On January 30th, guards attacked Robert Earl Council, and beat him until he was unconscious.  Council, also known as Kinetik Justice, is a longtime imprisoned organizer and cofounder of the Free Alabama Movement.   Outside supporters have urged as many people as possible to call the Donaldson Correctional Facility and express concern for Council’s welfare.  The prison’s phone number is (205) 436-3681.

This week, we sit in on a conversation between Dr. Jeffrey Ian Ross and Dr. Micol Seigel. Ross is a Professor in the School of Criminal Justice, College of Public Affairs, and a Research Fellow in the Center for International and Comparative Law, and the Schaefer Center for Public Policy at the University of Baltimore. They discuss the concept of “convict criminology”. Convict criminology is the study of crime and prisons by ex-convict academics and associated critical and radical scholars. In addition to outlining the roots and applications of the concept, they reflect on other issues, such as police reform, and the practical challenges faced by formerly incarcerated people and those who study incarceration and policing.

You can check out all of our previous episodes at our new website: kitelineradio.org