Earlonne Woods and Yahya Johnson of Ear Hustle, the acclaimed podcast, join DA Boudin and Rachel for the powerful and deeply personal Season 2 finale. The episode focuses on how the criminal legal system treats people who are incarcerated—and how it needs to improve. Earlonne and Yahya share their personal accounts of their time in prison; explain the system and laws that sent them there; and describe their experiences with their prosecutors and defense attorneys. The discussion also explores the harms caused by laws like Three Strikes and the many harms caused by mass incarceration-- even after a prison sentence has ended. And, of course, the group identifies how the legal system can change the way it treats people who are incarcerated--and the role of prosecutors in effecting that change.   For further reading:

• Check out Ear Hustle podcast's website
• Repeal California Three Strikes Law Coalition website and Steering Committee bios of Earlonne and Yahya
• NPR interview with Earlonne, Host of the Prison Podcast "Ear Hustle" Reflects on his 27 Years Behind Bars"
• Current story about Ear Hustle's 2020 coverage of COVID inside prisons
• NPR 2018 story, Behind Ear Hustle, the Podcast Made in Prison
• Ear Hustle Episode 4, Season 1, introducing Yahya
• Today story describing the influence Yahya had on others in prison
• Profile of Earlonne in the Ledger
• NBC 2017 story, Ear Hustle Podcast Unchains Voices from Behind Prison Walls
• SF Chronicle's Datebook article, For Ear Hustle Hosts Woods and Poor, Life Has Changed But the Show Goes On"
• The Marshall Project op-ed written by Rahsaan "New York" Thomas from Ear Hustle, "I Host a Popular Podcast. I'm Also in Prison"
• Pulitzer Prize finalist: Ear Hustle!
• Bon Appetit article about cooking show in San Quentin, featuring Yahya

Following up on last week's episode on restorative justice, this week, DA Boudin and Rachel step back and look at the treatment of crime victims and survivors throughout the legal process.  To do so, they are joined by two leading advocates for crime survivors: Tinisch Hollins of Californians for Safety and Justice and Sandra Henriquez of Valor US (formerly California Coalition Against Sexual Assault).  What does justice look like for crime victims--and for communities impacted by crime? Do most victims favor retributive justice and maximum sentences? What resources, support, and services do victims need to heal? The discussion also focuses specifically on sexual assault survivors and victims of violent crime in exploring ways the legal system can better protect victims and respond to crime.   For more reading:

• Link to Californians for Safety and Justice website
• Link to Valor US's website
• News story about press conference for CSJ's push for cash assistance to crime victims and survivors
• DA Boudin and Tinisch interview on KQED's Forum, "Crime and Criminal Justice in the Pandemic"
• KQED story, SF District Attorney Expands Services to Aid Victims of Police Violence
• KQED story, "What Do Victims Want? New Criminal Justice Reforms Expose Divide Among Crime Survivors" (with quotes from Tinisch)
• Sacramento Bee op-ed coauthored by Sandra, #MeToo is Not Enough. California Must Invest in Stopping Sexual Assault"
• Interview with Sandra, "We Need to Establish a Cultural Consensus that Sexual Violence is Preventable"
• Alliance for Safety and Justice Report: The first national survey of victims' views on safety and justice
• Link to Valor US's National Sexual Assault Conference
• Valor's Support for Survivors of Sexual Assault manual

 

In this powerful, must-listen episode, DA Boudin and Rachel are joined by Danielle Sered, the Executive Director of Uncommon Justice, to talk about the process known as restorative justice. While breaking down some of the myths and facts about restorative justice, this episode explores the ways the criminal legal system can better center crime victims and survivors. Danielle explains how restorative justice brings healing along with accountability--and leads to victims reporting greater satisfaction than the traditional legal process.  The group also discusses how restorative justice plays a critical role in preventing recidivism and future crime. Danielle shares examples from her work with victims of violent crime and makes the case for restorative justice approaches to harms--whether or not the legal system is involved.   For further readings:

