Vanguard Court Watch is a unique and innovative program that trains college interns on the law and journalism, sends them into the courts where they report and monitor on injustice in the system.  Listen as they tell their stories about what they see and what they have learned in the process.

Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 128: Vanguard Court Watch Interns

Aasha Ealy was a law student accused of a crime that she didn’t commit.  What should have a simple case has dragged on since 2016.  During that time, she has finished law school and passed the bar.  And still, her case languishes in the system.

Listen to her amazing story as she was pressured into taking a plea, ended up rescinding that plea agreement, lost her attorney and ended up representing herself in the process.

Even after progressive DA George Gascon was elected in 2020, his office has refused to dismiss the case.

Listen as Aasha Ealy tells her amazing story of injustice and wrongful incarceration.

Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 185: The Unjust Prosecution of Aasha Ealy

Recently a Texas Judge delayed the execution of Andre Thomas – a man who is so severely mentally ill, the crime he committed of killing his wife and mixed race children involved cutting out their hearts and carrying them in his pocket.

He proceeded to separately gouge out both of his eyes, the second of which he ate.

Talking with Marc Bookman, who founded the Atlantic Center for Capital Representation in Philadelphia and has followed this case, he laid out a number of the concerns about this case.

His late white was white, the children were mixed race, and as Bookman noted, “four of the twelve eventual jurors were opposed to people of mixed-race backgrounds marrying and/ or having children.”

One even stated that he did not believe “God intended for this.” Andre’s court-appointed lawyers did not object, and the jurors were seated.  The entire jury—not to mention the judge and all of the lawyers—were white.
The prosecutor in his closing argument clearly played the race card, asking the jurors if they were willing to risk Andre “asking your daughter out, or your granddaughter out?”

This is a case tinged in racism, dogged by ineffective assistance of counsel, and by a mental health system that failed all the way through.
And somehow, at least to this point, the legal system has failed to stopped the execution train.

Listen as Marc Bookman discusses one of the most disturbing death penalty cases in memory.

Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 192: Why is Texas Trying to Execute Andre Thomas?

In March, the Sentencing Project announced the creation of the Second Look Network.

Across the country, we have seen the rise of resentencing and other laws designed to allow people who have served decades in prison, but who no longer represent a threat to public safety, to have their sentences reconsidered and at times, resentenced and gain release.

“The Second Look Network is a coalition of attorneys and post-sentence advocates across the country working on behalf of incarcerated individuals seeking relief from lengthy or unfair sentences, beyond the context of wrongful conviction or innocence claims.”

Data shows that mass incarceration has often sentenced people to lengthy sentences even as they age out of crime and even as the costs of already inadequate health care in prisons soar.

It is a project of the Sentencing Project.

Listen as Everyday Injustice speaks with Becky Feldman who is heading up the Network as she discusses the focus and goals of the project.

Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 194: Second Look Network

David Dow went from a death penalty supporter to founding the Texas Innocence Network and running a death penalty clinic.  He has since written a number of books, including “Executed on a Technicality.”

This week on Everyday Injustice, David Dow explains the various injustices within the death penalty system.

As he writes in his book, “I simply conclude that the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments cannot tolerate the infliction of a sentence of death under legal systems that permit this unique penalty to be so wantonly and so freakishly imposed.”

Instead of punishing the worst and the worst, he found, “The ultimate penalty was being consistently applied in a wrongful and arbitrary fashion.”

Moreover the system was making a tremendous amount of errors.
“According to Professor James Liebman’s definitive study of all death penalty cases from 1976 though 1995,13 death row inmates prevailed on their appeals in federal court more than half the time. That is a stunning statistic that bears repeating: In half of all death penalty cases over a twenty-year period, a federal court reversed either the conviction or the sentence or both. In no other area of law are reversals the norm.”

That changed with the passage of the 1994 Death Penalty law – which made appeals much more difficult to sustain, but did not end the problems.

Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 200: David Dow - Executed on Technicalities

It is described as: “A riveting and heart-wrenching story of violence, grief and the American justice system, exploring the systemic issues that perpetuate gang participation in one of the wealthiest cities in the country, through the story of one teenager.”

Professor Laurence Ralph, tells the story of Sito, a relative of his and the tragedy of his life - first wrongly accused of murder and then five years later, the brother of the slain teen exacts his revenge.

Listen as Professor Ralph describes this tragic account but also how he relates it to the overall tragedy and the need for transformational reform of the justice system.

Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode #230: Laurence Ralph and the Tragedy of Sito

This week on Everyday Injustice we have Erik Altieri, the Interim Director of Campaigns for the Clean Slate Initiative.

The Clean Slate Initiative passes and implements laws that automatically clear eligible records for people who have completed their sentence and remained crime-free, and expands who is eligible for clearance.

Their vision: “People will no longer be defined by their records and will have the opportunity to contribute to their community, have a fair opportunity to work, get an education, and achieve their full potential.”

Listen as Everyday Injustice talks with Erik Altieri about the impact of low level convictions and the difficulty of getting jobs, housing, benefits and even being able to attend universities and colleges.

Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 249: The Clean Slate Initiative

This week on Everyday Injustice we have a conversation with Louis Baca, who as a youth committed a murder and was sentenced to Life without Parole.

