How do we reflect on the massive loss of life due to street violence, and what can we do about it?

Music:
Artist: Gillicuddy 
Song: Thinking of You

Doris: "La comunidad esta dividida"

Doris urges us to think about justice from the beginning of life- how a village must come together to raise up the next generation and heal the wounds of youth.

Music:
Artist: Rest You Sleeping Giant 
Song: Closer to the Sun
Artist: Kai Engel
Song: For Better or Worse
Artist: Hyson 
Song: All Will See

Doris: "Una herida que se abre cada vez que un joven muere"

Days before her son was murdered, Doris’ son wrote lyrics about the struggle to survive on the streets. Here Doris describes the day she lost her son.

Music:
Artist: Kai Engel
Song: Snowfall
Artist: Kai Engel
Song: February 
Artist: Kai Engel
Song: Cloudburst
Artist: Kai Engel
Song: Far From Home/PON VII
Artist: Rest You Sleeping Giant 
Song: Ebow Song

Doris: "187"

Alfonso is an outreach worker on the West Side of Chicago and works hard to reach out to youth and adults involved on the streets. Alfonso is a dedicated father and grandfather, and reflects in this interview his sadness on having his sons involved in the system. Alfonso shares hope and a way to engage young people searching for a better future. 

Music:
Artist: A Ninja Slob Drew Me
Song: Gyorsvonat
Artist: Alan Singley 
Song: You Know Who You Are
Artist: Kai Engel 
Song: Crying Earth
Artist: Blue Dot Sessions 
Song: The Telling
Artist: Kai Engel 
Song: Puddles and Bars

Alfonso: "When's The Cycle Gonna Break?"

Wayne is a caring father and grandfather, actively involved in community efforts to reduce violence. A few days before he was released from prison his oldest son was arrested for a violent crime. Wayne reflects on the vicious cycle of community violence and incarceration, and (if) there is hope for families entangled in its web. 

Music:
Artist: Blue Dot Sessions
Song: Algea Tender
Artist: Komiku
Song: Fight the Apocalypse Before A Quick Nap
Artist: Kai Engel 
Song: Harbor
Artist: Lee Rosevere 
Song: Planet F
Artist: Hyson 
Song: Olivia

Wayne: "22 Year Sentence"

The day WS grandma saw sirens, heard ambulances, and discovered they were for her grandson.

Music: 
Artist: Blue Dot Sessions 
Song: Just Below the Surface
Artist: Scott Holmes 
Song: Abandoned City
Artist: Blue Dot Sessions 
Song: Qi
Artist: Kai Engel 
Song: Realness

West side Grandma: "January 23rd, 2017"

Lisa has transformed her suffering into community action. Listen here to learn about how she is bringing peace and healing into Chicago’s most hard hit neighborhoods. 

Music: 
Artist: Luc Hefferman 
Song: A Storm at Eilean Mor
Artist: Alan Singley
Song: Life in a Dollhouse
Artist: Chris Zabriskie 
Song: We Always Thought the Future Would Be Kinda Fun
Artist: Jelsonic 
Song: Another Brilliant Age
Artist: Blue Dot Sessions
Song: Lacquer Groove

Lisa: "Imma Make This Right, I Promise You That"

Lisa’s embrace of restorative justice practices transformed her relationship with her son’s perpetrator. This segment describes how the judge sentenced the individual responsible for her son’s case.

Music:
Artist: Chris Zabriskie 
Song: Androids Always Escape 
Artist: Jelsonic 
Song: Darkling Skies
Artist: Blue Dot Sessions 
Song: The Envelope  
Artist: Chris Zabriskie 
Song: I Am A Man Who Will Fight in Your Honor

Lisa: "Another Mother Lost Her Son"

Lisa delivers her first eulogy, at her son’s funeral.

Music:
Artist: Blue Dot Sessions 
Song: Collecting Samples
Artist: Blue Dot Sessions 
Song: Algea Trio
Artist: Rest You Sleeping Giant 
Song: Treated Acoustic Guitar 
Artist: Luc Hefferman 
Song: Event Horizon 
Artist: Blue Dot Sessions 
Song: Waterbourne

Lisa: "It Don't Get No More Out Of Season Than This"

Media can desensitize the public to the complexity of street violence and devalue the lives of the individuals lost. Lisa discusses how the media cast her son’s death and her response.

Music: 
Artist: Rest You Sleeping Giant 
Song: Hearth
Artist: Lee Rosevere 
Song: Planet D
Artist: Kai Engel 
Song: Denouement
Artist: Parvus Decree
Song: Escarabajo

Lisa: "That's What He Did, Thats Not Who He Was"

The police never showed up at Lisa’s door to let her know her son had been harmed. Here Lisa describes calling hospitals and morgues trying to track her son down.

Music: 
Artist: Rest You Sleeping Giant 
Song: Hearth
Artist: Lee Rosevere 
Song: Planet D
Artist: Kai Engel 
Song: Denouement
Artist: Parvus Decree
Song: Escarabajo

Lisa: "I Need You To Tell Me Where Darren Is"

As the wife of a former Chicago Police officer, Julie shares how her understanding of the criminal justice system changed after her son was sentenced to life without parole.

