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95 percent of the millions of American men and women who go to prison eventually get out. What happens to them? On this week's episode of The Prison Post Podcast, we have a conversation with immersion journalist, Lauren Kessler. She has taken a deep dive into looking at the Challenges of Life After Prison. Her book: 'Free' Two years, Six Lives and The Long Journey Home" is powerful, moving, emotional, and revealing. Lauren is both clear-eyed and compassionate, as she follows six people whose diverse stories paint an intimate portrait of struggle, persistence, and resilience.What is the road they must travel from caged to free? How do they navigate their way home?
Lauren Kessler is an award-winning author of ten works of nonfiction, all of which combine lively narrative with deep research and in-the-trenches immersion to explore hidden worlds. The creator of two graduate programs in creative nonfiction, she founded a writersā group for those sentenced to life in prison at a maximum security prison.
There's Arnoldo, who came of age inside a maximum security penitentiary, now free after nineteen years. Trevor and Catherine, who spent half of their young lives behind bars for terrible crimes committed when they were kids. Dave, inside the walls for 34 years, now about to reenter an unrecognizable world. Vicki, a five-time loser who had cycled in and out of prison for more than a third of her life. They are simultaneously joyful and overwhelmed at the prospect of freedom. Anxious, confused, sometimes terrified, and often ill-prepared to face the challenges of the free world, all are intent on reclaiming and remaking their lives.
"FREE" is a gripping and empathetic work of immersion reportage, "FREE" reveals what awaits them and the hundreds of thousands of others who are released from prison every year: the first rush of freedom followed quickly by institutionalized obstacles and logistical roadblocks, grinding bureaucracies, lack of resources, societal stigmas and damning self-perceptions, the sometimes overwhelming psychological challenges.
Here's some of the reentry topics we discuss:
ā¢ The common challenges those recently released encounter in the first month that very few people truly understand?
ā¢ What being imprisoned means to your sense of self and how to reclaim that?
ā¢ What being surveilled, regulated, and managed does to your abilities to trust yourself and others?
ā¢ How you learn to function and reconnect, like understanding the latest technology?
ā¢ The rocky road of learning how to make so many decisions, big and small, every day?
ā¢ The staggering racial inequality behind bars (1 in 6 Latino boys and 1 out of every 3 Black kids will go to prison in their lifetime) and the overall āepidemic of mass incarcerationā in the U.S., which accounts for 25% of the worldās prison population?
ā¢ What communities can do to help those returning from incarcerated life become a functioning part of that community
To purchase a copy of Lauren's book on Amazon visit this link: https://www.amazon.com/Free-Years-Liv...
Click this link to visit her website titled, "The Lauren Chronicles" and check out Lauren's other books at
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Thanh Tran called me from the phones of San Quentin Prison 9 months ago. In my 21 years of incarceration, I have never met a more policy-minded incarcerated person. I was impressed by his perspectives, his language, and the freedom he held on the inside, not to mention his brilliant accomplishments all before the age of 28!
Episode 48 features Thanh Tran, a formerly incarcerated Filmmaker, Podcaster, and Organizer. He is the Co-Creator and Co-host of the Uncuffed Podcast. He is also Co-Creator of the incarcerated film crew Forward This Productions. He was released from prison almost 3 months ago and is now the Senior Policy and Comms Fellow with the Ella Baker Center.
Thanh was incarcerated at the age of 18. He was sentenced to 17 years. He was commuted by Governor Newsom after serving over 10 years. He survived the horrific conditions of Covid 19 in San Quentin. He had Covid three times and had to scream for medical attention through his door before a nurse finally showed some humanity and got him desperately needed medicine that helped him when he was at his worst. He rang the bell for the fellas on the inside and shared the story of how correctional officers refused to serve the incarcerated food because of their fear of contracting Covid. He shared how he heard the shrieks of men who were dying of Covid in their cells without receiving help for a month. He shared how he saw the dead bodies of those who succumbed to Covid, due to the lack of medical attention at the prison. This is the real trauma that is hidden from the public eye everyday.