Baca discusses how he came to commit a crime, and also how he has been able to address his childhood trauma and educate himself without any promise that he will ever get out.

He talks about what we have learned about juvenile brain development and how California laws have slowly adapted to the science.

Baca also discusses how he is giving back, helping other youths who are from a similar background and how he can back to the community even if he remains incarcerated.

Everyday Injustice Episode 261 – Conversation with Youth Serving LWOP

In October, Jose Olivares, a 39-year-old man wrongfully incarcerated for 13 years in the death of his girlfriend’s son was released after a Los Angeles County judge vacated his conviction. Lawyers from two Innocence Projects and a unit of the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office had filed together to overturn his conviction.

Olivares was arrested in 2011 following the tragic death of his girlfriend's almost four-year-old son from an accidental short fall.

Dr. Judy Melinek, a renowned forensic pathologist, authored a report in 2023 after a thorough review at NCIP’s request, and stated that an accidental short fall was the “reasonable and likely explanation” for the decedent’s injuries.

Everyday Injustice talks with Lauryn Barbosa Findley of the Northern California Innocence Project who worked to free Olivares.

“Mr. Olivares’ case is both extraordinarily unique and tragically common because faulty medical testimony has been used for too long to convict far too many loving parents and caretakers,” said NCIP Clinical Supervising Attorney Lauryn Barbosa Findley. “The facts always showed that Mr. Olivares was innocent but the medicine needed time to catch up and prove it. We strongly urge the DA’s office to heed the medical evidence and not try him erroneously a second time.”

Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 263: Innocence Project Frees Man in Shaken Baby Case

This week on Everyday Injustice, we talk with Alissa Skog, who was lead author on the October report that found that nearly 2.5 million Californians are eligible to have their convictions automatically relieved under a little know law that allows for automatic expungement.

“A criminal record can have profound and lasting impacts on people, affecting key areas of their life such as employment, parental rights, stable housing, access to safety-net benefits, and voting,” California Policy Lab noted.

To address these “follow-on” punishments, the California legislature has enacted the most comprehensive automatic record relief laws in the country. 

Under these laws, all non-convictions (arrests that do not lead to a conviction), most misdemeanor convictions, and many low-level felony convictions are eligible for automatic relief after people complete their sentences and specified waiting periods.

On Everyday Injustice, Alissa Skog discussed the upside of the law allowing people to get out from under collateral consequences of past convictions, but also some of the drawbacks including the lack of notifications.

The report estimates the number of people likely to maintain a clean slate over the following five years.

Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 266 - Who Benefits from Automatic Record Relief in California?

This week on Everyday Injustice, we talk with Amanda Hall, who as the Senior Director of National Campaigns, she leads strategic efforts to shape national drug policy within expansive coalitions and advocates for the voices of those directly impacted.

Hall recounted her journey to incarceration, sharing how witnessing her mother’s arrest as a child negatively impacted her mental health and led her to experiment with drugs. Amanda struggled with drug-related charges throughout her late teens and early twenties, frequently finding herself in jail. Now, as a member of Dream.Org, she is spearheading the national Public Health is Public Safety Campaign, advocating for legislation that focuses on people and promotes recovery rather than harshly punishing individuals without offering them a chance at rehabilitation.

Listen as Amanda Hall talks about the opioid crisis, how we can utilized smart on crime tactics, and the barriers to such solutions.

Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 271: Addressing the Opioid Crisis – One approach in Kentucky

On this week’s Everyday Injustice interview, Chesa Boudin, former San Francisco District Attorney and now Executive Director of the Berkeley Criminal Law and Justice Center, reflects on his experiences in office, the state of criminal justice reform, and his current work at UC Berkeley.

Boudin highlights how political power matters more than individual electoral victories. He notes that during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, corporations and politicians rushed to embrace reform, only to later pivot as the political landscape shifted. He emphasizes the importance of long-term organizing to sustain meaningful change.

Discussing the reform prosecutor movement, Boudin acknowledges setbacks in California, where he, George Gascón, and Pamela Price faced significant opposition. However, he points out that nationally, many reform-minded prosecutors have remained in office, such as Larry Krasner in Philadelphia and José Garza in Texas, proving that the movement is still active.

On homelessness and public safety, Boudin criticizes the criminalization of unhoused people, calling it ineffective and counterproductive. He argues that cities like San Francisco push policies that fail to address the root causes, like skyrocketing housing costs and economic inequality.

Now at Berkeley Law, Boudin leads initiatives focused on policy reform, litigation, and research. He discusses a class action lawsuit against CDCR, challenging illegal deductions from the $200 “Gate Money” given to people released from prison. The case underscores systemic failures that make reentry difficult and increase recidivism.

Ultimately, Boudin remains committed to reform, advocating for data-driven policies and institutional accountability while training the next generation of legal professionals at UC Berkeley.


Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 275: Chesa Boudin Reflects on Future of Criminal Justice Reform

In this episode of Everyday Injustice, we sit down with Rachel Barkow, a law professor at NYU and an expert on criminal justice reform. We discuss President Biden’s final clemency actions, the larger implications of mass incarceration, and her upcoming book, Justice Abandoned: How the Supreme Court Ignored the Constitution and Enabled Mass Incarceration. Barkow offers a critical look at the failures of our criminal legal system, the role of progressive prosecutors, and the Supreme Court’s role in shaping mass incarceration.

