Episode 26 - Part Six: How Do Criminal Courts Work?

Today we continue exploring how criminal courts work. We start by building off of last episode's discussion about the prohibitive cost of jail/prison phone calls with good news that Minnesota is making calls in its state prisons free. To learn more about that, check out Worth Rises: https://worthrises.org/pressreleases/minnesota-connecting-families-win. We then skip ahead in the criminal court process to talk a little bit about the reentry process and how incarceration sets people up for a very difficult road in reintegrating into society. As an example, I talk about Mary Henderson-Uloho, who was featured in the latest season of the tv show Queer Eye. Mary was incarcerated for about 12 years, followed by another 12 years on parole. She is the founder of Sister Hearts (www.sisterhearts.org), which helps formerly incarcerated people through the reentry process. Mary's story is inspirational and educational; I highly encourage listeners to watch her Queer Eye episode. You can also learn more about Mary through the Atlantic-award-winning short film "Women After Prison" (https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/591364/sister-hearts/). You can also follow Mary on instagram @maryamuloho. I also mention an article I wrote for Well + Good about the unlikely connections between the wellness industry and prison abolition, which you can read here: https://www.wellandgood.com/wellness-prison-abolition/