how slavery is a human issue, not just a prison issue. They delve into the nuances of the prison workforce and how it relates to the 13th Amendment, the meager pay as justification for involuntary slavery, and how prison labor is an incentive to slow criminal justice reform...

Episode 12 : Homelessness & Juvenile Delinquency

The hosts continue their exploration of homelessness, this time discussing the relationship homelessness has to juvenile delinquency. Generational trauma, drug use, single parenthood, government program dependency, carceral indoctrination, and practical solutions to the root of juvenile homelessness & delinquency are discussed.

Episode 11 : Our Children & The Homelessness Crisis

Our Juneteenth 2023 episode discusses our youth and the homelessness crisis. The hosts, led by Charles Hopkins, discuss how interactions with the juvenile justice system and family trauma coincide with homelessness. The gentlemen go further into the problem of young people and homelessness to discuss mental health, responsibility, and healing in solving this issue. This is a conversation you don't want to miss!

Episode 10 : Homelessness & Mental Health: What’s The Deal?

This episode explores the relationship of homelessness to experiencing mental health issues. The hosts explore poverty, generational trauma, and other factors as a stimulus for mental illness and its impact on the community. "Forced poverty" is also discussed, and how this idea gives way to traumas.

Episode 9 : 007 License To Discriminate: Part 2

This .episode continues discussing DC inmates’ treatment and discrimination under the Federal Board of Prisons. The gentlemen open with the progress of BOP prisoners compared to DC inmates housed in federal facilities and the evident setbacks these men and women face as 007s. Glaring disparities abound as the hosts discuss the inaccessibility to programs and other rehabilitative activities offered in these facilities and potential results such as recidivism, showcase the warehousing versus rehabilitation of DC prisoners and combat successful reentry journeys.

Episode 8 : 007 : License to Discriminate: Part 1

This episode opens with a slight breakdown of the letter from Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton to the new Director of the Federal Board of Prisons and moves into how federal guidelines adversely affect DC inmates, discrimination & mismanagement of DC inmates in sentencing management and the fallout of closing Lorton prison. This is not an episode you want to miss!

Episode 7 : I’m Boxed Up : Supervision & Home Confinement

On this episode, the gentlemen discuss recent probation restrictions that stipulate unemployment as a reason to be put on "the box". The discussion centers around home confinement, probation, the local government agency's role in moving a parolee forward, and alternatives to supervision...

Episode 6 : For Prison Consumption Only: What’s On The Menu?

Today the gentlemen discuss bad prison food. More than just the taste and quality, the gents talk about the disparity between what's on the menu vs. what is served, inadequate portions, staff and inmate food choices, and unhealthy options more readily available than nutritious ones. They also mention how bad prison food can cause poor health in the inmate population, starting a cycle of unhealthy behaviors that linger after release.

Episode 5 : Reentry : Trusting the Process - Part 2

The gentlemen continue their talk about reentry journeys and in part 2 discuss the positive side of their journey and how they did the work of getting back to their communities. Discussion highlights the trust factor of returning citizens with organizations, "reentry pimps", credible help, learning new skills, peer groups, and more.