In Episode 3, Riya Dange and Antoinette Charles tackle drug criminalization policies with Maritza Perez, the Director of the Office of National Affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance. They explore how current drug policies disproportionately target people of color and discuss Maritza’s work confronting the issue through legislative advocacy. As you listen to this episode, consider: what might change if we framed drug use as a public health issue instead of a legal offense? 

For more information about the Drug Policy Alliance, see: https://www.drugpolicy.org  

To read the DPA’s open letter on decriminalizing marijuana, written alongside researchers, academics, clinicians, and public health organizations, please see: https://www.drugpolicy.org/MORE-PublicHealth

In Episode 2, Nuha Naqvi and Brice Calco sit down with Marcy Mistrett, CEO of the Campaign for Youth Justice (CFYJ). We dive right into the advocacy work of CFYJ as it intersects with the Black Lives Matter movement. We discuss current policies that funnel at-risk youth into the prison system and why youth of color are disproportionately arrested and incarcerated. 

CFYJ is a national initiative focused entirely on ending the practice of prosecuting, sentencing, and incarcerating youth under the age of 18 in the adult criminal justice system. In the 15 years since the organization's founding, 40 states and Washington, D.C. have changed their laws making it more difficult to treat non-violent children as adults in the criminal justice system.

More information on CFYJ: http://www.campaignforyouthjustice.org/

Catch the first part of the interview on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBAK7mzeqwY

In Episode 1, Nuha Naqvi and Riya Dange sit down with Dr. Bev-Freda Jackson, Director of Research and Development at the Bond Educational Group and adjunct professor of Justice, Law, and Criminology at American University. They start at the beginning of the school-to-prison pipeline, with disparities and discrimination in the education system that particularly affect children who are Black, Latinx, disabled, or in the foster care system.

Check out the full interview on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsdXZb2d7qg