In this episode, The Ostara Initiative talks about prison birth work across the country. The Ostara Initiative manages several prison birth work programs across the country. Erica Gerrity and Shanita Lawrence joined Shannon to talk about giving birth in prison; designing and managing a prison doula program that now operates in Minnesota, Alabama, Oregon, the federal system, and soon Wisconsin; and why this work is so important for society.

Kyle Ashley, the newly appointed Director of Community Outreach for the Milwaukee County Executive’s Office, has a rich history of community engagement and collaboration. In this episode, he discusses what he’s learned, what he has demonstrated, and his insights on around how to effectively collaborate, and why it is so greatly important to improving the health and strength of communities, which includes creating a justice system more worthy of that name.

Cecelia Klingele and Shannon discuss Truth in Sentencing, the difficulty of focusing on crimeless revocation, the fact that incarceration promotes the exact opposite of what’s needed to succeed upon release, and more. This is arguably a must-listen for anyone interested in or doing criminal legal reform work on WI. 

Now former state representatives Evan Goyke and Dora Drake talk with Shannon about strategies, experiences, and hopes around criminal legal system reform in Wisconsin. Since this episode, both individuals have since moved on to different positions in government to continue this work. 

Dominee Meek and Matthew Wick exchange stories with Shannon about all of their journeys through over 60 years in the system without believing in god: what they learned, how it limited their opportunities and path, and how it impacts their reentry journey.

Shannon talks with Ruben Gaona about the pros and cons of entrepreneurship versus employment and rental versus homeownership for people with criminal records, particularly those still on “paper.”

Ruben Gaona is the Executive Director of My Way Out, an organization focused on reentry support for formerly incarcerated individuals.  Ruben's work has earned him numerous accolades, including being named the 2021 Veteran Social Entrepreneur of the Year and one of Wisconsin’s 2022 Most Influential Latino Leaders. His journey from adversity to advocacy highlights his commitment to ensuring that past mistakes do not define individuals, but rather, what they do afterward does​.

Simmone Kilgore LPC, an experienced trauma therapist talks with Shannon about "Second Chance" language, shame, and her career. She knows incarceration closely in her family.

Simmone is the ReCAST Program Manager within Milwaukee's Office of Violence Prevention and assists Milwaukee’s youth and families most vulnerable to systemic and community violence/trauma.

Narrative work is foundational in not only the criminal legal system but in life overall. Kaleigh Atkinson and Shannon discuss the origins of the Correcting the Narrative campaign, how it has evolved over time, what they have learned, and where it is going next.

Janos Marton and I discuss the debate between reform and abolition around the criminal legal system. (Note: This episode was recorded 2 years ago.)

Janos Marton is the Chief Advocacy Officer for Dream.Org, an organization committed to closing prison doors and opening doors of opportunity. Janos is a born and raised New Yorker who began his career as an organizer before becoming a civil rights lawyer. Since then he has spent his career fighting for racial justice and taking on corruption - as a civil rights lawyer, special counsel to the Moreland Commission to Investigate Corruption, and investigating police misconduct for the City of New York.

In 2016 he was named the first advocacy director of JustLeadershipUSA, where he managed the historic #CLOSErikers campaign. He then ran criminal justice programs across the country for the ACLU. Prior to his role at Dream Corps he was a candidate for Manhattan District Attorney, running on a bold platform to use prison as a last resort, receiving praise for groundbreaking policies that became the gold standard in the race.

What started out as an exploration of the possibilities of traveling while on paper (extended supervision) ultimately turned into a legitimate research project ending with Adam Procell and Shannon Ross traveling to the only non-profit prison in the world located in Belize.