Dario Pena knows how to play an incarcerated man in the movie "Sing Sing" (on HBO MAX) because he did 17 years at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. He was paroled 5 years ago, having earned both a B.S. from Mercy University and a Masters Degree in Professional Studies from New York Theological Seminary. He is employed at Columbia University as a recruitment and community partnerships manager at The Center For Justice. He helped found a nonprofit called "Voices From Within Project" while he was do...
Jul 03, 2025•24 min•Ep. 214
Dario Pena knows how to play an incarcerated man in the movie "Sing Sing" (on HBO MAX) because he did 17 years at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. He was paroled 5 years ago, having earned both a B.S. from Mercy University and a Masters Degree in Professional Studies from New York Theological Seminary. He is employed at Columbia University as a recruitment and community partnerships manager at The Center For Justice. He helped found a nonprofit called "Voices From Within Project" while he was do...
Jun 26, 2025•24 min•Ep. 213
Ellie Williams is an attorney who represents survivors of domestic violence whose convictions are connected to their abuse and women with wrongful conviction claims. She is a seasoned speaker and trainer using her skills to train professionals and community members across the U.S. on domestic violence. She graduated cum laude from both Furman University and the University of Georgia School of Law. Among several honors, she was inducted into the University of Georgia's chapter of the Blue Key Hon...
Jun 19, 2025•32 min•Ep. 212
Ellie Williams is an attorney who represents survivors of domestic violence whose convictions are connected to their abuse and women with wrongful conviction claims. She is a seasoned speaker and trainer using her skills to train professionals and community members across the U.S. on domestic violence. She graduated cum laude from both Furman University and the University of Georgia School of Law. Among several honors, she was inducted into the University of Georgia's chapter of the Blue Key Hon...
Jun 12, 2025•29 min•Ep. 211
Delia Cohen worked inside the Clinton White House running the messaging department. She organized global initiatives during both of President Clinton's two terms. For the last 10 years, she has organized TEDx events in prisons all over the U.S. These talks bring the entire community together: incarcerated people, corrections officers, prison administrators and community members. For more information about Proximity for Justice, Visit Delia's Website here. How I Learned to Read - And Trade Stocks...
Jun 05, 2025•24 min•Ep. 210
Delia Cohen worked inside the Clinton White House running the messaging department. She organized global initiatives during both of President Clinton's two terms. For the last 10 years, she has organized TEDx events in prisons all over the U.S. These talks bring the entire community together: incarcerated people, corrections officers, prison administrators and community members. For more information about Proximity for Justice, Visit Delia's Website here. How I Learned to Read - And Trade Stocks...
May 29, 2025•25 min•Ep. 209
Raised in the Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C., Craig is a former Marine Corps Veteran, recipient of The Purple Heart who served in Afghanistan. He is the author of two books, Craig and Fred and Second Chances. He is a graduate of Georgetown University. Since his return to the States in 2011, he has been on the Today Show and many other programs. He travels all around the country speaking about Fred, the little stray dog whom he smuggled out of Sangin, Afghanistan when his tour of duty ended,...
May 22, 2025•25 min•Ep. 208
Raised in the Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C., Craig is a former Marine Corps Veteran, recipient of The Purple Heart who served in Afghanistan. He is the author of two books, Craig and Fred and Second Chances. He is a graduate of Georgetown University. Since his return to the States in 2011, he has been on the Today Show and many other programs. He travels all around the country speaking about Fred, the little stray dog whom he smuggled out of Sangin, Afghanistan when his tour of duty ended,...
May 15, 2025•25 min•Ep. 207
Candido went to prison in 1990 for drug trafficking. Over 26 years in Federal Prisons, he cooked for 1500-2500 men. He never expected to see freedom as his sentence was 49 years. In 2016 he was granted clemency by President Obama. Helped by NJ REENTRY CORPS. He now has his own restaurant, which opened in December 2017 in Jersey City. Read about Candido's restaurant in this NYT article: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/21/nyregion/a-chef-opens-a-restaurant-his-training-decades-in-a-prison-kitchen....
May 01, 2025•25 min•Ep. 206
Rev. Flores was born in the Dominican Republic and came to the U.S. in 2001. He is a graduate of NY Theological Seminary and now heads N.J. Reentry Corporation, which he founded in 2016. The organization serves anyone living in NJ with a criminal background. It has helped 22,000 people who were incarcerated get jobs, obtain training for new jobs,get health care, food stamps, etc. To learn more about the New Jersey Reentry Corporation, visit their website at http://njreentry.org/ Also check out t...