Professor Barkow offered a critical look at the state of criminal justice reform, the failures of the Supreme Court, and President Biden’s last-minute clemency decisions.

Barkow expressed disappointment with Biden’s handling of clemency, noting that while he commuted 37 federal death row sentences and granted some relief for nonviolent drug offenders, he ignored hundreds of cases recommended by the Justice Department. She criticized the flawed clemency process, which requires prosecutors to review their own past cases, making positive recommendations rare.

Discussing the political backlash against criminal justice reform, Barkow argued that progressive prosecutors like Chesa Boudin and Pamela Price were vulnerable because they failed to enact structural reforms. While some jurisdictions elected reform-minded prosecutors, the movement faced well-funded opposition and public fear over crime rates. She noted that lasting change requires legislative reforms, not just individual elections.

Barkow’s upcoming book, Justice Abandoned, examines six Supreme Court cases that fueled mass incarceration, including Terry v. Ohio, which enabled stop-and-frisk policing, and U.S. v. Salerno, which allowed pretrial detention based on “dangerousness.” She argued that the Court has repeatedly ignored constitutional principles in favor of political expediency, contributing to the rise of mass incarceration.

Despite setbacks, Barkow remains hopeful that public awareness and political momentum can lead to long-term reforms. She urged advocates to focus on institutional changes that can outlast political cycles and to challenge harmful Supreme Court precedents that continue to shape the justice system today.


Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 276 – NYU Professor Barkow Discusses Biden Clemency and New Book

In this episode of Everyday Injustice, we hear from Kwaneta Harris, currently incarcerated at the Lane Murray Unit in Gatesville, Texas — the largest women’s state prison in Texas. With nearly 40,000 women incarcerated across the state, Harris’s story sheds light on a justice system that often fails to see the humanity behind each case.

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Harris shares her journey from a nursing career and life overseas to becoming a survivor of domestic abuse. After returning to the U.S., a violent relationship in Texas turned deadly. Harris describes killing her boyfriend in an act of self-defense, only to receive a 50-year sentence despite having no prior criminal record.

Her time inside Texas prisons has included eight and a half years in solitary confinement following what she calls an “escape attempt” — an effort to seek isolation rather than flee. It was during those years in solitary that Harris found her voice, turning to writing and journalism to tell her story and expose the broader injustices faced by incarcerated women.

Her experience is a powerful reminder that behind every sentence is a human story — one shaped by abuse, survival, and a system that too often silences the voices of those most affected.


Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 277: Story of Kwaneta Harris, Fighting for Her Voice from Texas Prison

In a new episode of Everyday Injustice, sociologist and author Brittany Friedman discusses her new book Carceral Apartheid, exposing the racialized architecture of the U.S. prison system and its deep historical roots.

Friedman coined the term “carceral apartheid” to describe how modern systems of incarceration enforce racial division and social control. Drawing parallels to South African apartheid, she argues that the U.S. relies on prisons, jails, detention centers, and policing not simply for punishment but to uphold a racial hierarchy. “Apartheid is alive and well,” she says, “and it’s enforced through carceral systems.”

Her journey to this research began with her family history—her grandmother participated in a protest of evicted sharecroppers in 1939 Missouri. That legacy of resistance led Friedman to study the roots of the prison movement in California and the formation of racially segregated prison gangs—developments she links directly to the state’s own design and complicity.

At the heart of Friedman’s critique is the economic exploitation of incarcerated people and their families. She exposes how “carceral debt”—from pay-to-stay policies to overpriced commissary goods—traps families in cycles of poverty. “States force communities to pay for the consequences of mass incarceration,” she explains, detailing how attorney generals have even sued people for unpaid incarceration fees.

Friedman also highlights the continuity between today’s prison system and historic racial oppression, from Black Codes and convict leasing to Jim Crow and mass incarceration. “It’s not a coincidence,” she says. “This is a system designed with racist intent—on purpose, not collateral.”

Yet Carceral Apartheid isn’t just a diagnosis; it’s a call to action. Friedman ends her book with what she calls an “Invitation to Awaken,” encouraging readers to recognize their role in perpetuating or challenging carceral logics.
“People survived,” she reminds us. “And they’re still organizing. Still pillars in their communities. That’s human resilience—and it gives us hope.”

Carceral Apartheid is available now through independent booksellers.



Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 278: The Hidden Logic of Mass Incarceration Discussed in Carceral Apartheid

On a recent episode of Everyday Injustice, host David Greenwald sat down with Francisco Ugarte, immigration attorney with the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, to discuss the chilling escalation of immigration enforcement under the renewed Trump administration—and why Ugarte sees hope and resistance rising in response.

Ugarte described how mass deportation rhetoric, arrest quotas, and threats to send migrants to places like Guantánamo are being used as deliberate distractions from deeper political agendas. “It’s about getting the country to fight each other so [those in power] can get away with what they’re trying to get away with,” Ugarte said.

