This episode features an in-depth interview with Cleveland based artist and activist Joe Sharp. The ACLU of Ohio commissioned Joe to create an original art piece for our bail reform campaign’s mobilization nucleus--drawing audiences towards heart wrenching narratives of pretrial detention.

Sharp quickly become an integral member of the campaign, traveling with the ACLU to speak in cities statewide, facilitating community conversations on the trauma of cash bail and the prison industrial complex. Joe has been featured as a special guest at the Cleveland ACLU100 celebration, community art panels, reentry events, and local radio stations.  

Joe began drawing and painting during 26 years behind bars in the Marion Correctional Institution, what he refers to as his time on the “plantation”. Growing up near one of the most heavily redlined areas of East Cleveland, poverty and mass incarceration were pervasive facets of his early life.

Sponsored by: Towards Employment

For more information, visit:
Web: OHBailReform.com
Twitter: @ACLUOhio
Facebook: @ACLUOH
Instagram: @ACLUOH

Ep5 - Joe’s Hour

A third of people in U.S. immigration detention are locked up in county and city jails. Immigration bond amounts are set by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); while immigration judges have the ability to reevaluate bond amounts at hearings, many immigrants do not have access to legal counsel to advocate for an appropriate reduction. Immigration bond does not permit deposit amounts, requiring thousands of dollars of payment-in-full to release an individual. There is no limitation to the length of pretrial detention for immigrants. This episode will cover the entrapment of undocumented families and an overview of the Sandusky Ohio raids.

Guest: Veronica Dahlberg, HOLA 

Sponsored by: Black Lives Matter Cleveland

For more information, visit:
Web: OHBailReform.com
Twitter: @ACLUOhio
Facebook: @ACLUOH
Instagram: @ACLUOH

Ep6 - Bail and Family Separation

Defining risk assessment tools are often heralded as the solution to the cash bail problem. How do risk scores perpetuate the criminalization of marginalize communities? Topics will include algorithmic bias, existing Ohio tools, and what constitutes "risk."

Guest: Dr. Steve DeMuth, Bowling Green State University

Sponsored by: The Bail Project

For more information, visit:
Web: OHBailReform.com
Twitter: @ACLUOhio
Facebook: @ACLUOH
Instagram: @ACLUOH

Ep7 - Risk Assessments and False objectivity

Episode 8 has a pronounced focus on youth. Topics discussed included the phenomenon of bind-over (youth housed in adult facilities), young people forced to raise bail for parents and guardians, and the "no bail" option for detained young people.

Advisory: The topics discussed in this episode may be disturbing to some listeners.

Guests: Cayla Burton, Juvenile Justice Coalition; Danyelle, mother of a child who has interacted with the juvenile legal system.

Sponsored by: Ohio Organizing Collaborative

For more information, visit:
Web: OHBailReform.com
Twitter: @ACLUOhio
Facebook: @ACLUOH
Instagram: @ACLUOH

Ep8 - Bail and Juvenile Justice

This episode will explore what bail reform shouldn’t look like. We will identify common policy pitfalls and look at jurisdictions where reform efforts went awry. Topics will include California’s historic overhaul of the bail system and its potential demise, pretrial profiteering, and the expansion of pretrial detention where reform has been superficially implemented. 

Guests: Cherise Burdeen and Dr. Zaria Davis of the Pretrial Justice Institute (PJI)

Sponsored by: Open Arms Toledo

For more information, visit:
Web: OHBailReform.com
Twitter: @ACLUOhio
Facebook: @ACLUOH
Instagram: @ACLUOH

Ep9 - What Bail Reform Shouldn't Be

What has COVID-19 taught us about bail reform? What have we learned during this podcast? Where do we go from here? Episode 10, our final episode, looks back at some of our favorite moments from the series, and what we can do moving forward to achieve true justice with bail in Ohio.

Guests interview clips, in order:
•	Daniel Cruz
•	Daniel Dew
•	Anton Parkes
•	Aquia Chambers,
•	Alana Garrett-Ferguson 
•	Joseph Sharp
•	Veronica Dalberg
•	Dr. Steven DeMuth
•	Danyelle Moore
•	Cayla Burton 
•	Dr. Zaria Davis
•	Cherisse Fano-Burdeen

The Steep Road to Freedom

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