We also covered how he transformed his life on the inside to become the podcaster, film producer, organizer, and policy minded man that he is today. Than shares the challenges of reentering society and how he's courageously facing them. I have full confidence that Thanh will lead from the front for prison reform for years to come. Thank you for watching this episode.
Please hit the like button, subscribe, and leave a comment or ask us or Thanh a question in the comments. We respond to everyone!
You can find Thanh Tran on Twitter at @RailroadedUnderground
Learn more about how CROP Organization is reimagining reentry by investing in people over punishment on our website at: https://croporganization.org/
Apply to be in our Ready 4 Life Reentry Programs in Oakland and LA here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdE8zUyZCy2MzL--mnBjYwKgSdr8wZPZvYB5_WlgjnZurfKNA/viewform
Learn more and reach out to The Ella Baker Center at https://ellabakercenter.org/ Ella Baker was a brilliant, black hero of the civil rights movement. Following in her footsteps, Ella Baker Center organizes with black, brown, and low-income people to shift resources away from prisons and punishment, and towards opportunities that make our communities safe, healthy, and strong.
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Weāre super excited to have our first guest from New York now residing in Ohio on our show today. Donald Wiggins Jr. holds a JD, MPA and is the Co-Founder & Director of Strategic Initiatives & Policy at Ohio Families Unite for Political Action and Change (OFUPAC). Heās a writer, a researcher, reformer, futurist, and abolitionist, but when I asked him to describe himself, he said, āItās not about me. Itās about we! Iām just doing my part in the grand cog of history!"
In this episode we discuss Donald and OFUPAC's vision to make fundamental shifts in America by creating national legislation that would allow the incarcerated and those who are 16 and older to vote. We have a deep conversation about universal suffrage and restructuring society by caring about our future we could have 20-30 years from now and what it would take to make that happen.
OFUPAC builds and harnesses the political power of impacted families across Ohio, providing them with a space to leverage their power and drive policy to enact lasting change. Their mission is to end state violence against communities in Ohio by uplifting and amplifying the voices of impacted families to transform the criminal and civil justice landscape in Ohio.
They do this by engaging in effective public advocacy, legislative outreach, and public education activities. They center the voices of those most impacted by systemic racism, oppression, police violence, and systemic violence in the criminal and civil justice systems. Our vision is for us all to live in a space where one's income, race, public school, neighborhood, air quality, orientation, spirituality, and very identity do not determine your treatment, your life, and your livelihood by the criminal and civil justice systems in Ohio. OFUPAC holds space, organizes, and mobilizes those directly impacted by police brutality, the carceral system, and the juvenile justice system, to respond to immediate and emergent threats to our lives and our humanity.
Learn more about Ohio Families United for Political Action and Change here: https://www.ofupac.org/
Follow Donald on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/DWigginsJ3
Join their universal suffrage campaign by signing up at https://www.votingishuman.us/
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Welcome to The Prison Post Podcast! Our guest this week is Tommy DeLuna who was sentenced to Life Without The Possibility of Parole (LWOP). Tommy was charged at the age of 17 for a murder robbery, convicted at 18 and sentenced at 19 to LWOP. Being sentenced to LWOP is essentially giving someone a slow death sentence. He served 25 years and has been out for a little over 2 years, holds two jobs, co-owns a business, and attends Sacramento State University. He's a busy man to say the least and I was honored to have my friend on The Prison Post Podcast.
Tommy shares his story, accountability, remorse, and responsibility. Tommy is very remorseful and takes responsibility for the life he took, and although he never had an intention to murder, the results equated to an LWOP sentence. Society expects us to be honest about what we did and what we caused while going through the court system, but why would anyone want to be honest when the results that come from honesty result in sentences like LWOP.
We had a detailed conversation about what it was like for him to be incarcerated for over two decades with LWOP. He shares his current values and beliefs about LWOP and the death penalty. He shares what he believes about the punishment model California's prison system utilizes and what's happening around related LWOP laws today.