• Link to Danielle's book, Until We Reckon: Violence, Mass Incarceration, and a Road to Repair
• New York Times op-ed by Michelle Alexander, discussing Danielle's book
• USA Today op-ed by Danielle, "To End Mass Incarceration, U.S. Needs Alternatives to Prison for Violent Crimes"
• Danielle's Letter in the Washington Post about how prison isn't preferred by violent crime survivors
• Common Justice website
• Link to webinar featuring Danielle on Healing Without Incarceration
• Article written by Chesa Boudin (before his election) in the Appeal, San Francisco Deserves Restorative Justice
• San Francisco District Attorney's Office's website discussion of restorative justice
  

In the wake of an increase in hate and violence against the AAPI community, DA Boudin and Rachel are joined by Professor Shirin Sinnar to discuss hate crimes.  They explore the history of hate crime laws, the limits of their use, and their impact.  Are hate crime laws helpful in deterring or preventing hate crimes? Do they serve other purposes? How do hate crimes impact different communities who face hate? They also discuss Professor Sinnar's recent report on alternative responses to hate crimes.

• Link to Professor Sinnar's report, written in partnership between Stanford Law School and the Brennan Center for Justice, Exploring Alternative Approaches to Hate Crime
• DA Boudin on NPR talking about tools to prevent hate crimes
• Link to watch virtual summit on hate crimes hosted by DA Boudin--Prevention & Protection: Keeping Our AAPI Community Safe
• Professor Sinnar on KQED discussing hate crimes
• Interview with Viet Thanh Nguyen on roots of anti-Asian hate
• Stop AAPI Hate report on hate against AAPI community

Season 2 returns from intermission with an insightful episode examining the impact of life sentences. DA Boudin and Rachel are joined by Keith Wattley, the Founder and Executive Director of UnCommon, who represents people sentenced to life sentences in California at their parole hearings. They discuss the impact of life sentences; how the parole process works under the law as well as in practice, and how it can be improved. They also explore the ways in which prisons too often fail those who are sentenced to life by denying their humanity. Finally, they discuss how prosecutors like DA Boudin have played a role in resentencing those who have been sentenced to excessively long sentences.   For further reading:

• DA Boudin's Article in The Nation, "Across Prison Walls, I Felt My Parents' Love"
• UnCommon Law's website
• San Francisco Chronicle profile on Keith Wattley and UnCommon Law
• NowThis YouTube video on Keith and UnCommon Law
• YouTube video on Keith Wattley by James Irvine Foundation
• The Sentencing Project report on life sentences
• Recent piece by Keith Wattley on the values of justice
• San Francisco District Attorney's Office website on resentencing unit
• Article on San Francisco DA's Office's Resentencing Unit 
• Prison Law Office's Parole and Prison Handbook
• Penal Reform piece on the need to abolish life sentences 
• Vox op-ed on the need to cap all prison sentences

DA Boudin and Rachel are joined by Tim Black of the renowned CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets) program in Oregon, an innovative program that provides alternatives to policing by sending trained mental health first responders to handle crises involving mental illness, homelessness, and addiction. DA Boudin, Rachel and Tim talk about the criminalization of mental illness throughout the legal system and explore ways the system can better help those struggling with mental health and addiction. Tim shares specific examples from his work with CAHOOTS to help rethink how our legal system should respond to someone in crisis and the group discusses ways to balance public safety concerns with the need to treat those who are mentally ill with dignity and respect.   For more information:

• To learn more about CAHOOTS, check out the White Bird Clinic's website.
• The Daily Show interview with Tim Black, "What Does Defunding the Police Look Like?"
• Piece in The Atlantic on CAHOOTS
• CNN piece on CAHOOTS
• Radio interview on KZSC with Tim Black
• Mental Health America information on the intersection between mental health and criminal justice
• National Alliance on Mental Illness article, "Criminal Justice Reform Means Reforming the Mental Health System"
• Prison Policy Initiative statistics on the intersection of incarceration and mental health
• Slate article, "Prisons Have Become America's New Asylums"
  

DA Boudin and Rachel are joined this week by Patrisse Cullors, the cofounder of the Black Lives Matter movement. They discuss the long-term impact of the Black Lives Matter movement for people of color in the wake of George Floyd's murder and the trial and conviction of Derek Chauvin. The conversation is both broad and deep as it covers police accountability; mental health; and intersectionality. The group also explores the opposition to progressive prosecutors and the push to hold police accountable.

