Some positive criminal justice news today!

Expansion of voting rights for people with felony convictions in New Mexico

Expansion of voting rights for people with felony convictions in Minnesota

The Sentencing Project report on felony disenfranchisement

Rikers Island jail is not going to digitize mail (for now)

The problem of digitizing prison mail

In this episode, we talk about plea bargaining and how expensive it is to stay in jail.

Read the Prison Policy Initiative's report on how jails and prisons across the country are privatizing (read $$$) mail for incarcerated people.

Check out Worth Rises' work to make calls from jails and prisons free.

I'm starting a new series called Book Report, where I share books I've read/listened to and liked enough to recommend to listeners. This memoir, You Can't Be Serious, is a funny and touching look into what it's like being the son of immigrants and making it in Hollywood (while also doing a stint at the Obama White House). 

If you're interested in purchasing this book, rather than buying it on Amazon, please consider buying it at your local independent bookstore or on these websites:

Bookshop.org

Better World Books

And no, I'm not making any commissions on these recommendations. :)

You are invited to come to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, CA on April 1st at 1pm to demand an end to deaths at the jail and for funding of community-based mental health services. This rally is being organized by the Care First Coalition, which you can follow on Instagram @freesrj.

Four people have already died in the jail this year alone, and we're only in March. That's in addition to dozens of other deaths in the past decade. The jail is unsafe and county officials need to do better. Please come out to support and learn more.

The demands of the organizers:

First guest interview! Joining me today is Kevin Mulshine, former deputy general counsel for the Architect of the Capitol and current Special Advisor to Demand Progress Education Fund. We talk about efforts to unionize congressional employees, how those efforts tie into broader labor trends across the country, what the Architect of the Capitol does and how that relates to the Jan. 6th insurrection, and how Kevin and I met as volunteers for Herd on the Hill.

For more reading:

Unions in the House of Representatives - report by Kevin Mulshine 

Union Organizing Rights on Capitol Hill - report by Kevin Mulshine 

House Republicans’ attempt to block staffer unions may have missed mark - Roll Call article

The House GOP’s questionable attempt to shut down congressional unions, explained - Vox article

House Republicans want to wipe out staff unions, but it’s not that simple - Roll Call article

Congress looks for new architect of the Capitol as calls rise for oversight - Roll Call article

With voluntary recognition, Ed Markey’s staff will be the first in the Senate to unionize - Roll Call article

Congressional Workers Union

Last episode we talked about how to have hope, and this episode is a great example of a reason for hope. In a pair of recent cases called Ely v. Saul and Thorton v. Commissioner of Social Security, the non-profit legal organization Lambda Legal has secured some really important wins: queer people who were previously denied Social Security Survivors' Benefits because they and their partners were not able to get legally married (and therefore be eligible for survivors' benefits upon the death of one spouse) are now eligible! Listen to this episode to learn more. For more, see the FAQ put together by Lambda Legal on these cases.

Things seem heavy and dark. There is a never-ending doom-and-gloom news cycle. And yet. There is reason to be hopeful. Some thoughts on how and why to stay hopeful.

Here is a song I love to listen to when things get heavy and need some help to keep going: The Keep Going Song by The Bengsons

I also mention the news outlet Rewire News and the podcast Boom Lawyered in this episode.

Former Brazilian president Bolsonaro recently spoke at CPAC - the Conservative Political Action Conference. CPAC is held annually in the US as a platform for conservative leaders. Bolsonaro's presence is an example of how Brazil continues to be a relevant testing ground for US-origined, far-right messaging and policy priorities. Let's explore.

***Correction to make: in this episode, I said that Nikki Haley was President Trump's Secretary of State. She was not. She was Trump's ambassador to the United Nations. My apologies.

Welcome to Season Two of Natasha Explains It All! (Yes, each season will consist of 13 episodes, or a Baker's dozen).

In this episode, we continue to explore pretrial supervision and then talk about how prosecutors use pretrial detention to coerce pleas. To learn more about how prosecutors upcharge, read The Trial Penalty.

Tyre Nichols' murder has prompted conversations about internalized racism because the main police officers who killed Tyre are also Black. Let's unpack.

For data on how often police kill, see Mapping Police Violence.