PODCAST · society
The Problem with Punishment
by Justice Beyond Punishment Collaborative
The Problem with Punishment is a podcast about how our cultural obsession with punishment has led to painful failures to address some of the most pressing issues we face. And even worse when punishment fails, the pain of that doesn’t fall equally across communities. But some New Yorkers have felt that pain and decided that we can do better. We’ll meet innovators, risk-takers – people who are committed to being problem-solvers and have figured out strategies that work better than punishment, and are doing them in the real world.
Episodes
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The Problem with Punishment and IPV
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is still far too common. It's important to end IPV, on that many of us agree. So is punishing people who hurt their intimate partners going to end IPV? What can we do instead? For our final episode of Season One, we discuss with a number of women working in the...
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The Problem with Punishment and Immigration
We recorded and edited this episode in spring and summer 2025, during a horrifying effort to punish immigrants. There are ICE raids in Home Depot parking lots. Masked ICE agents are grabbing people who are attending their immigration hearings. Anti-immigrant rhetoric, which has been growing over...
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The Problem with Punishing Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a place of both power and vulnerability. For much of human experience, power and decision-making when it came to pregnancy was in the hands of women. It was an issue of health and healing. But no more. These days, we're substituting legal intrusions for health care. Between the…
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The Problem with Punishment and Homicide
Homicide is a horrifying act of harm. It's an action with permanent consequences. Our stories of homicide almost always define justice as punishment instead of healing. But punishment doesn't bring back the dead. It doesn’t promote healing for families who lose loved ones. And often punishment...
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The Problem with Punishment and Housing
Shelter is one of our most basic needs - and an international human right. Yet millions of Americans are denied their right to housing. This includes tens of thousands of New Yorkers who have been incarcerated. This makes it even more difficult for them to start anew upon release. In this…
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We'll be back in July
Thanks to all our listeners so far who have shared comments or feedback. We've got full transcripts and useful links for the first five episodes at beyondpunishment.org/problem-with-punishment. We're not releasing an episode on July 1. It's "Sick of ICE" day -- take steps if you can, to be in...
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The Problem with Parole
Too often, we define long prison sentences as "justice." But when we define incarceration as justice, it creates a big problem. Parole, or the end of a person's incarceration, can feel like we're losing out on justice. I know well the feelings connected to this. I have my own family's experience...
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The Problem with Punishing Parents
Stories of child abuse or the death a child shock us, and they should. But how much do you know about the systems that are supposed to prevent this? We talk to several moms who went through New York's "child welfare system" wringer. They decided to do something better to support parents and…
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The Problem with Punishment and Schools
We can all agree that all the children and adults in a school should feel safe and should actually be safe. But when violence or the threat of violence happens, how do we get safer schools? In this episode, we explore how students want–and are creating–safer school for themselves without relying…
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The Problem with Punishing Addiction
For this episode, we visit the wondrous folks who run OnPoint NYC, an overdose prevention center. They base their work in the principles of harm reduction, which we explore in this episode. And we also talk to Toni Smith, the New York State Director at Drug Policy Alliance. Together they explain...
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The Problem with Punishment and Gun Violence
Gun violence is horrifying, and each life lost to a gun is a tragedy. Most interventions involve creating punishments for gun possession or use. That can sound like common sense, but in reality, it's a racialized practice. And it's not been that effective for keeping people safe from guns. Are...
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Trailer: The Problem with Punishment
This is the Problem with Punishment Podcast – Spoiler Alert! The problem with punishment is it doesn’t work. But the bigger problem is that we turn to punishment in every aspect of our lives. From our families to our neighborhoods, our boroughs, our city, we keep expecting punishment to make…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Problem with Punishment is a podcast about how our cultural obsession with punishment has led to painful failures to address some of the most pressing issues we face. And even worse when punishment fails, the pain of that doesn’t fall equally across communities. But some New Yorkers have felt that pain and decided that we can do better. We’ll meet innovators, risk-takers – people who are committed to being problem-solvers and have figured out strategies that work better than punishment, and are doing them in the real world.
HOSTED BY
Justice Beyond Punishment Collaborative
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Problem with Punishment have?
The Problem with Punishment currently has 12 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Problem with Punishment about?
The Problem with Punishment is a podcast about how our cultural obsession with punishment has led to painful failures to address some of the most pressing issues we face. And even worse when punishment fails, the pain of that doesn’t fall equally across communities. But some New Yorkers have felt...
How often does The Problem with Punishment release new episodes?
The Problem with Punishment has 12 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Problem with Punishment?
You can listen to The Problem with Punishment on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Problem with Punishment?
The Problem with Punishment is created and hosted by Justice Beyond Punishment Collaborative.
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