Prisons have become an ubiquitous part of our collective culture, with the United States, for better or worse, being a leader in the number of people we incarcerate. What is the nature of the relationship between the captured and the captors? Can there be a spirit of cooperation between corrections officers and the incarcerated, or is it always bound to be tortured? This week, Drs. Micono and Morelos use the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment to start a conversation about American prisons in popular culture and the reality of working behind the razor wire.

On June 7, 1998, a 49 year-old African-American man was brutally killed in one of the most horrific hate crimes the country has ever seen. His death brought to the surface racial and cultural tensions that had been simmering just under the nation’s collective consciousness. What makes people intolerant of people from different, ethnic, racial, or cultural backgrounds? Why do we tend to focus on what makes of different instead of what binds us together?

This week Drs. Micono and Morelos use the murder of James Byrd Jr. as starting point to look at racism, white supremacy and why we as Americans often find ourselves fall into the trap of “us versus them” absolutist-type thinking.   

They went into the jungle looking for paradise. They found hell. What draws people into cults? What is it about our psychology that yearns for something a cult promises to fulfill? This week, Drs. Micono and Morelos use the Jonestown massacre as a starting point to look at why people fall into cults, and why so many cults eventually turn dark.

On the night of September 19, 1961, while driving home from a brief holiday, Betty and Barney Hill claimed to be abducted by beings from another planet. As pieces of their story emerged, what became even more clear is our collective fascination with the idea that we are not alone in our vast universe. Millions of people believe in the existence of extraterrestrial beings, with fewer claiming to have witnessed UFOs, and fewer still claiming to have been abducted. What is the psychological nature, and the potential implications, of these experiences? This week, Drs. Micono and Morelos use the case of Barney and Betty Hill to take a look at the topic of alien abduction.

On April 19, 1989, 28-year-old Tricia Meili, was brutally beaten, raped, and left for dead in Central Park.  Five boys, each between the ages of 14 and 16, were quickly identified as suspects.  Initially coerced into confessions, each boy later recanted and proclaimed his innocence.  In 2002, an individual confessed to this crime, with his DNA matching that found at the crime scene. What followed sparked a national conversation on race, police methodology, and the rights of the accused. When does the investigation method cross the line into the violation of a suspect’s rights under the Constitution? Drs. Micono and Morelos take a look at the difficult job of contemporary police work and how public accountability is demanding an evolution in how law enforcement is practiced. 

In 2016 my father and I travelled to Mexico to see the impressive pyramids of Teotihuacan. An intriguing invitation from an old friend and fellow scholar led to something much darker and yet somehow perfectly representative of the contradictions that dance together to create one of world's most spectacular, and terrifying, cities. This episode is a narrative of our trip to Mexico City and our encounter with Santa Muerte, the Mexican folk saint of death. Along the way we'll eat tacos, drink some mezcal, and try not to let my father break his leg in a Mexican pothole. Dr. Micono is on assignment this week and has given Dr. Morelos full creative control for this episode. God help us!   

On June 14th, 2015, the body of 48 year-old Dee Dee Blancard was found in her home just outside of Springfield, Missouri. She had been stabbed repeatedly in the back as she slept. Police originally suspected that her murder was linked to the abduction of her disabled daughter, Gypsy Rose. As the case unraveled, a lifetime of deceit on the part of Gypsy Rose and her mother, Dee Dee, was uncovered. Drs. Jessica Micono and David Morelos discuss child medical abuse, otherwise known as Munchausen by Proxy, and why some parents feign the illness of their children.

Millions of people suffer from physical illnesses that they cannot explain.  There are often no clear answers on what causes these illnesses, leaving many people desperate for any kind of relief. Using recent stories from the lives of some of these people, Drs. Micono and Morelos discuss the link between the mind and the body and the stigma that continues to surround mental health.

On April 3, 2014, serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells was executed for the murder of 13-year-old Kaylene Harris.  It is believed, however, that Sells was responsible for up to as many as 70 murders across the country.  What is the nature of psychopathy?  Why do these people walk among us?  Drs. Jessica Micono and David Morelos use the case of Tommy Lynn Sells to begin a discussion on the psychopaths that both fascinate and frighten us.

In 2007, Janet Moses was a 22-year-old Maori mother who died after being subjected to an exorcism by her family believing she was possessed by a demon. Was this a case of a malevolent presence exacting revenge over the theft of a statue, or a mental illness masquerading as something more sinister? Drs. Jessica Micono and David Morelos use this as a starting point to discuss the wider topic of demonic possession.