Judith Browne Dianis is the Executive Director of the Advancement Project. Judith joined host Josie Duffy Rice to talk about her reading recommendations.

For show notes and more information please check out theappeal.org.

Judith Browne Dianis’ Book Recommendation

In this bonus episode, Josie Duffy Rice and her co-host Derecka Purnell talk to Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein, the creators of College Behind Bars. College Behind Bars, which was directed by Novick and produced by Botstein, is a four-episode documentary series about the Bard Prison Initiative, one of the most innovative and challenging prison education programs in the country. Josie and Derecka talk to Sarah and Lynn about the years they spent making the film, what they learned, and the future of prison education in America.

For transcripts please visit theappeal.org

College Behind Bars with Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein

On this episode of Justice in America, Josie Duffy Rice and her co-host Derecka Purnell talk about education in prisons. They'll discuss the impact of having access to education, the dire lack of available programming, and what happened to prison education after the 1994 crime bill.  They're joined by Dyjuan Tatro and Wesley Caines, alumni of the Bard Prison Initiative. The Bard Prison Initiative is a college program offered through Bard College in six New York State prisons. It's also the subject of a critically acclaimed new documentary series on PBS, called College Behind Bars. 

For transcripts and more information please visit theappeal.org.

Photo Credit: Getty Images
Prisoners learn how to code as part of a program at San Quentin prison in San Quentin, California.

Episode 29: Schools in Prison

Wesley Caines is the Chief of Staff at the Bronx Defenders and an alum of the Bard Prison Initiative or BPI, and Dyjuan Tatro works at the Bard Prison Initiative as their Government Affairs Officer and he’s also an alumnus of the program. 

Wes and Dyjuan joined host Josie Duffy Rice to talk about their reading recommendations.

For show notes and more information please check out theappeal.org.

Dyjuan Tatro and Wes Caines’ Book Recommendations

Director Lynn Novick and Producer Sarah Botstein, the creators of College Behind Bars, join hosts Josie Duffy Rice and Derecka Purnell to discuss their book recommendations.  

For show notes and more information, please check out theappeal.org.

Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein's Book Recommendations

Justice in America is a podcast for everyone interested in criminal justice reform— from those new to the system to experts who want to know more. Each episode we cover a new criminal justice issue. We explain how it works and look at its impact on people, particularly poor people and people of color. We’ll also interview activists, practitioners, experts, journalists, organizers, and others, to learn. By the end of the episode, you’ll walk away with a better understanding of what drives mass incarceration and what can fix it.

Season 3, we’ll be discussing everything from police accountability, to forensic science, to probation and parole, and we’ll talk to leaders in this field, including those that have been directly impacted. 

Host: 
Josie Duffy Rice, writer, lawyer, and President of The Appeal, a news outlet that produces original journalism about the criminal justice system.

Guest co-hosts:
Darnell Moore, author of "No Ashes in the Fire", a critically acclaimed memoir of growing up black and queer in New Jersey.

Donovan X. Ramsey, journalist and the author of "When Crack Was King", a forthcoming history of the crack epidemic. 

Derecka Purnell, organizer, writer, lawyer, and the Deputy Director of the Spirit of Justice Center.

Zak Cheney Rice, journalist at New York Magazine who covers race and politics

Justice In America