Today's guest is Sister Helen Prejean, a Catholic nun famous for her activism against the death penalty. In the early 1980s, Prejean met a prisoner on death row—Elmo Patrick Sonnier—after an activist asked her to write him a letter. She served as Sonnier's spiritual adviser and accompanied him to his death, which inspired her work against capital punishment. Her 1993 book, Dead Man Walking, was made into a movie starring Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon, who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Prejean. Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally also created a highly regarded opera of the same name.

Reason's Billy Binion spoke with Prejean about growing up in the segregated South, her opposition to the death penalty, how she connects with crime victims, and her response to Christians who believe the death penalty is just.

0:00—Introduction
1:15—Dead Man Walking and being a spiritual adviser
4:40—Sister Prejean's death row counseling
11:52—Robert Lee Willie and Faith Hathaway
18:45—Advocating for "unpopular" people
29:20—Marcellus Williams
33:09—Would Prejean support the death penalty even if absolute certainty was possible?
34:48—Faith-based activism and "loving your enemy"
40:07—Being truly "pro-life"
42:29—Navigating tribalism
44:29—Calling on the church to embrace feminism and LGBTQ inclusivity
47:07—Prejean's personal history and Vatican II reforms
51:40—Falling in love with a priest despite a vow of celibacy
56:42—The biggest threat in the world now

Subscribe at YouTube: http://youtube.com/reasontv
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Reason.Magazine
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/reason
Visit the archive: https://reason.com/tags/reason-podcast


Helen Prejean: Why This Nun Is Fighting To End the Death Penalty

Lauren sits down with Haley, an Ashworth College graduate and this year’s Graduate of the Year winner, to chat about his journey. Haley talks to us about why he chose to get his criminal justice degree from Ashworth, what it was like going to college online, and how he landed his first job out of college as a paralegal. He tells us how he stayed motivated, set goals, and made frequent use of Ashworth's learner resources. Plus, he offers some great advice for anyone thinking about going back to school and talks about what’s next for him—including applying to law school!

Interested in criminal justice? Learn more about Ashworth's BS in Criminal Justice:
https://www.ashworthcollege.edu/bachelors-degrees/online-criminal-justice-degree/

Read our interview with Haley on the Ashworth blog:
https://www.ashworthcollege.edu/blog/2024-ashworth-college-online-graduate-interview/

Interview with Ashworth College Graduate of the Year Winner, Haley Yegorov

Of the many rallies at the state Capitol on Tuesday March 4, two contrasting ones stand out. The first involved hundreds of striking correction officers and their supporters standing in front of the capitol calling for better working conditions in the state’s prisons, starting with more staffing, less mandatory overtime, and the repeal of the HALT act which restricts the use of solitary confinement. While the Governor thought that a deal to end the illegal wildcat strike had been reached by March 7, including reviewing potential changes to the Halt Act, the union blocked it on the grounds that they had not been consulted. On Tuesday inside the Capitol, prison reform advocates called to enact several bills in response to the recent killings of two inmates by upstate correction officers – Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi. We hear from several state legislators – Assemblymembers Latrice Walker, Eddie Gibbs, and Anne Kelles, and Senator Julia Salazar. This was Mark Dunlea for the Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

Groups Call For Justice for Two Murdered Inmates

This week's guest is Rachel Barkow, a professor of law at New York University and the author of the book Justice Abandoned: How the Supreme Court Ignored the Constitution and Enabled Mass Incarceration, which was just released this month.

Barkow and Reason's Billy Binion talked about the importance of the presidential pardon power—which is a controversial topic these days, after former President Joe Biden used it to preemptively pardon Anthony Fauci and members of his own family, and President Donald Trump used it to pardon January 6 defendants, some of whom were convicted of assaulting law enforcement. They also discussed Barkow's view that certain Supreme Court precedents around criminal justice are alarming for anyone who cares about the Constitution and individual liberty. Finally, they chatted about what it was like for her to clerk for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia—as a Democrat.