If you have a loved one with LWOP, you don't want to miss this episode.
Itās tough to maintain hope with LWOP, but he maintained hope behind prison walls and razor wire. He generously shared how he came to be free and he had shared special messages for family and loved ones of the incarcerated sentenced to LWOP.
Please subscribe, like, and leave us a comment. Please consider donating to our work at CROP Organization so we can continue to provide shows like this and reimagine reentry by investing in people over punishment. Donate here: https://croporganization.org/
#DROPLWOP
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Jarad was sentenced to 162 years to Life after facing 204 years to Life in the California Prison System. He was in the High Security Compound in Sylmar Juvenile Hall facing this amount of time as a 17 year old teenager. In California, juveniles who commit violent crimes can be tried as adults, while awaiting trial they are kept apart from other minors. Many of them won't come home, but Jarad did. As a 17 year old he was featured in the documentary, "They Call Us Monsters." Many people love to label minors who commit violent crimes as "monsters" but they don't know their whole story. Jarad would be the first to take responsibility for what he did and the harm he caused. He didn't make excuses for his behavior and went to prison and committed his life to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and immersed himself in his faith and his education. Nearly 8 1/2 years later his sentence was commuted by Governor Brown. After being found suitable for parole by the Board of Prison Hearings Commissioners, he walked out of prison after 9 years.
I heard of his story from a mutual friend and he wanted me to meet Jarad. I had to meet him. I had never heard of anyone with such a long sentence being released before serving a decade. I had to see him with my own eyes, congratulate him and hear his story. He's been out of prison for one year now and he's one of the kindest and most humble young men that I have ever met. I invited him on The Prison Post Podcast to share his story. He keeps a strong support team around him and his friend, David Rey, joined us at the studio. Impromptu, I asked David if he'd be willing to join us in a conversation. David Rey was also sentenced to life as a juvenile and has thrived in every way in his 8 years of freedom.
Many would like you to believe that transformation isn't possible for juveniles or young men who make the worst decision of their lives and end up in the carceral system. Legislators quoted on "They Call Us Monsters" said this about juveniles like Jarad, "There are no violent offenses for a juvenile. You commit crime, you're an adult." "If you commit an adult crime, you do adult time." "The age of the assailant is of no consequence." "These are evil menacing people, mini Charlie Mansons, this is absolutely outrageous that we're going to release these little psychopaths to the streets to yet murder again." These statements are meant to put fear into the public and perpetuate long sentences for juveniles, even when the evidence shows that transformation is possible.
I am so thankful that Governor Brown and Jarad's employer didn't feel that way about him. Today Jarad is a Committee Assistant for Senator Steven Bradford, Chair of the Senate Public Safety Committee. He's not only employed at the State Capitol, but also attends Sacramento State University and is majoring in criminal justice. His goal is to become a lawyer in the next several years. He loves God, attends church and shares his story to inspire others going down the path he did to change direction. His church has loved and embraced him. Jarad is a shining example of what transformation looks like and what's possible when we give a young man an opportunity to be someone new. It was an honor to have Jarad on The Prison Post Podcast and since we live in the same town, I hope to hang out with Jarod and be a part of one another's support system.
To watch "The Call Us Monsters" on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/un8Uwg6SWG0https://y...
Also on Amazon Prime here:
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Super excited for todayās show with Terah Lawyer-Harper and Ken Oliver. Two leaders who have tremendous stories of incarceration, transformation, resilience, social impact, and entrepreneurial leadership. They are the workforce development gurus and and are transforming the landscape of reentry. The results are transformed lives and healing communities. Ken was CROP's former Executive Director and passes the torch of leadership to Terah on the show with profound respect and trust.
