The FreeHer Podcast

Andrea James, Founder & Executive Director of The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls and host of the FreeHer Podcast, breaks down how conspiracy charges, mandatory minimums, and the drug war have devastated women, families, and entire communities. This conversation connects lived experience to policy: why prisons dehumanize, what abolition actually means, and what “accountability without cages” can look like.Links mentioned/referenced in the episode:The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and GirlsFreeHer Campaign (National Council)The New Jim Crow (Michelle Alexander) (book referenced in discussion)FCI Dublin closure context (referred to in episode) ⏰ Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:56 Who Andrea James is 06:57 “Upper bunkie” + what prison looked like11:04 Sentenced while breastfeeding + the court’s callousness14:20 Conspiracy charges + mandatory minimums (why women get 10 years)18:52 “Fight for dignity” inside women’s prisons22:10 The New Jim Crow + the roots of mass incarceration25:24 Abolition ≠ no accountability27:32 Decriminalizing drugs as public health29:22 “Closest to the problem, closest to the solutions.”32:42 Language shift: “incarcerated mother” vs “inmate.”36:14 Where “FreeHer” came from + movement originFollow the FreeHer Movement on InstagramLearn more about the movement 🔗 Learn more

Most of what we’re told about crime, public safety, and policing is shaped by police and media propaganda. In this episode of the FreeHer Podcast, civil rights lawyer Alec Karakatsanis breaks down how the police and media manipulate our fear of crime, who actually benefits, and what real community safety looks like.This conversation exposes the deeper harms like pollution, wage theft, and corporate crime that never make the news.Alec Karakatsanis is the founder and executive director of Civil Rights Corps and author of Propaganda: How the Police and Media Manipulate Our News. Hosted by Andrea James, founder of the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls.🌐 Learn more about Alec’s work:Civil Rights Corps: https://www.civilrightscorps.orgRight to Hug Campaign: https://righttohug.orgStop LAPD Spying Coalition: https://www.stoplapdspying.org📚 Books by Alec Karakatsanis:Propaganda: How the Police and Media Manipulate Our NewsUsual Cruelty: The Complicity of Lawyers in the Criminal Injustice System📲 Follow Alec:@EqualityAlec on social mediaFollow the FreeHer Movement on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/thecouncilus?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==Learn more about the movement 🔗 Learn more: https://www.nationalcouncil.us | freehercampaign.org

Cash bail isn’t about safety it’s about money. In this FreeHer episode, Andrea James sits with Jasmine Borges (Massachusetts Bail Fund) and Rena Kafa Johnson (FWD.us) to break down how pretrial detention punishes poverty, why “dangerousness hearings” expand incarceration, and what actually keeps communities safe. We talk real numbers, real harms, and real solutions, including bail funds, clemency, and bringing our people home.Massachusetts Bail Fund: https://www.massbailfund.org/Families for Justice as Healing: https://www.justiceashealing.org/Learn about the FreeHer Campaign: https://www.nationalcouncil.us/clemency-works

At 17 years old, straight-A student Michelle Pearson was sentenced to life without parole and spent 34 years in prison. In this episode of the FreeHer Podcast, Andrea James talks with Michelle and Dr. Raf about juvenile life without parole, the science of the adolescent brain, and why the U.S. keeps sentencing Black children, especially Black girls, to die in prison.We talk about Miller v. Alabama, reentry after decades inside, and what it really means to say, “We’re not free until we’re all free.”🔗 Learn more: https://www.nationalcouncil.us | freehercampaign.org

In this powerful episode, Andrea James speaks with law professor Cortney Lollar, author of Empty Pockets and Empty Promises, and justice advocates Tanya Pierce and Mary Kay Rogers about how federal restitution law traps women in lifelong debt even after they’ve served their time.💡 Learn more about the FreeHer Campaign:🔗 https://www.nationalcouncil.us/clemency-works

In this episode of the FreeHer Podcast, Andrea James speaks with a formerly incarcerated woman who shares her powerful story of survival, injustice, and transformation.At 24, she was arrested, charged with operating a drug production facility, and held on $500,000 bail despite being innocent. She ultimately pleaded guilty to go home.This conversation exposes the broken systems of incarceration, bail, and reentry—and why the FreeHer Campaign is fighting for real change.📢 We don’t need more prisons. We need justice.🕯️ Learn about our upcoming 3-day vigil and how you can get involved: https://www.freehercampaign.org

Is artificial intelligence and surveillance reshaping the future of justice and abolition? And is it already impacting our freedom? In this episode of the FreeHer Podcast, Andrea James sits down with Nick from the Fund for Guaranteed Income to unpack the truth about We talk about bias in AI tools, surveillance threats, data ethics, and why abolitionist communities must shape the future of these technologies before they’re used against us.📢 The future of AI is not set in stone. We deserve a say.🧠 Learn how grassroots organizers and formerly incarcerated leaders can influence AI, and how you can use tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude to empower—not oppress—your work.🔗 Mentioned in the episode:https://www.f4gi.org (Fund for Guaranteed Income)https://collectiveintelligenceproject.org

