Meet Joe, a father who spent 14 years in prison and missed the childhood of his sons.

Violence was part of his life before prison and continued to affect him inside prison. Joe had to consciously step away from the life he knew, he had to leave his circle of friends in order to survive and take part in his children's life.

Listen to Joe talk about his journey of rehabilitation and what helped him pivot and become the son able to take care of his mother and run a small business in California.

Meet Edward Smith.

When Edward was a young dad, he decided to join law enforcement to help keep his neighborhood safe. He spent several years as probation and parole officer, tracking down people who committed crimes, trying to support them on their journey of rehabilitation.

He discovered that poverty, a lack of education and jobs often contributed to the reasons why people went to jail. He wanted to help people get out of this cycle and improve their life by taking charge of their finances.

Listen to Edward share his experiences, the ups and downs and dangers of the profession and the journey he went on to be of service to his community.

If you would like to connect with Edward you can do this here:

linkedin.com/in/edward-smith-i-i-016aba83

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You can follow us on Instagram @whatchancepodcast.

Imagine - you are 17, a crime is committed in your town and you want to help the police.

Weeks later you end up as a suspect, are arrested and go to trial for Murder!

Even though you didn't commit the crime you spend years in prison. Not Possible you thinK?

Listen to Jeff tell his story, because that's what happened to him. He was wrongfully convicted and it took him many years to prove his innocence. How is that possible in a Justice system?

What is the effect on an innocent young person in an adult prison? How does one survive and stay mentally sane when nobody believes you?

Jeffrey managed not only to survive but to come back home, become a lawyer and start a foundation to help other wrongfully convicted Individuals.

You can donate here: https://www.deskovicfoundation.org

Please write a review if you enjoyed this podcast and follow us on Instagram @whatchancepodcast

You would think that defending yourself is not a crime.

Well, that was not Glenn's experience. He ended up in prison for 17 years witnessing violence that traumatized him. He saw his children grow up from a distance, missing years of his freedom he can never get back.

Listen to Glenn talk about how he kept himself sane and what is helping him on his healing journey.

***Some of the events are deeply emotional and upsetting***

Here's the link to glenn's book:

https://www.amazon.com/Donovans-Charge-Drama-3-Rings/dp/0692543139/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=donovan+charge%2C+glenn+cox&qid=1637678621&s=books&sr=1-1

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April's teenage son is incarcerated in an adult prison. As a mother she is doing time as well.

Noel works for RAPP - Release Aging People in Prison. Her focus is on parole reform.

April and Noel met through their advocacy for prison reform. In this interview they explain the challenges of dealing with the current criminal justice system, what rehabilitation could look like and why it is so important that we care about how people are treated during incarceration.

For more information check https://rappcampaign.com

Please leave a review if you found this episode interesting, tell others about it and follow us on Instagram @Whatchancepodcast.

Shawanna was born in prison, grew up in foster care, lost a brother to gang initiation violence and experienced incarceration.

She is the author of "Cries for Change", the story of how she overcame her hardships.

She turned tragedy into healing by forming Silent Cry, Inc a New York based nonprofit that takes a holistic approach to aftercare from mass incarceration, gun violence and trauma.

Listen to my conversation with Shawanna where she shares her experience, talks about the problems with punishment and the need for rehabilitation.

You can find more info at https://silentcryinc.org

Please write us a review if you enjoyed this podcast and follow us on Instagram @whatchancepodcast

Meet Robin Alpern who did just that.

Robin tells her story from becoming aware of racism and white privilege to getting involved and becoming an anti racist activist.

She is now the director of training at the Center for the Study of White American Culture, where she co-designed and co-leads a series of workshops on What White People Can Do About Racism.

The 13th amendment: 

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. 

Some suggestions from Robin if you would like to get more information:

Websites:

Center for the Study of White American Culture

https://innocenceproject.org/

Films:

13th (full-length movie by Ava DuVernay)

When They See Us (on Netflix https://www.netflix.com/title/80200549)

Articles:

https://www.aclu.org/issues/juvenile-justice/school-prison-pipeline/school-prison-pipeline-infographic

https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/spring-2013/the-school-to-prison-pipeline

Books:

• Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II
• The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America
• The New Jim Crow (Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness)
• Building a Movement to End the New Jim Crow: an organizing guide
• Deep Denial: The Persistence of White Supremacy in in United States History and Life

Please leave a review if you liked this episode and follow us

After being released from prison Cynetra struggled to get her feet back on the ground. She had lost her home and all her valuables and she really needed help. Unfortunately probation services were not enough.

She wanted others in the same situation to have more support - so she founded the Mississippi Center for Re entry.

She now serves several counties in northern Mississippi offering support for people being released from prison. Listen to Cynetra talk about which challenges people face after incarceration, how she and her organization help to reduce recidivism rates and what her biggest challenge is.

Learn more about the Mississippi Center for Re entry and donate here: https://msreentry.org

Follow us on Instagram @whatchancepodcast