Terah Lawyer-Harper is CROP Organizationās new Executive Director. She was previously an Associate Director at Impact Justice. At Impact Justice, Terah developed and led the organizationās groundbreaking Homecoming Project, a $3.5M housing innovation project that paired people returning home after long prison sentences with welcoming community hosts. She received national and state recognition for her innovation and impact in the Bay Area. Lawyer-Harper is a Young Professional of Color Fellow with the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, an alumnus Next Generations Fellow with the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, and a former elected chairperson for the Beyond Incarceration Program inside CDCRās Central California Womenās Facility. She spent 15 years incarcerated during which she became a certified peer health educator, a drug and alcohol counselor, earned two bachelorās degrees and started a national nonprofit to provide correspondence courses to people incarcerated in prisons.
Iāve gotten to know Terah over the last three months and I can tell our audience that our team is excited to have her as our new Executive Director: Sheās passionate, ambitious, innovative, solution-orientated, forward thinking, and a social connector/networker. Sheās warm, attentive, and approachable. She has a strong moral compass and is courageous. Sheās professional, articulate, and a born leader. She takes pride in her efforts with great energy and focus. Our team loves her inclusive leadership style. Sheās driven by her purpose and all the while she still finds time to invest in the most important aspects of her life: her family, her friends, and her community.
Terah is active in the leadership of numerous civic and community organizations. She is spokeswoman for the Drop the Life Without the Possibility of Parole campaign and a member of Californiaās Prison Focus Board of Directors. She is featured in A New Way of Life testimonial series and actively volunteers with local organizations, including Fair Housing Initiative, California Coalition for Women Prisoners, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, All of us or None, Prison Focus, Project Homeless Connect, and Restorative Justice Reentry Conference.
Originally from the Bay Area, Lawyer-Harper holds three undergraduate degrees in business administration, management and social and behavioral science. Terah Lawyer-Harper will be based at CROPās headquarters in Oakland, CA.
We just dropped a Press Release that share more of her story. Learn more about Terah on the front page of CROP Organization's website: https://croporganization.org/
Ken is the former Director of Business Development and former Executive Director at CROP Organization. Today, he is the Executive Director of the Checkr Foundation and Co-Chairman of CROPās Board. Ken was incarcerated for over 25 years including spending over 8 years in solitary confinement. Today, he is a proximate leader in criminal justice reform, reentry architecture, workforce development, and inclusive impact strategy. Heās passionate about...
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Welcome to The Prison Post. My always brilliant co-host, Jason Bryant, rejoins me for a power packed restorative justice conversation with Amanda Carrasco. This is our first episode with someone who shares about Restorative Justice from the perspective of the victim/survivor. She shares how she's been impacted by horrific acts of violence including the murder of her family and how in spite of the very real trauma, she is still a very strong proponent of Restorative and Transformative Justice.
Amanda Carrasco has a passion for believing in people who face challenging circumstances and equipping them to meet their goals, which comes from her own lives experience with multiple traumas. She is an advocate for human rights through restorative justice and government policy change. She is a volunteer for CROP and a political advocate locally and abroad which included serving as Honorary Vice -Consul for the republic of Kenya. She holds three masterās degrees in leadership, public policy and law. She owns a company that works with students from around the world and builds community while enhancing their education. She teaches Politics and Government for a University in Vancouver BC but even more than all those accomplishments, her greatest title she has ever held has been, āmom.ā
She doesn't just talk about restorative justice, she lives it. She flew all the way out to California to spend several days with us and even visited our homes. She is a volunteer at CROP Organization and looks to move to California in the near future. She generously shares her story and we discuss topics like: Does punishment make societies safer? How the justice system has removed the victim from the restorative justice process? The two sides of restorative justice namely, the restoration of the person(s) harmed and the restoration of the person who caused the harm. This leads into an exploration of how restorative justice also centers on the victim and how acknowledging that can facilitate at minimum a greater understanding of the crime and likely more healing for both parties.
Please subscribe to our podcast and follow us here on our linktree: https://linktr.ee/CROPOrganization
Our Linktree will take you to all the places you can find us on social media for fresh insights into who we are and what we're doing to reimagine reentry at CROP Organization.
Please donate to us at https://www.croporganization.org/ or text CROP at 91999 and donate to our work of transforming lives and healing communities.
