Michelle Alexander on the New Jim Crow
Professor Michelle Alexander, author of ‘The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness’ makes the case that the US’ criminal justice system policies can be traced directly back to slavery. The target then, and now, are African Americans.
Undue Influence: the power of Police and Prison Guards’ Unions
Police officers and prison guards hold tremendous political sway. Their advocacy for better pay, more power, and more jobs has been a major factor in the expansion of the prison industrial complex. Now that system is changing. Can law enforcement unions change as well?
Ban the Box! The Campaign for Post-Prison Employment ENCORE
It’s not even the crime that counts sometimes. It’s that little box on an application that asks you to reveal if you have a criminal history. Checking that box can mean the difference between failure and success. We look at the nationwide movement to ‘ban-the-box’, and make criminal histories less of a stigma.
Prison Crisis: Local Solution?
The United States imprisons more people than any other country. In California a new policy called ‘realignment’ aims to reduce the number of people in state prison. Could the incarceration nation finally be slowing down?
Seeking Justice and Police Accountability in Jamaica ENCORE
On the second anniversary of the 2010 uprisings, this special documentary looks at police violence in Jamaica. In May 2010 a government crackdown left 73 people dead and a city in chaos. Their families continue to fight for justice and accountability, despite Jamaica’s long record of police violence and government corruption.
Justice For Sale: Glenn Greenwald on the Rule of Law
Author Glenn Greenwald talks about his book, ‘With Liberty and Justice for Some.’ Americans claim to live under the rule of law; that no one is above our system of justice. But as we witness more exceptions to that rule, there are growing doubts that fairness is a value we as a nation, still hold dear.
Ban the Box! The Campaign for Post-Prison Employment
It’s not even the crime that counts sometimes. It’s that little box on an application that asks you to reveal if you have a criminal history. Checking that box can mean the difference between failure and success. We look at the nationwide movement to ‘ban-the-box’, and make criminal histories less of a stigma.
Massachusetts Leads the Way in CORI Reform
In the United States, an estimated 65 million people have had a brush with the law that resulted in a criminal record. And every year, about 650 thousand of them are released from prisons and jails—reemerging into society with one goal—to get back on their feet. To increase opportunity, some states are rethinking their approach to criminal records. Massachusetts is one. With assistance from Deborah Begel, Francesca Rheannon brings us this report.
The Light Inside: Giving Birth Behind Bars
A look at pregnancy, and motherhood, inside US jails and prisons. What does the huge number of incarcerated women in prison foretell for the next generation of America’s kids?
The Battle over Gang Injunctions in Oakland
The city of Oakland is divided over whether gang injunctions will help reduce a long-standing problem of street violence. Here we report on a grassroots campaign, aiming to stop what many activists say is a problematic policy of racial profiling, that won’t help make the community any safer. Listen to the full segment and watch the three minute video below....