0:00 — Introduction

1:03 — Presidential pardon power under Biden and Trump

9:35 — Biden's "clumsy" end-of-term pardons

13:03 — Trump's January 6 pardons

18:55 — Historical context for pardon power

24:20 — Philip Esformes' pardon limbo

30:07 — Ford's commission on Vietnam War draft dodgers

33:15 — Pardon power and the death penalty

37:57 — Barlow's new book, Justice Abandoned

41:45 — Coercive plea bargaining

57:17 — "Repeat offenders" in the news

1:05:18 — Barkow's clerkship with Scalia

1:15:42 — The biggest misconception about the Supreme Court

Subscribe at YouTube: http://youtube.com/reasontv
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Reason.Magazine
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/reason
Visit the archive: https://reason.com/tags/reason-podcast


Rachel Barkow: Did Trump and Biden Turn Pardons Into a Corrupt Joke?

Suffolk Corrections Union President Lou Viscusi Joins LI Patriot Radio to discuss the state of corrections, the HALT Act, Bail Reform and other criminal justice policies in NYS 

Suffolk Corrections Union President Lou Viscusi Joins LI Patriot Radio

In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch discuss how President Donald Trump is de-prioritizing due process by not adhering to a ruling from the Supreme Court. They also talk about how Harvard University's tax status could be in jeopardy and reflect on the legacy of Pope Francis.

0:00—Introduction

0:12—The Pope's legacy

5:56—Is the democracy emergency here?

15:27—Deportations without due process

29:19—Harvard funding pause

41:25—Weekly listener question

48:11—Lightning round: What's happening at the Pentagon? What's going on with tariffs now? And what's next for AI?

54:33—Weekly cultural recommendations

Today's sponsors:

Join the 2025 Great Connections Seminar in Chicago, July 26–Aug 2.  Designed for students 16–24, this week-long experience builds the core skills of entrepreneurship: critical thinking, persuasive communication, and intellectual independence. This year's theme, "Reason and Free Will," explores great minds like Aristotle, Ayn Rand, and Jefferson—not through lectures, but in dynamic, small-group discussions that train students to lead and innovate. Outside the classroom, they'll tour Chicago's museums, try improv, and connect with ambitious peers. In a world of AI and automation, original thinking is your competitive edge. Tuition is just $800, including room and board.  Scholarships available. Apply today at www.reliancecollege.org/reason

Therapy can feel like a big investment, but the state of your mind is just as important as your physical health. Let's talk numbers. Traditional in-person therapy can cost anywhere from $100 to $250 per session, which adds up fast, but with BetterHelp online therapy, you can save, on average, up to 50% per session. With BetterHelp, you pay a flat fee for weekly sessions, saving you big on cost and time. Therapy should feel accessible, not like a luxury. With online therapy, you get quality care at a price that makes sense and can help you with anything from anxiety to everyday stress. Your mental health is worth it—and now, it's within reach. With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 5 million people globally. It's convenient, too. You can join a session with the click of a button, helping you fit therapy into your busy life. Plus, switch therapists at any time. Your well-being is worth it. Visit betterhelp.com/roundtable today to get 10% off your first month.

Subscribe at YouTube: http://youtube.com/reasontv
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Reason.Magazine
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/reason
Visit the archive: https://reason.com/tags/reason-podcast


Why Due Process Matters

Nicole O’Byrne speaks with Wayne Sumner about his book, Prairie Justice: The Hanging of Mike Hack.

Prairie Justice explores the 1928 murder of George Edey in Saskatchewan and the swift conviction and execution of Mike Hack, a deaf and mentally disabled farmhand. Denied clemency, Hack was hanged in 1929 at the age of twenty-seven. Author Wayne Sumner traces the case from investigation to execution, drawing on personal family ties to the story. Through this gripping account, the book sheds light on broader issues in Canada's criminal justice system, including unfitness to stand trial, the insanity defence, ineffective legal representation, and the risk of wrongful convictions—ultimately exposing how justice can fail the poor and marginalized.

Wayne Sumner is a university professor emeritus in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Toronto.

Image Credit: University of Toronto Press  

If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.