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Welcome to The Prison Post. My co-host Jason Bryant was on assignment, so I brought in my dear friend, James Willock as my co-host for this special episode. James was incarcerated from the age of 19 to the age of 47 in California's prison system and has now been free for a little over one year.
We are excited to be back and to drop Episode 42 with one of the greatest human beings on this planet, Fritzi Horstman. Fritzi Horstman is the Founder and Executive Director of the Compassion Prison Project (CPP) an organization dedicated to creating trauma-informed prisons and communities and bringing creative inspiration to all men and women living and working in prisons.
With 95% of the incarcerated men and women eventually returning home, Fritzi believes it is imperative that we address the chronic mental health issues in prison with common sense, compassion and urgency. In 2020, Fritzi directed āStep Inside the Circleā at California State Prison ā Los Angeles County with 235 incarcerated men. The video has reached nearly 3 million views worldwide and has attracted over 900 volunteers to CPP. Fritzi and the team at CPP are in production, creating a 12-part series entitled āTrauma Talksā to be distributed to prisons in the US and abroad which launched in September 2021.
Fritzi produced HBOās āThe Defiant Onesā directed by Allen Hughes which has garnered several awards including a Grammy for Best Music Film. Her first feature, āTake A Number,ā which she wrote, produced, and directed, debuted at the Slamdance festival and premiered on HBO. Fritzi studied at New York Universityās summer film program and received a Bachelor of Arts in Film and English from Vassar College.
CPP's mission is to transform prisons and communities through compassionate action. Their main focus is on childhood trauma and how it affects the lives of men and women living and working in prisons. In our research, using the CDC/Kaiser Permanente ACEs study (Adverse Childhood Experiences), we have seen that ACE's are disproportionately high within the prison system. At CPP, they are focused on bringing childhood trauma awareness, education and healing to prisons and communities both in the U.S. and globally.
Fritzi reached reached out to me and asked if I and members of our team at CROP Organization would be willing to go back into the prison with her for a couple of days to participate in her "Step Inside the Circle" work with the incarcerated and her trauma conversations with officers. We were set to get on a call and she asked me to watch one of her award winning videos first. I watched and called her in tears 7 minutes later which led to over a 2 hour zoom about the addressing trauma and healing in my incarcerated brothers and sisters and within myself. She exudes empathy and compassion as a natural expression of who she is and she's one of those rare people you meet and know your life would never be the same afterwards.
Enjoy the show and please hit the red subscribe and like button so we can continue bringing you this inspirational and informative content. I'll include links to two of her other videos and where you can donate to her organization below.
Step Inside the Circle: https://youtu.be/FVxjuTkWQiE
Honor Yard: https://youtu.be/Xo_RUSuk4s8
Donate to Compassion Prison Project here: https://compassionprisonproject.org/
Please subscribe to our podcast and follow us here on our linktree: https://linktr.ee/CROPOrganization
Our Linktree will take you to all the places you can find us on social media for fresh insights into who we are and what we're doing to reimagine reentry at CROP Organization.
Please donate to us at https://www.croporganization.org/ or text CROP at 91999 and donate to our work of transforming lives and healing communities.
You can take the Adverse Childhood Experiences Test and learn more about how childhood trauma may have...
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James Willock was raised in Sacramento, California. He was sentenced to 34 years to life at the age of 19. He was in prison for 28 years of that sentence, he went to the California Board of Parole Hearings in March of 2020.
His powerful transformational story is featured in CROP Organization's book, "Men Built for Others." He was first on The Prison Post Podcast a couple of months after he was released from prison. He came back on the show a year and shared what he's doing today 13 months after he was originally on the show and to participate in the Men Built for Others Series.
He gives back to his community, to the people around him, and to the people who are in the same situations that he was in that lead him to a life of crime and being sentenced to life in prison. Our interview with James reveals his perspectives of freedom, possibility, service, and what it is like to come home after 29 years of incarceration.