At 14, Fatiha (aka Bam Bam) was a basketball star with dreams of Tennessee. By the age of 17, she was serving a 10-year prison sentence. In this powerful episode of the FreeHer Podcast, she shares how trauma, abuse, betrayal, and a broken system stole her childhood and how she’s now reclaiming her voice. This is a story about survival, injustice, and the fight to be heard.⏱️ Timestamps00:00 A Troubled Beginning00:19 The Turning Point00:41 A Father's Influence00:58 The Descent into Violence01:19 Life in the System01:59 Introducing Bam Bam02:37 A Tale of Two Lives04:20 The Double Life09:37 The Gang Life11:12 The Setup13:56 Facing the Consequences16:01 Legal Troubles17:24 A Troubled Youth and Legal Struggles17:55 A Relationship Turns Violent20:58 Facing the Consequences22:25 Life in Prison and Finding Support25:17 Reflections and Personal Growth29:18 Advocacy and Future Goals

In this episode of the FreeHer Podcast, Andrea James sits down with former MA State Representative Jonathan Hecht to expose the deep-rooted secrecy in the Massachusetts legislature.🗳️ 72% of voters approved Question 1 to audit the legislature, but Beacon Hill is resisting.We uncover how legislative pay, leadership control, and ignored public hearings are silencing change and locking out grassroots movements.✊ The FreeHer Podcast is where lived experience meets policy reform. This conversation breaks down what’s really happening on Beacon Hill—and what you can do about it.🔗 Coalition Website: https://malegreform.org📅 People's Hearing on June 17th @ Church on the Hill (Boston, MA)

This episode of the FreeHer Podcast exposes how pregnancy is criminalized in the U.S. carceral system — from abortion bans to forced contraception and inhumane treatment.Featuring Dr. Grace Howard, author of The Pregnancy Police, and Kimberly Haven, reproductive justice advocate and formerly incarcerated leader, we dive deep into the policies, language, and lived experiences shaping this hidden war on reproductive rights.Get Dr. Howard's Book https://amzn.to/3H7u37j

The Trump administration has floated a shocking idea: sending incarcerated U.S. citizens to El Salvador’s infamous mega-prison. NYU Law Professor Rachel Barkow joins the FreeHer Podcast to break down this proposal's legal and constitutional dangers — and what it means for due process, citizenship rights, and the future of democracy in America.🔎 We explore: The Supreme Court's silence and limits    •    Due process violations and mass incarcerationThe terrifying precedent of punishing citizens abroad📚 Featuring insights from Barkow’s book Justice Abandoned, this episode is a must-watch for anyone concerned about constitutional rights, mass incarceration, and government overreach.Get Rachel's Book Here 👉 https://geni.us/nBrEYa7Follow us on IG:https://www.instagram.com/thecouncilus/

Andrea James sits down with Eric to discuss his wife Brittany Martin and the unjust arrest and incarceration of her at a peaceful protest. Brittany Martin, the South Carolina activist who was arrested at a protest following the police murder of George Floyd in 2020, has been released after serving years in prison. The S.C. Department of Corrections released Ms. Martin on November 27 2024, just in time to spend Thanksgiving with her husband and children.

Andrea James interviews hit TV show writer and creator Piper Kerman. Piper and Andrea both share their experience incarnated at Dublin. Although they were not there at the same time the bonds created while incarcerated transcended into a real life sisterhood. After the traumas experienced while incarcerated both individuals set out in their own way to spread the awareness of women's prisons and how women are being treated unfairly and forgotten by society. As an abolitionist Andrea's goal is to end incarceration of women and girls around the world. To support go to www.freeherinstitute.com

Andrea James sits down with Ray Harts founder of Healthy Hearts Institute to discuss reimagining communities and what it could look like for future generations. Ray Harts is a Husband, Father, Son and community member that served time in San Quentin. As a formerly incarcerated individual he has founded an organization dedicated to changing his community and other communities that are disproportionately disadvantaged. Andrea and Ray share the same vision of reimagining the communities that are underserved and targeted by the system of incarceration. For more info go to www.freeherinstitue.com

Andrea James sits with Kym Whitley to explore the importance of women with influence to join the mission of freeing women and girls around the world from incarceration. Kym Whitley is a famous producer, actor and comedian that appeared in many Hollywood film projects and actively tours the United States doing comedy. Andrea believes voices like hers could be instrumental in getting the message of ending incarceration for women and girls around the world. All things ending incarceration of women and girls.To support go to www.freeherinstitute.com

Andrea James sits down with Denise "Neicy" Coleman to discuss the real life story of how bifurcated sentencing has affected Denise Coleman's life for over 38 years. A bifurcated system is a sentence that consists of a term of confinement in prison followed by a term of extended supervision under s. 302.113.In Neicy's case the federal prison system held her for 30 years and also the State of Mississippi held for an additional 8 years. Listen to the full episode for more information. Please visit www.freeherinstitute.com and the national council for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and girls to help support our mission. "All things ending incarceration of women and girls" Andrea James sits down with Denise "Neicy" Coleman to discuss the real life story of how bifurcated sentencing has affected Denise Coleman's life for over 38 years. A bifurcated system is a sentence that consists of a term of confinement in prison followed by a term of extended supervision under s. 302.113.In Neicy's case the federal prison system held her for 30 years and also the State of Mississippi held for an additional 8 years. Listen to the full episode for more information. Please visit www.freeherinstitute.com and the national council for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and girls to help support our mission. "All things ending incarceration of women and girls"For more info go to www.freeherinstitute.com

Andrea James sits down with guest Danielle Metz to discuss commutation and how commutation lessened her 3 life sentences. Commutation refers to reducing or lessening a sentence or punishment resulting from a criminal conviction, which can be done by the governor of a state (for state convictions) or president of the United States (for federal convictions).Connect with us at www.freeherinstitute.com All things ending incarceration for women and girls.