While not much has changed legally yet, fear and panic have surged. Ugarte emphasized that immigrants still have rights—especially due process rights—and that power lies in organizing, challenging unlawful actions in court, and telling the real human stories behind these policies. “We’re being gaslit by the national media,” he said, urging people to look beyond Trump’s provocations and see the strength of local resistance, such as San Francisco’s robust sanctuary protections.

The conversation also examined the intersection of immigration and criminal justice. Ugarte explained that immigrants—including green card holders—can face deportation for minor offenses. He discussed how public defenders like himself are fighting back, drawing on California law that allows representation for those unjustly persecuted even in civil matters like immigration.

Perhaps most powerful was Ugarte’s insistence on optimism. Reflecting on his own family’s history of migration from Ireland and Spain, he reminded listeners that the U.S. has always been a nation of immigrants—and that resistance has worked before. “Trump tried to end DACA. We fought back, and we won,” he said.

The podcast ended with a call to action: to resist fear, fight misinformation, and build bridges between immigrants and working-class citizens. “We have to transform how we think about this,” Ugarte said. “We can step up—we’ve done it before, and we can do it again.”


Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 279: Francisco Ugarte on Immigration, Resistance, Due Process

This week on Everyday Injustice, former Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price reflected on her tenure and the broader political moment during a wide-ranging interview. 

She spoke candidly about the rise of authoritarianism in the U.S., drawing parallels between Trump’s second term and historical fascist regimes, particularly Nazi Germany. Price warned of escalating attacks on immigrants and civil liberties, citing Guantánamo deportations and racialized immigration enforcement.

She detailed systemic trauma within the DA’s office, describing outdated technology, lack of wellness support, and the emotional toll on prosecutors handling violent cases. She emphasized the need for trauma-informed approaches and internal reform in the justice system.

Price also addressed the media’s hostile treatment of her, noting that she received nearly triple the coverage of her predecessor—most of it negative. She connected this media scrutiny to her identity as a Black woman and a reform-minded prosecutor. She criticized local media for ignoring major stories, like the jury discrimination scandal in Alameda death penalty cases, which she believes triggered backlash against her reforms.

She defended her policy legacy, including the use of enhancements and the launch of a public DA Dashboard. Price argued that real change in criminal justice must come from within, despite fierce resistance, and she highlighted the work of fellow reform prosecutors across the country.

Looking ahead, she introduced her podcast, Pamela Price Unfiltered, as a platform for open dialogue about local politics, national uncertainty, and the future of justice.


Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 280 - Pamela Price Unloads About Time as Alameda DA

This week on Everyday Injustice we speak with Bianca Tylek from WorthRises.  

In her new book The Prison Industry: How It Works and Who Profits, Bianca Tylek pulls back the curtain on the vast network of corporations, investors, and government actors that profit from human incarceration. Drawing on her background in both Wall Street and public interest law, Tylek reveals how the $80 billion prison economy monetizes every aspect of imprisonment—from phone calls to healthcare—and disproportionately exploits Black, brown, and low-income communities. 

While private prisons are often the face of the system, Tylek emphasizes they represent only a fraction of the problem. Far more insidious are the industries that operate within prisons, profiting off captive markets with little oversight.

The book traces financial connections to powerful private equity firms like H.I.G. Capital and Platinum Equity, which invest heavily in prison telecom and healthcare services, often delivering substandard care while reaping massive profits. 

Tylek recounts organizing divestment campaigns, including one in which a public school worker demanded her pension not be invested in incarceration.

 With the looming possibility of renewed mass immigration enforcement and expanded detention under a second Trump administration, Tylek warns that these financial actors are preparing for a “gold rush” fueled by human suffering.

Yet the book isn’t just an exposé—it’s a blueprint for resistance. Tylek highlights divestment campaigns, legislative advocacy, and public pressure as tools to make incarceration less profitable and more transparent. Through vivid storytelling and firsthand accounts, 

The Prison Industry humanizes those caught in this web of exploitation and urges readers to see incarceration not as an inevitable system, but as a constructed one that can be dismantled. 

Tylek’s message is clear: “Justice and profit are incompatible.”


Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 281: Bianca Tylek on Who Benefits from Mass Incarceration

In this episode of Everyday Injustice, host David Greenwald welcomes Raj Jayadev, founder of Silicon Valley De-Bug, to discuss the grassroots origins of one of the most transformative movements in criminal justice today: participatory defense. Originally launched as a worker collective to give voice to the overlooked communities of Silicon Valley’s booming tech economy, Silicon Valley De-Bug evolved over the years into a hub of grassroots organizing for families facing the carceral system. Jayadev recounts how their early efforts to create community-driven platforms laid the groundwork for deeper engagement with issues of racial profiling, police violence, and court advocacy.

A pivotal moment in De-Bug’s evolution came with the police killing of Rudy Cardenas in 2004, an act of mistaken identity that galvanized the organization to support families seeking justice. As more families affected by police brutality and prosecution turned to De-Bug, the group realized that courtrooms, not just city streets, needed to be sites of community organizing. What began as informal meetings with families soon formalized into a national movement known as participatory defense—where community members actively support and reshape court outcomes by working alongside public defenders and their loved ones facing charges.