#CROPOrganization #WorkingTogethertoRestoreLives #ReimaginingReentry #ThePrisonPostPodcast #ProximateLeadership #Richard Mireles #JamesWillock
Visit our Linktree here: https://linktr.ee/CROPOrganization
Donate to CROP's work here: https://igfn.us/e/IDV7vQ
Order Men Built for Others here: https://www.amazon.com/Men-Built-Others-Lessons-Sentences/dp/1641840196/ref=sr_1_1?crid=QX50NI2F0GTO&keywords=men+built+for+others&qid=1637118894&qsid=133-8766197-3747155&sprefix=Men+Built+%2Caps%2C430&sr=8-1&sres=1641840196%2C0988877953%2CB07VXVX2N7%2CB072FH1QVS%2CB08DMKRZ3J%2CB0773DVXFH%2CB005ABQFS0%2CB086W2L7LZ%2CB07TXL7T1D%2CB016Q1CXI8%2CB001NZAXJO%2CB07WH2QFMF%2CB07KQ1HNQP%2CB075JW9CYN%2CB082XT2G8S%2CB01BKXXTXU
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CROP Organization published a book titled, "Men Built for Others, Life Lessons from Those Serving Life Sentences."
One of the stories featured in "Men Built for Others" was written by Robert Esquivel. Robert was sentenced to 48 years to life at the age of 17. Today, he is a free man and has been since November of 2019. He graduated from CROP's Alcohol and Drug Counseling Program on the inside and was one of a handful of men who could be found facilitating, coaching, and supporting his incarcerated brothers within our rehabilitative community almost every night of the week. He made it his mission to support men with their personal transformation as they pursued their unprecedented futures. Because of his commitment to paying it forward, we asked Robert to share his story. Then and now, Robert lives his life as a Man Built for Others. Robert is working as Substance Use Disorder Counselor in the Los Angeles Area.
Men Built for Others, is an emotionally sobering, eye-opening, and powerfully engaging compilation of the harrowing journeys one can take when we fail to value ourselves and others. Men Built for Others is uncensored, vulnerably raw, and insightful. Men Built for Others, was written to atone for our egregious wrongdoings and prove that hope can flourish anywhere. Men Built for Others, can transform lives and open the minds of the hardest of hearts. If you're dealing with adversity, destructive habits, or perhaps desperately trying to help an incarcerated loved one; this is a powerful book showing how one can transform life's worst setbacks into miraculous comebacks and be happy regardless of where they are.
The eleven true stories are edited and compiled by Ted Gray, Richard Mireles, Jason Bryant, and Matthew Braden while they were serving life sentences in the Soledad State Prison in Soledad, California. They learned that they had the capacity to transform the culture of prison and impact our their world significantly. Today, they are Directors of the CROP Organization. CROP Organization is directed by their proximate leadership and over 110 years of experience within the criminal justice system. Creating Restorative Opportunities and Program's mission is to reimagine reentry through a holistic, human-centered approach to advocacy, housing, and the future of work. Their purpose is to transform lives and heal communities by creating integrated pathways to economic mobility, personal leadership, and civic engagement.
100% of the proceeds from our book go toward CROP's "Men and Women Built for Others Scholarship." Which paid a $33K tuition for one student to attend Palma School and he is now in college. CROP is sponsoring our second student. Please donate to our scholarship by clicking the donate button on our website at https://www.croporganization.org/ or Text CROP at 91999 to donate by text.
You can purchase Men Built for Others on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Men-Built-Others-Lessons-Sentences/dp/1641840196/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1634172265&sr=8-1
Thank you for your support. You can listen to our podcast on any of these major podcasting platforms: https://theprisonpost.captivate.fm/listen
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The Prison Post is super excited to release this episode with our dear friend, Roy Duran. He joined us 21 days after being set free from a life sentence. Roy's smile says it all! He has a profound freedom that many people many people have never experienced. He got free on the inside before earning his physical freedom! He was sentenced to 15 to Life, but earned a rare parole date at his first parole hearing (this only happens to 2% of incarcerated people sentenced to life in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation). Roy earned it because he took full and complete responsibility for what he caused, expressed deep remorse with true accountability and immersed himself in his own transformation while tirelessly serving his community on the inside. He has impacted thousands of lives with his story, optimism, love, compassion, empathy and willingness to help anyone at any time. He has one of the most profound transformational stories of anyone we've interviewed.
