Our Prison Desk provides critical analysis of prison systems. We concentrate on the stories and perspectives of educators, policy analysts, community organizers, prisoners and their families.  When funding is available, we provide training for independent journalists and individuals involved in community building activities.

Supported by independent funding sources, the Prison Desk is free to explore and expose government and corporate roles in the burgeoning prison industry. The Onmia Foundation has provided partial funding.   Please support the Prison Desk.

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Programs from this desk are listed below. Click through for audio, full description, and guest contact information.

Police Tape: From Rodney King to Aiyana Jones (April 24th, 2012) It’s been 20 years since four white police officers were cleared of unlawfully beating Rodney King in Los Angeles. But we might never have heard of Rodney King had it not been for an amateur cameraman who caught the whole thing on tape. On this edition, we hear how video cameras have changed the way we see the police.

Justice For Sale: Glenn Greenwald on the Rule of Law (March 20th, 2012) 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 (March 13th, 2012) 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 (March 13th, 2012) 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 (March 5th, 2012) 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?

Gang Injunctions: Problem or Solution? (December 13th, 2011) Gang injunctions are a controversial crime fighting tool that some people say should be illegal, and others say is a necessary last resort for communities plagued by violence. On this edition, we go from the birthplace of gang injunctions in L.A., to their newest use in London.

Presumed Guilty: American Muslims and Arabs (9-11 Encore Edition) (September 6th, 2011) American Arabs and Muslims are under the microscope, and many feel demonized and say they are living in fear of arrest. On this edition, we'll hear stories about the past 10 years of anti-Arab profiling and prosecution. We also look at parallels with the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

The Light Inside: Giving Birth Behind Bars (April 5th, 2011) 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?

Presumed Guilty: American Muslims and Arabs (March 22nd, 2011) American Arabs and Muslims are under the microscope, and many feel demonized and say they are living in fear of arrest. On this edition, we'll hear stories about the past 10 years of anti-Arab profiling and prosecution. We also look at parallels with the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

Michelle Alexander on the New Jim Crow (February 15th, 2011) 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.

How Homelessness Became A Crime (December 7th, 2010) So-called ‘quality of life’ policing may temporarily decrease crime, but it has harsh consequences for innocent people caught up in the frenzy of arrests. If it’s illegal to be on a city’s sidewalks, parks and plazas, where else can people go?

California's Prop 19: The End of the War on Marijuana? (October 15th, 2010) Californians went to the polls this past November to vote on whether to legalize marijuana. On this edition, we look at the damage wrought by the failed war on marijuana, with a focus on the millions caught in the criminal justice system.

Immigrant Families Behind Bars (encore) (June 22nd, 2010) In a special collaboration with Feet in Two Worlds, we hear about an immigrant family torn apart after an immigration raid in Arizona. Also, grassroots efforts help change policies at a detention center in Texas.

Immigrant Families Behind Bars (October 21st, 2009) In a special collaboration with Feet in Two Worlds, we hear about an immigrant family torn apart after an immigration raid in Arizona. Also, grassroots efforts help change policies at a detention center in Texas.

Survivors of Solitary Confinement (June 3rd, 2009) Tens of thousands are in solitary confinement in American prisons which according to the United Nations is torture. Producer Claire Schoen met nine former prisoners who describe in detail what it's like to be in solitary confinement.

Prison Town, USA (July 30th, 2008) In our special collaboration with public television's P.O.V., Directors Katie Galloway and Po Kutchins take us to "prison town, usa" where they explore how the industry affects correctional officers, their families, and whole community.

A Crisis of Care: A System on Life Support (May 28th, 2008) In the last of our three-part series, A Crisis of Care: A System on Life Support, we'll hear from experts offering an insiders view on the continuing health care crisis in California's prisons.

A Crisis of Care: Gina's Story (Part 2) (April 2nd, 2008) On the second of our three-part series, 'A Crisis of Care,' a look inside California's prison health care system, we continue 'Gina's Story.'

A Crisis of Care: Gina's Story (Part 1) (March 26th, 2008) This is the first of a three-part series, 'A Crisis of Care,' a look inside the prison health care system in the state of California, where we learn about 'Gina's Story' within the prison system.

Beyond Bars: Community Resistance to Prison Expansion (encore edition) (January 2nd, 2008) On this edition, Dr. Gilmore, a key figure in the grassroots movement fighting prison expansion in California, extracts lessons from more than two decades of on-the-ground community organizing against what has been termed the "biggest prison building project in the history of world."

