The growing movement to regulate prison phone costs and make calls free is discussed as a criminal justice reform effort.
Griner discusses her interest in advocating for prison reform in the US after her experience in the Russian penal system.
Issues like mandatory minimums, racial disparities, and the growing costs of mass incarceration are explored.
The progressive prosecutor movement is contextualized as part of broader efforts to reform America's criminal justice system.
The episode extensively discusses the Illinois bill replacing the term "offender" with "justice-impacted individual" and its implications for normalizing crime and releasing dangerous criminals.
The podcast episodes cover a range of topics related to criminal justice reform, including efforts to address cash bail, mandatory minimums, racial disparities, prison conditions, and the need for more rehabilitative and restorative approaches.
Several episodes highlight the work of progressive prosecutors and the backlash they face from tough-on-crime critics, as well as the potential for criminal justice reform to be a political flashpoint. Other episodes explore issues like the high cost of prison phone calls, wrongful convictions, and the failures of the war on drugs.
The episodes provide context on the broader debates and reform efforts around the criminal justice system in the United States.