What's Next Washington's Host, Sue Mason, interviews Aaron T. Kinzel. Aaron is a Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. His teaching and research areas of focus are corrections and public policy. He is a consultant that has worked nationally on criminal justice reform, including contracts with the U.S. Department of Justice and has worked with thousands of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals for over 20 years. Kinzel's passion for these issues arose from his own incarceration as a youth in which he spent several months in juvenile detention and then nearly 10 years in adult correctional facilities and finally 6 years on parole in the State of Michigan. He is currently the Vice President of a well-respected Michigan non-profit organization entitled: Citizens for Prison Reform, which advocates for smart justice policy and the families of incarcerated individuals.  

All Social Media Links:

a) Work: https://umdearborn.edu/casl/undergraduate-programs/areas-study/criminology-criminal-justice-studies

b) https://www.linkedin.com/in/kinzel

c) https://www.facebook.com/atkinzel

d) https://twitter.com/atkinzel/

e) https://www.instagram.com/atkinzel/

f) Personal Website: atkinzel.com

g) Non-Profit Org: http://www.micpr.org/

h) Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_A0EgNHyao

Produced and edited by ZipBangWow! Productions - Jonnie Wilder

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Song credit Marker Beacon. Song "Free".  

Marker Beacon Website

What's Next Washington's Host, Sue Mason, interviews Jason J. Clark. Jason is a Father, partner, mentor, and previously incarcerated leader working to build bridges between communities and systems in King County. Professionally as an Equity and Justice Advocate for King County Superior Court he is laser-focused on juvenile justice reform.

Mr. Clark is recognized locally for implementing community-based alternatives to incarceration, leading our local King County Credible Messenger Initiative (KCCMI) consortium building. Jason provides training and resources to King County Superior Court staff and Judicial Officers to equip our local justice system's equity lens and procedural justice processes. 

Zero Youth Detention Blog: 

https://zeroyouthdetention.com/2017/07/26/youth-mentors-needed-for-growing-federal-way-community-support-network/

King County Blog: 

https://kcemployees.com/2017/05/03/from-the-hip-laura-inveen-presiding-judge-king-county-superior-court/

King County Credible Messenger Initiative  Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/kingcountycrediblemessenger/ 

Washington D.C. Radio One Blog: What's the Deal???, Dismantling the School to prison Pipeline. 

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-t5dqw-9bb0b6

Produced and edited by ZipBangWow! Productions - Jonnie Wilder

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Song credit Marker Beacon. Song "Free".  

Marker Beacon Website

What's Next Washington's Host, Sue Mason, interviews Angeline Thomas. Angeline began her legal career as non-partisan Session Counsel for Washington State's Senate Committee Services where she served on the Natural Resources and Energy Committee.

Eager to put public policy into action, Angeline joined the Access to Justice Institute at her alma mater, Seattle University School of Law, where she developed and managed the Foreclosure Mediation and Outreach Project—a pro bono program for law students focused on foreclosure prevention education, outreach, and legal assistance.

She became a regional expert on Washington State's newly implemented Foreclosure Mediation Program, where she trained more than 100 law students, started an advice and referral legal clinic in Tacoma, founded the Pierce County Foreclosure Prevention Roundtable, consulted with city government and state agencies on outreach efforts, oversaw the production of a widely praised YouTube video about the law, and implemented two robust door-to-door canvassing campaigns to reach homeowners.

Angeline graduated from Seattle University School of Law in 2011. She is currently a member of the Pro Bono and Public Service Committee of the Washington State Bar Association and has served as a volunteer with the Housing Justice Project.

Angeline Thomas joined Washington Appleseed as the Executive Director in May of 2016.

Washington Appleseed Website

Produced and edited by ZipBangWow! Productions - Jonnie Wilder

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Song credit Marker Beacon. Song "Free".  

Marker Beacon Website

What's Next Washington's Host, Sue Mason, interviews Melody Simle. 

Melody has worked as an activist for systemic corrections change for several years. She is known for her lobbying efforts on the external DOC Ombuds legislation which passed this year. She currently sits on the Advisory Board of What's Next Washington.

She has served on the DOC Statewide Family Council for nine years in various roles from co-chair to facility representative for Cedar Creek Corrections Center where her brother is currently incarcerated. 

Melody has worked in the construction industry for over 20 years and owns and operates NW Roofing Specialists.

Produced and edited by ZipBangWow! Productions - Jonnie Wilder

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Song credit Marker Beacon. Song "Free".  

Marker Beacon Website

What's Next Washington's Host, Sue Mason, interviews Jessica Means. Jessica works as the Program Manager for New Connections' Reentry Shelter Plus Program in Tacoma, WA, providing a soft landing and supportive case management for women who, when released from jail or prison, are facing homelessness. Jessica is also a founding member of Numbers 2 Names, a community organization of activists, advocates, and storytellers whose mission is to eliminate mass incarceration and the unjust policies that create and perpetuate it.

Jessica was incarcerated for two years and is a recent graduate of The Evergreen State College Tacoma Program with a BA in Sociology and Community Organizing. She is currently studying for the LSAT and will pursue a law degree in the near future. 