Jayadev shares how participatory defense has grown far beyond Silicon Valley, inspiring over 55 hubs nationwide and producing tangible results: shortened sentences, case dismissals, and strengthened communities. He explains how this approach, rooted in collective problem-solving and storytelling, has even bridged long-standing divides between public defenders and the communities they serve. Social biography packets, court support, and direct advocacy have transformed what once seemed like solitary battles against overwhelming odds into collective campaigns for justice.

Throughout the episode, Jayadev underscores a powerful lesson: real systemic change doesn’t require waiting for permission or institutional reform. It starts with families and communities refusing to be bystanders and instead inserting themselves into the process—with courage, audacity, and relentless hope. He encourages listeners to find or build participatory defense hubs in their communities, and to believe that even in the face of daunting systems, ordinary people have the power to bend the arc of justice back toward humanity.


Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 282: Raj Jayadev on the Power of Participatory Defense

Today on Everyday Injustice, we revisit a case that has haunted the justice system for nearly half a century—the case of Chief Douglas Stankewitz. Back on the show is attorney Alexandra Cock, who has devoted years to fighting for Chief’s release. Her legal work has uncovered a disturbing pattern of official misconduct, evidentiary irregularities, and racial bias that cast deep doubt on the integrity of the conviction. As someone who was just five years old when Chief went to prison—and is now over 50—I find it unconscionable that this case is still unresolved.

We first covered Chief’s habeas hearings in 2024, which raised compelling questions about forensic evidence, trial testimony, and lost or mishandled evidence. Despite these serious concerns, the judge ultimately denied the habeas petition—mischaracterizing key facts and offering little accountability. With the habeas route closed, Chief’s legal team is now turning to a full re-sentencing hearing and two Racial Justice Act motions that may finally open the door to his release. These motions highlight the deeply racialized context of the prosecution and trial, including the removal of the only Native American juror and inflammatory rhetoric used during sentencing.

In this episode, Alexandra walks us through the latest legal developments and the broader implications of this case. From questions about prosecutorial overreach to the sheer human toll of decades in solitary confinement, we examine what it means when a justice system refuses to correct its mistakes—even in the face of overwhelming evidence. Alexandra’s insights also touch on Chief’s life behind bars, his extraordinary resilience, and the powerful support network rallying for his freedom.

This conversation is not just about one man’s fight for justice—it’s about what kind of society we are willing to be. It asks whether courts are capable of acknowledging past wrongs, and whether political expediency will once again override moral clarity. As we prepare for a critical re-sentencing hearing, this episode serves as both a legal update and a call to action. Because after 47 years in prison, the question isn’t whether Chief deserves freedom—it’s what excuse the system will offer next for denying it.


Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 283 - Still Seeking Justice For Chief Stankewitz

In this week’s episode of Everyday Injustice, host David Greenwald speaks with author and researcher Delani Bartlette about her new book, The Dumond Affair, which unpacks a little-known but profoundly disturbing case that exposed the dangerous collision of criminal justice, politics, and conspiracy theory. At the center of the story is Wayne Dumond, a man convicted of raping a 17-year-old Arkansas cheerleader who happened to be distantly related to then-Governor Bill Clinton. Despite a conviction and sentencing by a jury, Dumond became a cause célèbre among evangelical and right-wing circles who claimed he was a political prisoner — a narrative that ultimately led to his release under Governor Mike Huckabee.

Bartlette traces how Dumond’s wife and a network of evangelical figures, including a powerful Baptist radio preacher, weaponized conspiracy theories to frame Dumond’s imprisonment as a Clinton vendetta. This pressure campaign found a receptive audience in Huckabee, who had benefited politically from that same religious network. When Huckabee took office, he pushed the parole board to release Dumond — despite protests from law enforcement, prosecutors, and the original victim. Tragically, Dumond went on to rape and murder two women in Missouri, a fact that still haunts the case and raises questions about the cost of political intervention in the justice system.

What makes The Dumond Affair so relevant today, Bartlette argues, is its eerie foreshadowing of the disinformation-fueled movements that have come to dominate American politics in the Trump era — from Pizzagate to QAnon to January 6. She connects the dots between 1990s Arkansas, the right-wing media ecosystem that took root there, and the modern conspiracy infrastructure we see now. The same rhetorical strategies and manufactured outrage that once fueled attacks on the Clintons now animate the broader assault on democracy itself.

At its core, the story is also a cautionary tale about the erosion of legal standards when ideology eclipses evidence. As Bartlette emphasizes, the justice system failed not because of a lack of process, but because of pressure to subvert it. From the sheriff who kept Dumond’s testicles in a jar, to the media’s complicity in elevating tabloid claims to national prominence, to the chilling aftermath of Dumond’s release, The Dumond Affair offers a compelling narrative of how justice goes awry — and what that means for our politics today.


Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 284 - The Story of the Dumond Affair

In this episode of Everyday Injustice, we sit  down with Emily Salisbury, Director of the Utah Criminal Justice Center and associate professor in the University of Utah’s College of Social Work. Trained as a criminologist with a background in forensic psychology, Salisbury has spent her career focusing on justice-involved women and the unique pathways that lead them into—and out of—the criminal legal system. Her early mentorship in graduate school, she explains, inspired her to pursue gender-responsive research and advocate for policy reforms that meet women where they are.