Prairie Justice: The Hanging of Mike Hack

Today's guest is John Arnold—the former Enron wunderkind turned billionaire philanthropist who's determined to hack America's most expensive and least accountable public sector systems in areas such as criminal justice, education, and pensions. (Fun fact: He was once called "the most hated man in pensionland" by Governing magazine due to his reform efforts.)

Reason's Nick Gillespie and Arnold talk about why public pensions are so out of control and how to fix them; how Medicare squeezes billions of unnecessary dollars out of taxpayers; and how Enron scammed its investors not despite regulations but in full view of them. And they discuss why, despite all the country's problems, Arnold is still betting on America to get better, not worse.

Subscribe at YouTube: http://youtube.com/reasontv
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Reason.Magazine
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/reason
Visit the archive: https://reason.com/tags/reason-podcast


John Arnold: Government Can’t Be Trusted To Fix Any Problems

On May 28, opponents of mass incarceration such as Vocal NY, Release Aging People in Prison, and New Hour for Women and Children were back at the State Capitol pushing for various criminal justice reform related to parole. Bills being promoted were The Challenging Wrongful Convictions Act (S6319 & A7422), Elder Parole (S454/A514), Fair & Timely Parole (S159/A127),  Earned Time (S342/A1085) and Second Look (S158/A1283). We hear from Assemblymember Demond Meeks; Thomas Gant of the Center for Community Alternatives; and Assemblymember Harvey Epstein. By Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

Capitol Rally Against Mass Incarceration

Innocent until proven guilty is known as a core value of the criminal justice system in this country, one that many of us often heard in Civics and American history class growing up. However, in reality, the presumption of innocence is only a trial right. The problem with that?  The problem with? Only 3% of cases actually go to trial;  almost everyone else takes a plea deal, which means that this core American value falls short of many people's reality in the U.S. criminal justice system. Today, through one woman's story, we'll take you through that system and explore how it works both for and against the principle of innocent until proven guilty.

By Arundathi Nair

Music from Bluedot Sessions


American Myths Part 2: Innocent Until Proven Guilty

Hudson Mohawk Magazine is a local volunteer-produced news hour that provides sanctuary for the discussion of a wide range of topics, scaling from the global to the hyper-local. The show is broadcasted from The Sanctuary for Independent Media on WOOC 105.3 FM.

Thanks to listeners like you, the Sanctuary is able to use art and participatory action to promote social and environmental justice and freedom of creative expression.

Founded in 1968, Reason is the planet's leading source of news, politics, and culture from a libertarian perspective. Our podcast offerings include:

The Reason Roundtable
Every Monday, the libertarian editors of the magazine of “Free Minds and Free Markets”—Matt Welch, Nick Gillespie, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Peter Suderman—discuss and debate the week’s biggest stories and what fresh hell awaits us all.

The Reason Interview with Nick Gillespie
Want to know what comes next in politics, culture, and libertarian ideas? Reason’s Nick Gillespie hosts relentlessly interesting interviews with the activists, artists, authors, entrepreneurs, newsmakers, and politicians who are defining the 21st century.

The Soho Forum Debates
Reason presents a libertarian-themed debate series recorded monthly before a live audience in New York City. Moderated by former Barron's Economics Editor Gene Epstein, the Soho Forum features Nobel prize winners, radical thinkers, and other public intellectuals facing off over the future of bitcoin, veganism, sex work, illegal drugs, electric vehicles, abortion, robotics, government debt, and other controversial topics.

Immerse yourself in Canada’s history! Witness to Yesterday episodes take listeners on a journey to document a time in Canada’s past and explore the people behind it, its significance, and its relevance to today. If you like our work, please consider supporting it: https://bit.ly/support_WTY. To learn more about the Society and Canada’s history, subscribe to our newsletter at https://bit.ly/news_WTY.

The Peninsula Press is a multimedia site powered by the Stanford Journalism Program. Student reporters cover news beats in two Silicon Valley counties: Santa Clara & San Mateo.

New tracks tagged #criminal justice