public defenders

This episode, featuring Cyrus Gray III, demonstrates how creativity can support resilience, even under extremely difficult circumstances. In Episode 11, I talked with Dylan Hayre about the creativity in his criminal justice reform work. In this episode, we hear about the criminal justice system from the perspective of someone who found himself behind bars for nearly five years, four of those awaiting trial for murder, all the while maintaining his innocence. 

This episode is very personal to me, as you’ll hear. I served as a juror on Cyrus’ trial, which gave me a troubling window into the criminal justice system in Texas. It ended in a mistrial after the jury could not come to a decision. His case has now been dismissed. 

Our conversation focuses on Cyrus’ story and his efforts to navigate the criminal justice system, advocate for himself and others, and ultimately win his release. He embraced the power of community to foster positive changes to the system. I see this as a fundamentally creative act.

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced by Christian Haigis with assistance from Michael Osborne in Austin, Texas. Creative development and video production by Shuja Uddin and Devon Foster at Tishna Films. Artwork by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode, you might also like our conversations in Episode 11: Leadership, Values, and Criminal Justice Reform with Attorney Dylan Hayre and Episode 12: Creativity, Inclusivity and Community Theater with Sharanya Rao.

Episode-specific hyperlinks: 

Article: “Pre-Trial Injustice” by Cyrus Gray with Matthew Clair

Article: “Criminal Injustice: A View from the Juror’s Box” by Melinda Rothouse

Book: Privilege and Punishment: How Race and Class Matter in Criminal Court by Matthew Clair

Article: “Five Years, and Counting, Without Trial” by Brittany Kelley

Article: “Hays County Sets Trial Date for Man Stuck in Jail for Five Years” by Brant Bingamon

Free Devonte Amerson Linktree with Additional Links & Information

Mano Amiga - Criminal Justice Reform Organization in San Marcos, Texas

Show / permanent hyperlinks: 

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

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Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate LinkedIn

Syncreate YouTube

Melinda Rothouse Website

Prosecutors are immensely powerful, especially now, after the overthrow of Roe. They decide which cases to bring, what charges to make and what sentences to ask for. Until this year, only internal committees could investigate misconduct, even after hundreds of exonerations and allegations of abuse. After years of grassroots effort, New York now has an independent commission, but the process was hard, and there's still no power to punish. In this episode, reporter Kizzy Cox reports on how New York's new Independent Commission on Prosecutorial Misconduct came to be, and Laura talks with Andrea James, executive director for the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, and Sakira Cook, Co-Interim Vice President at Color of Change, about what prosecutors can do, or not do, especially when it comes to implementing new abortion bans.   

Featured ‘Music in the Middle’ of the Podcast: “I Believe” from Shari Cabral & JIVA, from their forthcoming album to be released on Splash Blue. Read More & Listen Here

“I'm not trying to  indict every district attorney, I'm sure that there's probably some good ones who really go to work to do their job and be fair, but for those [that don’t], there should be a system in place, to make those bad District Attorneys terrified to do anything wrong.” –Roger Clark, Community Activist, Vocal-NY

“Reform is a high priority for us in our movement to reimagine safety in America and redefine, or transform, the way that the criminal legal system operates in our country.” –Sakira Cook, Co-Interim Vice President, Color of Change

“What's the appropriate accountability for somebody that locked you up for 25 years, and took away your whole life?…This commission is the right thing to do. I’m proud of it” –Derrick Hamilton, Co-founder, Family & Friends of the Wrongfully Convicted

“Commissions are absolutely necessary because who else, but the people who are most directly affected—the people like myself who have been to a prison, the people like Sakira, who have family, who they have been caring for and loving who have been in prisons for decades—who else can raise these issues and expand the dialogue about what's necessary?” –Andrea James, Executive Director, National Council for Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls

Guests: 

Bill Bastuk, President, It Could Happen to You

Sakira Cook, Co-Interim Vice President, Color of Change 

Roger Clark, Community Activist, Vocal NY

Nick Encalada-Malinowski, Civil Rights Campaigns Director, Vocal NY

Derrick Hamilton, Co-founder, Family & Friends of the Wrongfully Convicted

Andrea James, Executive Director, National Council for Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls

David Soares, District Attorney, Albany County, NY

Your support makes it possible for us to continue uplifting the hard work of community organizers like you heard today who’s work benefits us all.   It takes a lot to keep this reporting available to millions on public television, community radio and as a podcast.  Go to Patreon.com/theLFShow and join today as a monthly contributor, or go to  LauraFlanders.org/donate for more options.  Thanks for listening!