Salisbury breaks down why women are the fastest-growing population in U.S. carceral systems, pointing to decades of tough-on-crime policies, mandatory minimums, and drug sentencing laws that disproportionately ensnare economically marginalized women of color. She underscores how trauma, mental illness, and unhealthy relationships often drive women into the system—noting that traditional correctional strategies, built with men in mind, fail to account for these realities. Salisbury stresses that trauma affects women differently than men, often manifesting as internalized harm rather than outward aggression.

A central part of her work has been developing the Women’s Risk Needs Assessment (WRNA), a validated, trauma-informed tool that identifies the specific challenges and strengths of justice-involved women. Unlike traditional assessments, WRNA includes questions on trauma, unhealthy relationships, and personal resilience—offering a more holistic picture of what women need for successful reentry. Salisbury shares how correctional institutions are beginning to embrace gender-responsive probation models and notes the importance of rigorous research, including randomized controlled trials, to ensure these approaches are effective and evidence-based.

The conversation concludes with a powerful takeaway: women in the criminal legal system pose far less risk to public safety than men, yet they continue to be over-incarcerated. Salisbury discusses the broader implications of abolitionist thinking, international models of humane incarceration, and the urgent need to invest in early intervention and community-based support. As Salisbury puts it, the key to justice reform isn’t more surveillance or punishment—but understanding, compassion, and policies that treat people with dignity.


Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 285: Emily Salisbury on Gender-Responsive Justice Reform

andrewbrrininstoolaudio

On this week’s episode of Everyday Injustice, host David Greenwald speaks with Maria Foscarinis, a former Wall Street lawyer who left corporate law in the 1980s to become one of the nation’s leading advocates for homeless rights. Foscarinis, who helped found the National Homelessness Law Center, joins the podcast to discuss her forthcoming book, Housing for All: The Fight to End Homelessness in America. The conversation tracks the roots of the modern homelessness crisis, beginning with the Reagan-era cuts to federal housing programs and continuing through today’s growing reliance on criminalization rather than care.

Foscarinis emphasizes that the United States has faced multiple waves of homelessness—from the explosion in the 1980s to the fallout from the 2008 foreclosure crisis and now the worsening crisis driven by the commodification of housing. Despite increasing visibility and public discourse around homelessness, she argues that the fundamental issue—access to safe, affordable housing—remains unresolved. “Housing is a human right,” Foscarinis insists, referencing both international law and decades of advocacy. The U.S., she notes, has never fully embraced that principle, instead relying on market-driven solutions that leave millions behind.

The episode explores the harmful myths that continue to shape public perception and policy, particularly the idea—originating with Reagan—that homelessness is a choice. Foscarinis addresses the link between homelessness and substance use, cautioning against narratives that blame the individual while ignoring structural failure. She discusses how criminalizing homelessness—through encampment sweeps, arrests, and anti-loitering laws—has become a bipartisan failure, citing the Supreme Court’s Grants Pass decision as a dangerous turning point that has sparked a surge in local anti-homeless ordinances.

Finally, Foscarinis shares powerful stories from her book, including that of Danny, a Denver resident who lost limbs after being forced to live outside in the cold. She urges listeners to move beyond charity and become vocal advocates for systemic change: “Use your voice. Tell your representatives: housing is a human right.” As the episode makes clear, solving homelessness isn’t about removing people from view—it’s about creating a society where everyone has a safe place to live.


Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 287 –Maria Foscarinis on the Fight to End Homelessness

This week on Everyday Injustice, we sat down with Philip Jacobs, the founder and CEO of Rebel Firm, a creative consultancy and production company tackling racial inequity through storytelling, entrepreneurship, and community engagement. Born in Los Angeles but raised across multiple states, including Nebraska and Washington, Jacobs brings a lived understanding of the challenges that shape young Black men in America—and the systems that often limit their potential. His journey from hip-hop artist to author to innovator in racial equity work forms the foundation of Rebel Firm’s mission to help people not just talk about race, but act on it.

Jacobs’ signature project is “Reveal the Elephant,” a board game he created to break down the barriers that often derail meaningful conversations about race. Drawing on childhood memories of family board game nights, Jacobs envisioned a format where people could engage deeply but collaboratively, using prompts to explore topics like white privilege, bias, and systemic injustice. The game challenges participants to reflect on their own experiences and perspectives while earning “peanut points” to gradually uncover a hidden elephant—symbolizing the truths we often ignore. It’s part gamified dialogue, part facilitated self-inquiry, and all about shifting mindsets.

What makes Jacobs’ approach stand out is the balance he strikes between compassion and candor. While he's clear-eyed about white fragility and the backlash to equity efforts, he also believes in creating space for discomfort and growth—without shame. “I’ve learned that even this game is still barely scratching the surface,” Jacobs said. “But I created it to take one more excuse off the table. If someone won’t even play a game to start these conversations, then they’re probably not serious about change.” That insight, delivered without bitterness, underscores his goal: to give people the tools and the courage to confront racism head-on.