Apr 24, 2025•22 min•Ep. 205
To find out more about Raphah Institute , please visit their website: https://linktr.ee/raphah_institute Travis Claybrooks is founder and CEO of Raphah Institute, a nonprofit which helps marginalized communities access essential resources like housing, healthcare, education and economic support. "Raphah" means "to heal". Travis holds a Master of Divinity from Liberty University and is pursuing a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership. He was a police officer in Nashville, TN, is a U.S. Army Veteran a...
Apr 17, 2025•35 min•Ep. 204
To find out more about Raphah Institute , please visit their website: https://linktr.ee/raphah_institute Travis Claybrooks is founder and CEO of Raphah Institute, a nonprofit which helps marginalized communities access essential resources like housing, healthcare, education and economic support. "Raphah" means "to heal". Travis holds a Master of Divinity from Liberty University and is pursuing a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership. He was a police officer in Nashville, TN, is a U.S. Army Veteran a...
Apr 10, 2025•23 min•Ep. 203
C.J. Rice was born in 1993 in Philadelphia. At the age of 17, he was wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit. His sentence was 30-60 years. While in prison, he earned his High School diploma in addition to being certified as a brick layer. He also was certified by OSHA. In 2023, he was released on bail after his Federal Habeas Corpus petition was granted by the Federal Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and his conviction was vacated. On March 18, 2024 he was exonerated and ...
Mar 06, 2025•28 min•Ep. 202
C.J. Rice was born in 1993 in Philadelphia. At the age of 17, he was wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit. His sentence was 30-60 years. While in prison, he earned his High School diploma in addition to being certified as a brick layer. He also was certified by OSHA. In 2023, he was released on bail after his Federal Habeas Corpus petition was granted by the Federal Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and his conviction was vacated. On March 18, 2024 he was exonerated and ...
Feb 27, 2025•23 min•Ep. 201
Research shows that although 90% of those incarcerated are eventually released, most people will have little to no access to rehabilitative and reentry services. People with arrest records often return to their communities without the resources and support needed to successfully reintegrate into society. Additionally, in the United States, those with behavioral health conditions are 10 times more likely to end up imprisoned than in the care of a mental health services provider. The result? Ongoi...
Jan 30, 2025•24 min•Ep. 200
Research shows that although 90% of those incarcerated are eventually released, most people will have little to no access to rehabilitative and reentry services. People with arrest records often return to their communities without the resources and support needed to successfully reintegrate into society. Additionally, in the United States, those with behavioral health conditions are 10 times more likely to end up imprisoned than in the care of a mental health services provider. The result? Ongoi...
Jan 23, 2025•25 min•Ep. 199
Julian Sher is one of Canada's best known investigative journalists and the author of 8 books. For 20 years, he worked for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's show "The Fifth Estate", Canada's premier investigative TV program, similar to "60 Minutes". Sher was also a reporter for Canada's two leading newspapers: The Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail. He is the author of Until You Are Dead: The Wrongful Conviction of Steven Truscott about Canada's most famous murder trial. His TV documentary an...
Dec 26, 2024•27 min•Ep. 198
Julian Sher is one of Canada's best known investigative journalists and the author of 8 books. For 20 years, he worked for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's show "The Fifth Estate", Canada's premier investigative TV program, similar to "60 Minutes". Sher was also a reporter for Canada's two leading newspapers: The Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail. He is the author of Until You Are Dead: The Wrongful Conviction of Steven Truscott about Canada's most famous murder trial. His TV documentary an...
Dec 19, 2024•25 min•Ep. 197
Barbara Bradley Hagerty is a N.Y. Times best selling author and contributing writer for The Atlantic. She was a correspondent for NPR as well where she covered the Justice Department and Religion. Her awards include: 2 Gracie Awards, National Headline Award and others. She wrote an investigative piece for The Atlantic on the case of Ben Spencer which led to her decision to write: Bringing Ben Home: A Murder, A Conviction and the Fight to Redeem American Justice published in August 2024. Buy Barb...
Dec 12, 2024•33 min•Ep. 196
Barbara Bradley Hagerty is a N.Y. Times best selling author and contributing writer for The Atlantic. She was a correspondent for NPR as well where she covered the Justice Department and Religion. Her awards include: 2 Gracie Awards, National Headline Award and others. She wrote an investigative piece for The Atlantic on the case of Ben Spencer which led to her decision to write: Bringing Ben Home: A Murder, A Conviction and the Fight to Redeem American Justice published in August 2024. Buy Barb...