Women Rising XV: World Health Activists (December 12th, 2007) Prudence Mabele is a South African activist in the battle to contain HIV. Mary Pipher is an American psychologist and author confronting the American Psychological Association about its cooperation with the U.S. government in the use of torture.

Beyond Bars: Community Resistance to Prison Expansion (August 22nd, 2007) In the U.S., more than more than 2 million people live behind prison bars. Dr. Ruth Gilmore, a professor of geography at the University of Southern California and a long-time prison activist, extracts lessons from more than two decades of on-the-ground community organizing against what’s been termed the “biggest prison building project in the history of the world.”

Lockdown on Life: Stories from Women Behind Bars (January 3rd, 2007) On this edition, we take you to two U.S. prisons ­ behind the bars and into the lives of incarcerated women.

The Attica Rebellion (September 6th, 2006) September 9-13th, 2006 marks the 35th anniversary of the Attica Rebellion, a massive prison rebellion, massacre and cover-up in New York. On this edition, we present a documentary produced by the Freedom Archives.

The Long Walk to Abolish the Death Penalty (May 3rd, 2006) On this edition, Making Contact's Sarah Olson takes us on this 25-mile journey on a cool, sunny day on February 20th. It's a walk of protest, peace, and compassion.

The Juvenile Injustice System (encore edition) (November 16th, 2005) On this edition, we'll hear about scandal-ridden California youth authority, abuses inside one Brazil juvenile detention center, as well as alternative approaches helping troubled kids.

The Juvenile Injustice System (July 27th, 2005) On this edition, we'll hear about the scandal-ridden California Youth Authority, abuses inside one of Brazil's juvenile detention centers, as well as alternative approaches to helping troubled kids.

Plan Colombia: Drug War Without End (March 30th, 2005) Independent producer Reese Erlich visits rural farmers and urban shanty towns in Colombia, and talks with high ranking Colombian politicians to learn about Plan Colombia, an effort to reduce cocaine production.

Documenting Torture: Holding the United States Accountable (August 25th, 2004) On this edition, we trace the seeds of the prison scandal to 9/11 and previous to that time, hear from survivors of torture, human rights advocates, and a soldier, and revisit the official government reaction.

Entry Denied: Former Prisoners Re-entering Society (July 14th, 2004) On this Prison Desk edition of Making Contact, we'll look at the barriers former prisoners face, and community efforts to support people re-entering society.

Journey to Justice: Carlos Mauricio's Story (December 10th, 2003) Carlos Mauricio was one of the few political prisoners who survived the most brutal period of military repression in El Salvador. On this edition, correspondent Jon Watanabe chronicles Carlos' remarkable journey in search of justice and, ultimately, healing for himself and his country.

Concrete Coffins: The Juvenile Death Penalty (October 22nd, 2003) On this edition of Making Contact, the National Radio Project's Prison Desk takes a look at the juvenile death penalty in the United States.

Breaking the Cycle: Juvenile Crime and Positive Solutions (October 15th, 2003) On this edition of Making Contact, we report on community responses to youth crime in the California city of Oakland, which has one of the highest per capita homicide rates in the country; many victims are young African-American men. We also hear about YouthBuild USA, a network of community organizations that empower juvenile offenders by teaching them how to rebuild their neighborhoods.

Capital Punishment and Closure (July 16th, 2003) On this Prison Desk edition of Making Contact, we take a look at the death penalty, wrongful executions, and some alternatives to death row.

The War on Drugs Revisited (February 12th, 2003) On this Special Prison Desk edition of Making Contact, we take a look at the impacts of the so-called war on drugs.

Prisoners of Conscience: Civil Disobedience and the S.O.A. (October 2nd, 2002) On this program we take a look at the School of the Americas, and a broad-based movement of human rights activists and religious groups that's organizing to shut down the institute.

Above the Law? The U.S. and the International Criminal Court (July 31st, 2002) On this program, we take a look at U.S. government opposition to the ICC. And, the National Radio Project's Women's Desk examines what the establishment of the court could mean for victims of sexual violence in wartime.

Concrete Cages and Cash: The U.S. Prison Industry (April 3rd, 2002) On this program, the National Radio Project's Prison Desk takes a look at the economics of U.S. prisons, and at how politicians and corporations are making choices that may severely impact the future.

The Usual Suspects? Racial Profiling in the U.S. (February 27th, 2002) On this program we speak to African-American organizers, police officers and religious leaders who are working to put a stop to this practice in their communities. We also take a look at another form of racial profiling: retail discrimination.