Jacobs’ work doesn’t stop at gameplay. His broader message is about building new systems—not just tearing down old ones. Whether through literature, music, or hands-on facilitation, he’s pushing for a culture where people from different backgrounds can learn from each other, challenge their assumptions, and contribute to lasting institutional transformation. As he told host David Greenwald, “We need both approaches—the direct confrontation and the collaborative effort. And most importantly, we need to find where we align, not just where we differ.”


Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 288 - Philip Jacobs on Race, Equity, and the Power of Play

This week on Everyday Injustice, host David Greenwald speaks with Corinna Lane, a former prosecutor and author of the compelling new book Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection. Lane's career took a dramatic turn from prosecution to death penalty advocacy, driven in part by personal experience with the juvenile justice system and a deep awareness of the power prosecutors wield. Her book—and this conversation—dives into one of the darkest, most hidden aspects of the American criminal legal system: the disturbing realities of execution by lethal injection.

Lane explains how the U.S. death penalty system, once perceived to be in decline, has seen a troubling resurgence—even as new death sentences remain low and public support continues to erode, especially among younger generations. As a legal historian, she draws on past political moments, such as the 1990s "tough on crime" era and the Clinton administration's death penalty posturing, to make sense of today's contradictions: states moving away from executions on paper while still pursuing death penalty prosecutions in practice. The United States, she reminds listeners, remains an international outlier among modern democracies when it comes to capital punishment.

In the interview, Lane unpacks the pharmaceutical crisis that upended lethal injection—how European governments and drug companies essentially boycotted U.S. executions by refusing to sell drugs used in state killings. This triggered a cascade of sourcing problems that exposed the deeply flawed, often torturous mechanics behind lethal injection. And when confronted with the common argument—why should we care if people sentenced to death suffer during execution?—Lane responds with a powerful moral and constitutional rebuttal: the Eighth Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishment not for the sake of the condemned, but to preserve the dignity of the society that punishes them.

Finally, the conversation turns to the humanity of those on death row. Lane recounts the story of Brian Dorsey, a Missouri man sentenced to death whose execution was opposed by over 70 prison staff—including two wardens—because of who he had become after nearly two decades of incarceration. Once a man who committed a terrible crime, Dorsey had transformed into a trusted barber in the prison's honor dorm, respected and even liked by the very people charged with guarding him. Lane's insight is clear: the death penalty does not merely punish people for who they were—it ignores who they have become. And that, she argues, is a grave injustice.


Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 289: Hidden Cruelties of Lethal Injection and the Death Penalty

On this episode of Everyday Injustice, host David Greenwald sits down with distinguished Rutgers University professor Todd Clear, a leading scholar on mass incarceration and its social consequences. With a career spanning over five decades, Clear has been at the forefront of research showing how incarceration harms communities, especially in already-disadvantaged neighborhoods. In this deeply reflective conversation, he shares insights from his landmark work Incarceration and Communities and opens up about his intellectual journey—from aspiring prison reformer to abolitionist thinker.

Clear recounts the moment that shifted the trajectory of his career: the 1971 Attica Rebellion, which occurred just as he began graduate school. That event led him to question not only the effectiveness of prison rehabilitation but the very purpose of prisons themselves. Over time, his work evolved into a broader critique of the justice system’s failure to promote community well-being. Rather than making neighborhoods safer, Clear argues, mass incarceration has torn them apart, leaving behind social, emotional, and economic devastation.

Throughout the interview, Clear emphasizes the moral and practical failures of a system that punishes excessively while ignoring rehabilitation and human dignity. He argues for a reimagining of justice—one that centers the health of communities and recognizes that risk is not static. Incarceration, he notes, often continues long after any actual threat has diminished. Education, aging, and personal transformation all suggest that many people currently behind bars no longer pose a danger. “If the reason they’re in prison is us, not them,” Clear states, “then we owe them something better.”

This episode also highlights a crucial but often overlooked point: the growing crisis in rural America. Clear warns that incarceration rates in economically distressed rural communities are now rivaling or surpassing those in urban areas, exacerbating cycles of poverty and political alienation. As public discourse remains focused on urban crime, this rural dimension remains underexplored. In a conversation that spans history, policy, and moral philosophy, Clear calls for bold reforms—and perhaps most urgently, a reckoning with the damage we’ve done in the name of public safety.


Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 290: “The Problem Isn’t the Prison — It’s That It Exists”

On this episode of Everyday Injustice, host David Greenwald speaks with Patrice Sulton, founder of the DC Justice Lab, attorney, professor, and nationally recognized criminal justice reform advocate. As the organization marks its fifth anniversary, Sulton reflects on its origins—launched by law students seeking change in the wake of George Floyd’s murder—and its evolution into a major force for reform in Washington, D.C.

Sulton discusses a pressing dilemma facing the justice reform movement: how to reconcile the “no new jails” movement with the needs of incarcerated D.C. residents, many of whom are housed far from their families due to the city’s lack of statehood. For those serving time under local D.C. laws, proximity to loved ones and more humane conditions are desperately needed, even if it means building a new facility—an idea that conflicts with broader abolitionist aims.

