Rethinking Crime, Trauma, and Justice Ft. Fritzi Horstman w/Anita Nowak - Purposeful Empathy

What if prisons were trauma-informed? In this special series devoted to widening our circle of empathy for people who often feel marginalized or misunderstood, watch this thought-provoking episode featuring Fritzi Horstman, Founder and Executive Director of the Compassion Prison Project.Fritzi shares why she’s on a mission to transform prisons into spaces of healing, accountability, and hope: After discovering she scored 8/10 on the Adverse Childhood Experiences scale, she realized nearly every criminal act of harm could be traced back to unaddressed trauma. She also discusses her film Step Inside the Circle, Trauma Talks, and the first-ever trauma-informed prison yard in California.Together, we discuss:Why unprocessed childhood trauma drives cycles of violence How emotional regulation and self-awareness can interrupt those cyclesEvidence that trauma-informed programs reduce violence inside prisons and in the communities that former prisons return toHow trauma-informed empathy turns shame into self-compassion and self-worthThis conversation invites us to imagine a world where healing is the foundation of criminal justice.00:00 Preview00:38 Introduction 02:32 About Fritzi Horstman04:32 Fritzi’s backstory09:26 What are Adverse Childhood Experiences?16:11 The biggest myths about criminals and prisoners 21:29 What is the Compassion Prison Project?28:18 Why awareness is key to breaking cycles of violence31:26 What happens to a person's identity inside prison 36:05 The role of self-worth in breaking cycles of violence40:39 Why is community the most powerful antidote to trauma?43:39 What is the single most effective practice to end cycles of harm across generations?48:49 Veterans Behind Bars: a short film53:32 Role of empathy in transforming a broken prison system56:09 Fritzi Horstman’s Purposeful Empathy storyCONNECT WITH FRITZI✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/fritzi-horstman-47508735/✩ Instagram www.instagram.com/fritzihorstman/✩ Organization https://compassionprisonproject.org/✩ Donation Link https://compassionprisonproject.org/donate/FRITZI’S WORK✩ Step Inside the Circle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVxjuTkWQiE✩ Veterans Behind Bars https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33290463/✩ The Defiant Ones https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6958022/✩Trauma Talks https://thewisdomoftrauma.com/trauma-talks-compassionate-prisons/CONNECT WITH ANITA✩ Email [email protected] ✩ Website https://www.anitanowak.com✩ Buy a copy of Purposeful Empathy http://tiny.cc/PurposefulEmpathyCA✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitanowak/✩ Instagram https://tinyurl.com/anitanowakinstagram✩ Podcast Audio https://tinyurl.com/PurposefulEmpathyPodcast✩ Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/anitanowak.bsky.socialSHOW NOTES✩ The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing https://tinyurl.com/ymvwxeah ✩ What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing https://www.amazon.com/What-Happened-You-Understanding-Resilience/dp/1250223180✩ Adverse Childhood Experience Framework https://compassionprisonproject.org/aces/✩ Above/Below the Line Behavior Model https://brenebrown.com/resources/above-below-the-line/✩ Strong Ground: The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox, and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit https://www.amazon.com/Strong-Ground-Lessons-Leadership-Tenacity/dp/1984855743✩ Prisons are a Public-Safety Hazard https://compassionprisonproject.org/prisons-are-a-public-safety-hazard/Video edited by Jad Misri, Green Horizon Studio