• Link to purchase Patrisse's book, When They Call You a Terrorist
• W Magazine profile on Patrisse Cullors
• Harvard Law Review article by Patrisse, Abolition and Reparations: History of Resistance, Transformative Justice, and Accountability
• LA Progressive piece by Patrisse on The Future of Black Lives
• Time Magazine honors Black Lives Matter cofounders
• Information from Patrisse's website on Measure R
• Freeform's Good Trouble series
•  New York Times coverage of DA Boudin's historic prosecution of the first on-duty police officer in a homicide case in San Francisco history
• San Francisco Examiner article on DA Boudin's refling of charges against Alameda County Sheriff's deputies
• Article on DA Boudin's cosponsorship of SB 299 to support victims of police violence
• Press release on DA Boudin's policy to compensate victims of police violence like any other crime victims

DA Boudin and Rachel are joined by Zach Norris, Executive Director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and the author of Defund Fear: Safety Without Policing, Prisons and Punishment, to talk about all of the ways the legal system impacts kids.  They discuss the criminalization of kids of color; the impacts of juvenile incarceration; and the differences between the juvenile and adult systems—as well as how it all affects kids and their families.  Zach also discusses the ways in which prosecutors can effect change for kids in the system.

For more information:

• Link to purchase Zach Norris’s book, Defund Fear: Safety Without Policing, Prisons, and Punishment
• Website for Ella Baker Center
• KQED interview with Zach on “Building Secure, Just, and Inclusive Communities”
• Forbes article on Zach’s book
• San Francisco Chronicle op-ed, “LA and SF Have It Right: No Children Should be Prosecuted as Adults”
• Research from Harvard about juvenile justice and the adolescent brain
• Justice Policy Report showing recidivism rates are higher for kids prosecuted as adults in the legal system
• CJCJ 2019 report on the violence and neglect in California’s Division of Juvenile Justice
• San Francisco Chronicle article on Governor Gavin Newsom’s decision to close the Division of Juvenile Justice
• Op-ed in the Sacramento Bee on the closure of DJJ and how it should have happened long before COVID

The first thematic episode of Season 2 focuses on immigrants in the criminal legal system. Raha Jorjani, Director of Immigration Defense at the Alameda County Public Defender’s Office and an expert on “crimmigration”—the intersection of criminal and immigration law—joins DA Boudin and Rachel for this in-depth discussion. The conversation explores all the ways in which the criminal legal system fails and can improve its treatment of immigrants—whether as crime victims or as the accused in criminal cases. Raha also discusses the ways in which policy decisions have impacted immigrants throughout the legal system and how prosecutors can better address the needs of non-citizens.

• Link to Facebook Live recording of two panels from the San Francisco District Attorney’s recent Summit, Prevention & Protection: Keeping Our AAPI Community Safe”
• KTVU story on Raha’s client, Walter, and his fight for justice
• Leading Edge Foundation profile on Raha
• Animated short film Raha wrote for Rogue Mark Studios regarding the need for prosecutorial accountability
• Washington Post piece, “Treating Immigrants Like Criminals Has a Long History in the United States”
• Raha’s Washington Post 2015 Op-Ed, “Could Black People in the U.S. Qualify as Refugees?”
• Safety and Justice Challenge blog, “Addressing the Unique Issues Faced by Immigrants in the Justice System
• Intercept piece profiling Raha's client, Walter