PODCAST · society
HABITUAL
by Colorado Radio for Justice
HABITUAL is a podcast from Colorado Radio for Justice - told by someone who survived it. Herbert Alexander served 14 years in Colorado prisons, labeled a "habitual offender" under the state's three-strikes law, which can increase sentences exponentially even for nonviolent crimes. Against all odds, Herbert got himself free. Now, he's telling his story, and he's investigating habitual statutes across the United States that fuel mass incarceration and alter the lives of thousands of people.HABITUAL traces the history, power, and consequences of habitual statutes through Herbert’s deeply personal story. Alongside co-hosts Seth Ready and Ryan Conarro, Herbert interviews his mother, his wife, and his son. He returns to the scene of his final crime. And he sits down with lawmakers, historians, victims and their advocates, and families who live with the lasting impacts of the law. Along the way, he stumbles upon the shocking, dark origin story of the law across 49 states. It all adds up to
Episodes
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Episode 5: Past & Future: Going Back to the Bank
Now a free man, Herbert returns to the scene of his crime, reflecting on accountability and his unresolved desire to apologize. The episode confronts the uncertain possible futures of those impacted by the habitual offender statute. Finally, Herbert invites a special guest into the radio studio,...
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Episode 4: An Unlikely Appeal
A chronicle of Herbert Alexander’s transformation while he’s incarcerated - including his dogged work as a self-taught "jailhouse lawyer" and his role in launching a groundbreaking prison radio station. Against all odds, Herbert successfully files a 35(c) motion and secures an evidentiary…
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Episode 3: The Dark Truth
This episode uncovers the chilling, hidden history of habitual offender statutes in the United States. Attorney and legal historian Daniel Loehr reveals how these laws were originally championed by the 1920s eugenics movement in a racist effort to prevent reproduction by people deemed “habitual...
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Episode 2: The Law’s Flaws
Herbert Alexander, until recently incarcerated as a “habitual offender,” invites Colorado legislators and legal experts to catalogue numerous systemic problems with three-strikes laws, including disproportionate impacts on minority communities, inequitable use by prosecutors, and exponential...
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Episode 1: Three Strikes
In the United States, habitual offender laws have contributed to decades-long sentences for thousands - many of whom committed nonviolent crimes. The law is often referred to in prison simply as “the bitch.” In this episode, the Colorado Radio for Justice team breaks down Colorado’s version of…
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Trailer | HABITUAL
HABITUAL is a podcast from Colorado Radio for Justice. Herbert Alexander was labeled by the state as a "habitual criminal." Now, he pulls back the curtain on three-strikes laws in Colorado and across the U.S. With co-hosts Seth Ready and Ryan Conarro, Herbert shares his story, and he unfolds a...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
HABITUAL is a podcast from Colorado Radio for Justice - told by someone who survived it. Herbert Alexander served 14 years in Colorado prisons, labeled a "habitual offender" under the state's three-strikes law, which can increase sentences exponentially even for nonviolent crimes. Against all odds, Herbert got himself free. Now, he's telling his story, and he's investigating habitual statutes across the United States that fuel mass incarceration and alter the lives of thousands of people.HABITUAL traces the history, power, and consequences of habitual statutes through Herbert’s deeply personal story. Alongside co-hosts Seth Ready and Ryan Conarro, Herbert interviews his mother, his wife, and his son. He returns to the scene of his final crime. And he sits down with lawmakers, historians, victims and their advocates, and families who live with the lasting impacts of the law. Along the way, he stumbles upon the shocking, dark origin story of the law across 49 states. It all adds up to
HOSTED BY
Colorado Radio for Justice
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