New Connections

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Produced and edited by ZipBangWow! Productions - Jonnie Wilder

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Song credit Marker Beacon. Song "Free".  

Marker Beacon Website

What's Next Washington's Host, Sue Mason, interviews Attorney Christopher Poulos was appointed Executive Director of the Washington Statewide Reentry Council (Council) on October 1, 2017 by Department of Commerce Director Brian Bonlender and the Council. On March 8, 2018 he was unanimously confirmed in this role by the Washington State Senate. Previously, Christopher served as Executive Director of Life of Purpose Treatment at the University of North Texas, where he was also an adjunct professor of criminal justice. During law school, he served at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, The Sentencing Project, and was selected as law student of the year by National Jurist magazine. While at the Office of National Drug Control Policy, he worked to reduce discrimination by reframing stigmatizing language used by the federal government regarding addiction and justice system involvement. Christopher also served as an advisor to U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) on addiction and justice policy, and served on several task forces related to criminal justice policy and reentry. He graduated cum laude from the University of Maine School of Law, where he was president of the American Constitution Society and represented children facing criminal charges as a student attorney in the Juvenile Justice Clinic.

Christopher openly identifies as a person in long-term recovery from addiction who has also been incarcerated. Over a decade ago, he made a decision to seek help and has maintained his recovery since. The U.S. Department of Justice selected him to consult for a project documenting the nation's most successful people to have reentered society following incarceration. His work and story have been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, The Hill, and other outlets. He also gave a TED talk on reentry and his personal journey in 2015.

WA Statewide Reentry Council

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Produced and edited by ZipBangWow! Productions - Jonnie Wilder

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Song credit Marker Beacon. Song "Free".  

Marker Beacon Website

What's Next Washington's Host, Sue Mason, interviews Quintin Williams. Quintin is a Field Building Project Manager at Heartland Alliance and a part-time instructor and Ph.D student in Sociology at Loyola University in Chicago. His research interests include the Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, Social Inequality, and Crime and Punishment. Quintin works with the Restoring Rights and Opportunities Coalition of Illinois (RROCI) working with people with records and advocating for the expansion of their opportunities and for broader criminal justice reform in Illinois. He believes in the inherent worth of all people, the urgency of expanding opportunities for the most marginalized, and the paramount role of lived experience in creating strong and sustainable policies. Quintin currently holds an Associate in Arts from Malcolm X College, a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from Concordia University Chicago, and a Master's Degree in Sociology from Loyola University Chicago.

HEARTLAND ALLIANCE

RROCI

JLUSA

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Produced and edited by ZipBangWow! Productions - Jonnie Wilder

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Song credit Marker Beacon. Song "Free".  

Marker Beacon Website

What's Next Washington's Host, Sue Mason, interviews Skyler Rich. Skyler is a student of Business and Political Science at Calvin College in Michigan. He is the founder of Forgive Everyone Co; a clothing brand donating parts of every sale to help formerly incarcerated men and women find employment, housing, rehabilitation, and mentorship. His passions lie in incarceration reform and encouraging and promoting the practice proximity to people and ideas different from one's own. His plans for the future include possibly pursuing a degree in law and continuing his work in prison ministry. 

Forgive Everyone Co

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Produced and edited by ZipBangWow! Productions - Jonnie Wilder

http://zipbangwow.com/

Song credit Marker Beacon. Song "Free".  

Marker Beacon Website

What's Next Washington's Host, Sue Mason, interviews General Parker.

General Parker is a well-known community, political and civil rights activist in Peoria, Illinois. he served two years in the Illinois Department of Corrections and in several county jails for an auto theft in the early 1980's. Today, general works tirelessly to give back to his community and fight the injustices that left him and his counterparts with feelings of desperation and loss of hope. He is President of the Central Illinois Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and has spoken around the country on issues of organizing labor and incarcerated workers, fathers' and noncustodial parents' issues, domestic violence, housing and education reform. he is an Executive member of the organization on Procedural Justice (OPJ), a group founded by Dr. Merelyn Bates-Mims of Cincinnati, OH. OPJ's goal is to remove the "Exceptions Clause" from the 13th Amendment of the US Constitution which allows "slavery or involuntary servitude" for those convicted of a crime. 

General is a 2018 Just Leadership (JLUSA) USA Fellow.

OPJ - Organization on Procedural Justice

Central Illinois Coalition of Black Trade Unionists

2018 JLUSA Leading With Conviction Fellow

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What's Next Washington's Host, Sue Mason, interviews Loretta Rafay. 

Loretta works as a dissertation editor and coach for the Antioch University's Writers' Exchange and is a member of the Northwest Independent Editors Guild. She is the co-chair of the Washington Department of Corrections Statewide Family Council and is a policy researcher for Prison Voice Washington.  She is the proud spouse of University Beyond Bars scholar Atif Rafay.

Antioch University's Writers' Exchange

Northwest Independent Editors Guild

Washington Department of Corrections Statewide Family Council

Prison Voice Washington

University Beyond Bars

Atif Rafay

Atif Rafay Full Interview - the fifth estate

Produced and edited by ZipBangWow! Productions - Jonnie Wilder

http://zipbangwow.com/

Song credit Marker Beacon. Song "Free".  

Marker Beacon Website