Music: 
Artist: Chris Zabriskie 
Song: Cylinder Two
Artist: Chris Zabriskie
Song: There’s Probably No Time
Artist: Chris Zabriskie
Song: We Always Thought the Future Would be Kind of Fun
Artist: Blue Dot Sessions 
Song: In Paler Skies

Julie: "I Thought The System Worked"

Julie shares her observations on racial equity and the disproportionate minority representation of the incarcerated and their families

Music: 
Artist: Chris Zabriskie 
Song: Cylinder Two
Artist: Chris Zabriskie
Song: There’s Probably No Time

Julie: "The People Who Do The Locking Up Don’t Look Like The People They’re Locking Up"

Julie describes the challenges facing the families of the incarcerated in visiting their loved ones.

Music: 
Artist: Chris Zabriskie 
Song: I Am Running Down the Long Hallway of Viewmont Elementary
Artist: Andy G Cohen 
Song: A Perceptible Shift
Artist: Chris Zabriskie 
Song: The Sun is Scheduled to Come Out Tomorrow

Julie: "A Mother’s Right To Visitation"

A mother reflects on the prison conditions her son has been living in for 22 years. 

Music: 
Artist: Chris Zabriskie 
Song: Cylinder One
Artist: Blue Dot Sessions
Song: The Envelope
Artist: Alan Singley 
Song: You Know Who You Are
Artist: Jared C Balogh
Song: One Of Us will Have To Make The First Move
Artist: Chris Zabriskie 
Song: John Stockton Slow Drag

Julie: "120 Degrees. 2 People In A 6x8 Cell"

Eric was 15 years old when he caught his case and didn’t understand what a life sentence meant.

Music:
Artist: Chris Zabriskie 
Song: Cylinder One
Artist: Blue Dot Sessions
Song: Plate Statis
Artist: Jelsonic 
Song: The Last Whale
Artist: Chris Zabriskie
Song: I am a Man Who Will Fight for Your Honor

Julie: "Nintendo For Christmas"

Carlota was raised to believe in a fair and effective justice system. She describes how this belief was challenged by the experience she had losing two sons- one to the system and the other to street violence.

Music: 
Artist: Podington Bear
Song: Raw Umber
Artist: Blue Dot Sessions
Song: Stingray on the Court
Artist: Blue Dot Sessions
Song: Magenta Thread
Artist: Podington Bear
Song: Old Skin

Carlota: "Me Ha Criado En Una Familia Que Respetaba La Ley Y La Justiciar"

Carlota’s message to the person who killed her son.

Music: 
Artist: Blue Dot Sessions
Song: Mosaic

Carlota: "Regeneracion"

Carlos was incarcerated when his brother David was killed. Carlota describes how she had to share the news of David’s death with his older brother. 

Music: 
Artist: Rest You Sleeping Giant
Song: Open Eyes
Artist: Chris Zabriskie
Song: Cylinder Five
Artist: Rest You Sleeping Giant
Song: Hearth

Carlota: "Yo Tuve Que Decirle A El Que Su Hermano Habia Muerto, Y Como Habia Muerto"

Anthony’s daughter was born months after he was locked up, and he was unable to hug her for almost 5 years while he waited for trial in the Cook County Jail. This section describes the first time he was able to hug his daughter. 

Music:
Artist: Chris Zabriskie
Song: I am a Man Who Will Fight for Your Honor
Artist: Podington Bear 
Song: Ice Climb

Yeniz: "Here I Am Papi"

What is the impact of incarceration on the families that remain on the outside? Yeniz discusses the challenges her family faced once her brother entered into the system.

Music:
Artist: Blue Dot Sessions
Song: The Envelope
Artist: Chris Zabriskie
Song: Cylinder Nine

Yeniz: "Even Though I'm Not An Inmate, I'm An Inmate"

Are the experiences of families of the victim/ perpetrator more similar than they are different? 

Music
Artist: Alex Fitch
Song: We Call This Home

Carlota: "Somos Victimas Iguales"

Do victims, perpetrators, and their families have qualitatively different experiences when they come through the criminal justice system? Are the accounts of the “two sides” of justice more similar than they are different?

Music: 
Artist: Kai Engel
Song: Summer Days

Welcome To Two Sides Of Justice

We introduce the voices of people most impacted by the system and what justice means to them after tragedy.

Music: 
Artist: Chris Zabrinskie
Song: I Am The Man Who Fight For Your Honor

What Does Justice Mean To Me Now?

“Two Sides of Justice” is a collection of narratives from system survivors. The criminal justice system has altered the lives of the people you’re about to hear, sometimes for the better, but more often for the worse. Their contact with the system has permanently changed them and their life trajectories. We will hear their reflections on surviving “justice”, and their experiences urge critical reflection on the way the criminal justice system is shaping lives, families, entire communities, and our nation as a whole- esp at a time when the system holds more than 2.3 million people in prison cells, and at least 4.6 million people under correctional supervision in community.
 
They speak to the contradictions of justice and weaknesses in a system engineered by humans- and at the same time, they highlight robust resilience and a deep-rooted faith in a concept of justice that supersedes what was enacted in their lives. They generously and bravely share their stories in loving memory of individuals who have been lost to violence, and of those in prison for committing a violent crime. The stories of their loved ones, in these interviews, become inextricably tied into the narratives of their own lives. In the end, the stories of “Two Sides of Justice” are not just about their family members, or themselves- they are stories of the interwoven tapestry of human trial and triumph.

Executive production: Kathryn Bocanegra: 2sidesofjustice@gmail.com
Audio production & artwork: Grant Buhr: granttbuhr@gmail.com

This is a Nonprofit/NonCommercial project. Our immense gratitude to all the musicians for the music we've used to help add even more power and emotion to these compelling stories. Music for these pieces was used under creative commons license - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

TWO SIDES OF JUSTICE

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