Fixing broken prisons, with Mike Thompson

What this episode covers

Prisons are meant to keep communities safe. But what happens when the prisons themselves aren't functioning properly? Staffing in America's prisons has become one of the biggest problems facing the justice system. Recruiting and retaining officers is increasingly hard, and the impact reaches far beyond the prison walls. Jennifer Doleac talks to Mike Thompson from the Keystone Restituere Center for Justice. It’s a Pennsylvania-based policy and research organisation that works with correctional agencies across the country to improve how prisons are run, using data and evidence rather than ideology to drive change. Keystone Restituere Center is in part funded by a grant from Arnold Ventures 
Field Notes is the podcast that dives into the details behind some of the most interesting ideas in improving public safety. In this series, hosts Jennifer Doleac, Julie James, and Kevin Ring are talking to the researchers, practitioners and innovators from all sides who are actually making America safer, wrestling with some of the hardest problems in our society. 

Field Notes is an Indio Media Production for Arnold Ventures © 2026 Arnold Ventures. All rights reserved.

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