Call Declined

In times of need, who do you turn to? What systems do you believe are there to catch you if you fall? Is there a way to interrupt generations of trauma and family violence? What might the world look like if we decriminalized mental illness, substance use disorder, and poverty? Call Declined follows the lives of two extraordinary women, Kamisha Thomas and Aimee Wissman, and the captivating story of how they fell through a frayed safety net and how resilience, friendship, and the power of creativity enabled them to survive the grim walls of the Dayton Correctional Institution. It is a story of how art became their north star and inspiration for what was to come when they finally were released from prison.

Call Declined is hosted by Melissa Beck, the executive director of the Sozosei Foundation.

To learn more about our country's mental health system, check out the episodes in this feed marked Call For Help, hosted by Stephanie Wittels Wachs, which explores the promise and perils of the nationwide rollout of the 988 hotline.

Call Declined is presented by the Sozosei Foundation, a philanthropic arm of Otsuka. The Foundation’s goal is to increase access to mental healthcare in order to eliminate the inappropriate use of jails and prisons for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in the United States. Learn more at www.SozoseiFoundation.org.

The Sozosei Foundation extends special thanks to Aimee Wissman and Kamisha Thomas, visionary artists and co-founders of The Returning Artists Guild whose creativity, resilience, and lived experience inspire us to build a world where mental illness is not a crime. To learn more about the Guild visit www.thereturningartistsguild.org.

Please note that this podcast contains mature content, including explicit language and discussions about drug use and other potentially sensitive topics. The views expressed are solely those of the participants and do not reflect the opinions of the Sozosei Foundation, podcast host or sponsors. Listener discretion is advised. This content is intended for mature audiences and is not suitable for all listeners.

Last refreshed: August 20th, 2025 at 9:13 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

Call Declined: Bonus Episode – The Parents

Many wonderful people helped make and inform the Call Declined podcast. In this special bonus episode, we hear from three people who are very important in the stories of Aimee’s and Kamisha’s lives–their parents. Through our conversations across generations we hear echoes of trauma, abuse, and incarceration. And we see a system that too often declines calls for help. But we also find hope for a world where those calls are answered. Additional Resources: Kamisha Thomas’s Portfolio: https://thomas...

Mar 11, 2024•35 min•Season 2Ep. 5

Call Declined: Answering the Call

Starting a non-profit is a challenging and confusing process that also, sometimes, includes joyful shenanigans. In this episode, we get a behind-the-scenes look at how Aimee and Kamisha approached building The Returning Artists Guild. We learn how they met and formed a relationship with Melissa and we hear from a variety of philanthropic funders about why the arts are important to ending mass incarceration. Kamisha and Aimee speak candidly about their vision for the future and what it will take ...

Dec 18, 2023•50 min•Season 2Ep. 4

Call Declined: Getting Out

Leaving prison can be overwhelming. The need to navigate societal and technological changes, rebuild relationships, find employment, and find housing can be disorienting and alienating. And the stigma we place on those who have been incarcerated is significant both in human interaction and in policies that make it hard to secure employment, housing, and reconnect with one’s community. In this episode, we learn what the process of reentry was like for Aimee and Kamisha. And we learn how they're u...

Dec 11, 2023•42 min•Season 2Ep. 3

Call Declined: Life in Prison

Why is it important to learn about prison from people who have been directly impacted? Well, in this episode, Aimee and Kamisha share their own stories about incarceration – and what they tell us reveals a lot about community services, mental health and substance use treatment, intergenerational family trauma, and mass incarceration in our country. Aimee and Kamisha also explain how they got started making art in prison and talk about the people and opportunities that inspired them to create The...

Dec 04, 2023•51 min•Season 2Ep. 2

Call Declined: Imaginary Resources

Kamisha Thomas and Aimee Wissman are extraordinary–they are brilliant artists and the founders of The Returning Artists Guild, a non-profit organization that supports artists that have been in prison and some who are still inside. But they have had long and difficult journeys to get to this point. In this first episode of our four-part series, Aimee and Kamisha share their personal stories. From where they grew up and the art they loved as kids to the ways that poverty, abuse, racism, and addict...

Nov 27, 2023•50 min•Season 2Ep. 1

Call Declined (Official Trailer)

Call Declined follows the story of two talented artists, Kamisha Thomas and Aimee Wissman, whose lives became intertwined in prison after the systems in place to ensure their well-being failed them. This story of fortitude, friendship, and the power of creativity takes listeners along on the pathways that led Kamisha and Aimee to prison, how they survived incarceration, and the journey to freedom that led to the creation of The Returning Artists Guild . Call Declined is hosted by Melissa Beck an...

Nov 13, 2023•2 min

Call For Help: In 988 We Trust?

Stigma is one of 988’s biggest hurdles. The other is widespread fear of first responders that has increased with every report of another police killing. The latter has led to pervasive misinformation online about how 988 works. But even if we set the record straight, how can we get to a place of public buy-in? It’s one thing to implement a new system for crisis response; it’s another to completely shift culture. How does 988 earn the trust of the people it’s trying to help? In this episode, you’...

Sep 06, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 4

Call For Help: Someone to Call, Someone to Come, Somewhere to Go

Last week, we saw what happens when a mental health emergency falls into the wrong hands. So what happens when a comprehensive system, run by well-trained mental health staff, is in place? Today, Stephanie visits a state that exemplifies the gold standard of crisis response: Arizona. Yes, really. While Arizona is typically known for messy politics and scandalous policing, they have been quietly building a best-in-class mental-health response plan since the 1980s. With the roll out of 988, what c...

Aug 30, 2022•41 min•Season 1Ep. 3

Call for Help: Mental Illness Is Not A Crime

In 2019, Taun Hall’s 18 year-old son, Miles, was in the midst of a mental health crisis in their affluent, suburban community of Walnut Creek, California. The police responded, and within 30 seconds, Miles was shot and killed. What would have happened if Taun called 988 instead of 911? Would Miles still be alive? With insight from Taun Hall, Tom Insel, Dr. Altha Stewart, and Asantewaa Boykin, Stephanie explores how we got stuck with such a fractured system in the first place, the human toll, par...

Aug 23, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 2

Call for Help: The United States of Crisis

For far too long, the United States has put mental healthcare on the back burner. Through enormous advocacy and the initiation and rollout of the 988 hotline, a theoretical lifeline is now at the fingertips of every American. But in a country with a deep history of criminalizing mental health, will 988 live up to its potential? Today, Stephanie explores how 988 came to be, along with all the promise and peril it carries. Weekly special correspondent Zak Williams shares his personal mental health...

Aug 16, 2022•43 min•Season 1Ep. 1

Call For Help (Official Trailer)

988 is being promoted as a 24/7 national hotline to handle mental health emergencies. In theory, it could reimagine crisis response in America, minimizing police contact and connecting callers to mental health, substance use, and suicidal crises services. In reality, most states aren't ready for 988. On top of that, decades of criminalizing mental illness have caused widespread wariness of trusting the hotline. Call For Help uncovers what crisis response looks like in America, and what it will t...

Aug 01, 2022•3 min

Introducing: Call For Help

For decades, mental health has been criminalized and those in dire need of urgent support often don't receive it. Call For Help explores the gut-wrenching human stories that led to the new national 988 hotline for suicide prevention and mental health crises, now available from any phone in America. Hosted by Stephanie Wittels Wachs with special correspondent Zak Williams and available on August 16. Presented by Sozosei Foundation, and supported by The Jed Foundation, NAMI, and The Just Trust. Se...

Jul 14, 2022•1 min

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