The Laura Flanders Show Crew:  Laura Flanders, Sabrina Artel, David Neuman, Nat Needham, Rory O'Conner, Janet Hernandez, Sarah Miller and Jeannie Hopper

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ACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

Joshua B. Hoe interviews M. Chris Fabricant about his book Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System

You can find complete show notes on our website https://decarcerationnation.com/

In California there are a significant number of justice engaged students who are English Language Learners, or ELL, immigrant youth or noncitizen youth. They face even more barriers that make it difficult to re-enter their communities once released from custody. Often the success of these students is dependent on strong support systems at home. These students are relied upon to translate for their parents, and play other crucial roles in translating for the family. There is sense uncertainty and uneasiness experienced by these families. And entanglement in the criminal justice system exasperates these levels of anxiety. We have a conversation with Nisreen Baroudi, the Supervising Attorney for the Juvenile Division Public Defenders Office, Santa Clara County, CA. to get her personal opinion on these topics and much more, on this episode of Advice from the Inside Out. Special thanks to our graphic artist, Tess Buckley. www.kidsincommon.org
www.siliconvalleycf.org
www.ylc.orgwww.kff.org
https://socialchangenyu.com/review/starting-over-the-immigration-consequences-of-juvenile-delinquency-and
rehabilitation/
https://www.sccgov.org/sites/pdo/Pages/Home.aspx
https://www.rand.org/blog/rand-review/2016/01/course-correction-the-case-for-correctional-education.html
https://harvardpolitics.com/recidivism-american-progress/
https://ciyja.org/

With special guest, Nisreen Baroudi

What are juvenile life without parole sentences and how do they relate to recidivism? The word “Discretion” often comes up when we have conversations about JLWP sentences. Who has the discretion to decide if a juvenile ever deserves a sentence of life without parole? Is it the Prosecution? The Judges? The Psychologists? JLWOP is a sentence now reserved for only the most violent and heinous crimes like murder. And the discretion now rests with the judges. We will take an in-depth look at the history and application of these types of sentences and how it could effect the rate of recidivism. We have a conversation with Jacque Wilson, a San Francisco Deputy Public Defender, on these topics and more on Advice from the Inside Out. Special thanks to our graphic artist, Tess Buckley.
www.kidsincommon.org
https://www.sentencingproject.org/
https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/juvenile-life-without-parole/
https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/Will-S-F-actually-close-juvenile-hall-in-six-16284314.php
San Francisco To Close Its Juvenile Hall By The End Of 2021 https://www.npr.org/2019/08/12/750577690/san-francisco-to-close-its-juvenile-hall-by-the-end-of-2021
www.prisonpolicy.org
Supreme Court Rejects Restrictions On Life Without Parole For Juveniles: https://www.npr.org/2021/04/22/989822872/supreme-court-rejects-restrictions-on-life-without-parole-for-juvenileshttps://
www.djournal.com/news/u-s-supreme-court-to-hear-brett-jones-case/article_ba4e2299-47ce-5a12-90a0-b521aaa83de0.html

Premal Dharia has spent the last twenty years dedicated to challenging injustice in the criminal system and nearly 15 years as a public defender.  She has tried dozens of cases and supervised lawyers at various levels of practice. 

Premal will be joining Harvard Law School as the inaugural Executive Director of the Institute to End Mass Incarceration, launching this summer. The Institute’s mission is to end mass incarceration in the United States through a movement-centered, action-oriented organizing and advocacy program with a bold and ambitious innovation institute.

We talk about the history of mass incarceration and the current situation as it stands in the United States. She discusses why prisoners are disproportionately Black and Latino,  her work as a public defender and civil attorney, why she thinks public defenders are key to systemic change within the criminal system, founding and directing the Defender Impact Initiative, and what we need to know about post-colonialism and the impact it has had on people of color.

We discuss her upbringing as a South Asian woman, what she is most excited about in he new role as Executive Director, and why public defenders have the reputation they do.

To learn more, please check out-

https://endmassincarceration.org/

https://inquest.org/