Dec 05, 2024•23 min•Ep. 195
Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) was founded in 1995 in order to offer incarcerated men and women a new sense of what was possible by expressing themselves through the creative arts: drawing, dancing, acting. The opportunity to immerse themselves in the creative process proved that change is possible. Our guest today, Charles Moore, is the first RTA (Rehabilitation Through the Arts)alumni to be hired to work full time for the organization. He is currently the Director of Program and Operati...
Nov 28, 2024•28 min•Ep. 194
Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) was founded in 1995 in order to offer incarcerated men and women a new sense of what was possible by expressing themselves through the creative arts: drawing, dancing, acting. The opportunity to immerse themselves in the creative process proved that change is possible. Our guest today, Charles Moore, is the first RTA (Rehabilitation Through the Arts)alumni to be hired to work full time for the organization. He is currently the Director of Program and Operati...
Nov 21, 2024•25 min•Ep. 193
Kelly is a Ph.D. candidate and a contract instructor in the Department of Law and Legal Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa. Kelly is a longtime advocate for wrongful conviction and co-host of a podcast called: "Real Life Wrongs". Her show examines the systemic factors and human flaws that put innocent people behind bars. Kelly will contrast Canada's justice system wherein wrongful conviction is concerned with ours. She will cite specific cases of wrongful conviction. Want to learn more abo...
Nov 14, 2024•27 min•Ep. 192
Kelly is a Ph.D. candidate and a contract instructor in the Department of Law and Legal Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa. Kelly is a longtime advocate for wrongful conviction and co-host of a podcast called: "Real Life Wrongs". Her show examines the systemic factors and human flaws that put innocent people behind bars. Kelly will contrast Canada's justice system wherein wrongful conviction is concerned with ours. She will cite specific cases of wrongful conviction. Want to learn more abo...
Nov 07, 2024•26 min•Ep. 191
Today we talk to Seth Miller, the executive director of the Florida Innocence Project about the case of Thomas Gilbert. Thomas Gilbert has been incarcerated since 1974 for a crime he did not commit in Miami, FL. He is now 70 years old. He has been represented by The Innocence Project of Florida for many years and is sadly out of all legal avenues to right his wrongful conviction. Our hope is through public pressure and awareness, his case will be overturned. Time is running out to bring him home...
Oct 10, 2024•24 min•Ep. 190
Today we talk to Seth Miller, the executive director of the Florida Innocence Project about the case of Thomas Gilbert. Thomas Gilbert has been incarcerated since 1974 for a crime he did not commit in Miami, FL. He is now 70 years old. He has been represented by The Innocence Project of Florida for many years and is sadly out of all legal avenues to right his wrongful conviction. Our hope is through public pressure and awareness, his case will be overturned. Time is running out to bring him home...
Oct 03, 2024•30 min•Ep. 189
Bianca Van Heydoorn is the director of YSRP, a nonprofit organization based in Philadelphia, PA. The organization is committed to helping "returning citizens" who are coming home from prison, many of whom were teens when they went to prison. A large number of these individuals were sentenced to Life Without Parole but were given a second chance when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that LWOP was unconstitutional. Bianca has experience working with adolescents preparing them for employment and helpin...
Sep 26, 2024•30 min•Ep. 188
Bianca Van Heydoorn is the director of YSRP, a nonprofit organization based in Philadelphia, PA. The organization is committed to helping "returning citizens" who are coming home from prison, many of whom were teens when they went to prison. A large number of these individuals were sentenced to Life Without Parole but were given a second chance when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that LWOP was unconstitutional. Bianca has experience working with adolescents preparing them for employment and helpin...
Sep 19, 2024•30 min•Ep. 187
This nonprofit organization based in Manhattan advocates for youth in court to give them a second chance and avoid incarceration. They have been in operation for 45 years, boasting a 94% success rate. Our guest, Angel Rodriguez, has been involved since the inception of this organization. He is co-founder and President. Visit the Avenue for Justice Website or learn more about them here. This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more ...
Sep 12, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 186
Mario Koran is an investigative fellow with the New York Times in addition to being on staff at Wisconsin Watch. He was a west coast correspondent for the Guardian US and covered education for Voice of San Diego where he was named 2016 reporter of the year by the San Diego Society of Professional Journalists. His work can be found in the New York Times, The Appeal and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Mario holds a B.S. in Spanish Literature and an M.A. in journalism from the University of Wiscons...
Aug 22, 2024•23 min•Ep. 185