The conversation explores Sulton’s advocacy for data-driven, risk-based firearm policies as an alternative to punitive approaches that often fail to prevent violence. She critiques the superficial success metrics used by law enforcement and highlights the need for a public safety strategy rooted in evidence, equity, and prevention. Sulton also offers pointed insights on the ethical responsibilities of prosecutors, the federal overreach into D.C.'s governance, and the politicization of justice under recent U.S. Attorneys.

Ultimately, Sulton remains hopeful. While acknowledging the cyclical nature of progress and backlash in criminal justice reform, she emphasizes the importance of long-term organizing and movement lawyering. With the D.C. Justice Lab fostering the next generation of advocates, she calls on listeners to get involved, study the issues, and help build a more just and equitable legal system.


Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 291: Patrice Sulton - Inside D.C.’s Broken System

In 1986, Dusty Turner was convicted of 1st degree murder and abduction and sentenced to 82 years in prison in Virginia - a state lagging behind in criminal justice reform and which has no parole.

A former Navy SEAL, Dusty had hooked with a woman one night.  He and his friend, Billy Joe Brown, drove to the Bayou, a nightclub in Virginia Beach, where Jennifer Evans, who was with two female friends, introduced herself to Dusty. At 1:15 am, Jennifer stayed at the bar with Dusty and Billy as her friends left.

Dusty and Jennifer went to Dusty’s car to talk and listen to music until her friends returned. Billy had become intoxicated and was angry he had to wait the ride that Dusty secured for him. A few minutes before 2 am, Billy came to Dusty’s car and went into the back seat behind Jennifer, still inebriated. Billy made a few crude comments and with his right hand touched her shoulder or hair which she smacked away. Billy lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her neck in a maneuver that killed her instantly.

A quirk in the VIrginia state law has left Dusty Turner with only avenue - his only chance left is clemency from the Governor of Virginia. Dusty currently has a petition of conditional pardon being considered by Governor Northam's administration.

Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 21 - Dusty Turner Wrongly Convicted in a Bad Virginia System

In 2017, Larry Krasner, a lifelong defense and civil rights attorney stunned the world by winning election to DA of Philadelphia and in so doing transformed the criminal justice system not only in his own city, but launched a movement across the country for progressive reform.

He has seen tremendous progress but also seen the system attempt to push back against these changes.

Listen as he talks about his two years in Philadelphia.  He told Everyday Injustice that one of the biggest problems in the criminal justice system is that it doesn't account for people changing.  As Bryan Stephenson has said, each of us is “more than the worst thing we’ve done” and we have a tremendous capacity for change - something that the current system doesn't take into account enough.

Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 39 - Larry Krasner and the Progressive Prosecution Movement

Buta Biberai was elected last year as Commonwealth Attorney in Loudon County Virginia.  She ran as the progressive reformer and became the first new top prosecutor in 16 years. 

Criminal justice reform looks a bit different in suburban Virginia, what has traditionally been more red but has over time shifted.

We talk about the issues and challenges of reform in Virginia and it how it differs from other places that we have spoken about.

Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 52 - Virginia Prosecutor Buta Biberaj

Anand Jon Alexander was a rising star in the fashion industry in 2007 when he was arrested and ultimately convicted of one count of rape and many counts of lesser sexual offenses. Although there were no injuries on anyone and he had no history of violence, he was sentenced to 59 years to life in prison.

He has spent over 13 years in prison and barely survived a racial hate crime stabbing in 2019. He is suing the State of California for an undisclosed amount.

Joining Everyday Injustice is attorney Tim Milner, who has been working on the Commutation case.

Attorney Tim Milner explained that he has been a lawyer for 40 years and usually tends to shy away from scandalous sex cases, but this was an exceptional case. “This man is innocent,” he said.  “He also had one of the worst trials that I’ve seen.”  He noted that he has done at least 80 trials and “this guy did not get a fair shake."

Also joining is Amy Povah, from the CAN-DO foundation.  

Amy Povah herself served nine years in prison before President Bill Clinton commuted her sentence—a 24-year sentence for conspiracy charges in a high profile MDMA (Ecstasy) case dating back to 1989.  She now serves as an advocate for mostly federal clemency cases.

She was involved in the three most recent commutations by President Trump.

“What concerns me about Anand,” she said, is that “clemency is about mercy.  So many people receive clemency who are not innocent… The sentence he received is so disproportionate to a normal case with the same allegations.  He was convicted on very thin evidence.”

One of the incarcerated people on Anand Jon's yard also joins the show to discuss conditions at Donavan under the specter of COVID-19.

Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 59 - the Wrongful Conviction of Anand Jon Alexander

In January Alec Karakatsanis argued before the Supreme Court of California on the need to end cash bail in the Humphrey case.

The civil rights lawyer, social justice advocate founder and Executive Director of Civil Rights Corps, a Washington D.C. impact litigation nonprofit. 

Listen as Alec discusses with Everyday Injustice about the Humphrey case and injustice of cash bail.

Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 95: Alec Karakatsanis on Bail Reform and Humphrey Case

Davis Vanguard Podcast will be covering criminal justice reform, mass incarceration, wrongful convictions, and more.

Vanguard News Group

Pinned to spotlight

Popular tracks