Roy is a dear friend of CROP Organization and our whole team celebrates his freedom! We worked side by side on the inside with Roy and before paroling he was the lead transformational coach of the program we once led. His life is a bright light and he will do amazing things for the incarcerated and those in the reentry community.
Another truly beautiful story also took place before Roy was released...Roy was a leader in the Success Stories Program on the inside and he was featured in their CNN documentary "The Feminist on Cellblock Y." The Success Stories Program is now on the outside and thriving. Our friends at Success Stories held a fundraiser and raised money so that they could hire Roy upon his release. This is a profound act of love and commitment to their friend and brother. Roy will thrive in their organization for years to come.
Follow us and subscribe to CROP Organization's and The Prison Post's socials on our Linktree here: https://linktr.ee/CROPOrganization
Learn more about CROP Organization and our current programs on our website at: https://croporganization.org/
The Feminist on Cellblock Y: https://youtu.be/JYxTzsabkH8
Learn more about the Success Stories Program at: https://www.successstoriesprogram.org/
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The Prison Post #38 features my great friend, Cornelius Edwards. He was incarcerated for 26 years (1987-2012). He was one of the incarcerated founders of what many people know today as "Parole Readiness Groups." This is Part 2 with Cornelius. He was a visionary and trailblazer for those sentenced to life in prison. Because of him and others that followed his lead, today thousands and thousands sentenced to life are now free. He created a premiere literacy program in the late 90's, the first lifer support group in the early 2000's and the first parole readiness group for those with life sentences in 2010. His "Avatar" program included Board of Prison Hearings (BPH) Preparation, Post Board Denial Management, Post Incarceration Syndrome, Relapse Prevention Planning, Alternatives to Family Violence and they introduced the Board Portfolio to take to the BPH. He created this at a time when the window of opportunity for parole for those sentenced to life were barely opening up. He was found suitable 6 times, but Governor Gray Davis took three of those parole dates and Governor Schwarzenegger took two of those dates. He was finally set free after his 6th time being found suitable by the parole board.
Today Cornelius is passionate about providing workplace safety instruction and certifications to men and women currently employed; and pre-certifications to single parents, students, veterans, and formerly incarcerated people seeking entry level positions in the labor and food industries; in effect providing employers with knowledgeable candidates for future employment opportunities. Throughout his previous years of experience as a trainer/speaker and program developer he learned that safety and employment are cornerstones for building responsible people, safe workplaces, better communities, and productive lifestyles. He's passionate about empowering those who need a hand up and he is committed to leaving this earth better than he found it.
Cornelius is the epitome of someone who has reentered society as a responsible and thriving citizen. He is excelling today with two careers, a happy marriage, and travels all over the world, even Paris, France..
Please watch and subscribe to The Prison Post on Apple iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and watch join over 1,800 people who watch our weekly video Podcasts on Youtube. Here is a master link to watch or listen on your favorite platform: https://theprisonpost.captivate.fm/listen
The Prison Post Podcast is a production of the CROP Organization. We exist to provide opportunities to transform lives and heal communities by creating integrated pathways to economic mobility, personal leadership, and civic engagement. Learn more about us at: https://croporganization.org/ and donate to our Signature Ready for Life Program by visiting the donation page on our website or texting CROP on 91999 or clicking this link: https://igfn.us/form/2OZxqw
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The Prison Post #37 features my great friend, Cornelius Edwards. He was incarcerated for 26 years (1987-2012). He was one of the founders of what many people know today as "rehabilitative programming." It was an honor to have Cornelius on our podcast and we'll be recording part two this week. He was a visionary and trailblazer for those sentenced to life and because of him and others that followed his lead, today thousands and thousands of us sentenced to life are now free. He created a premiere literacy program in the late 90's, the first lifer support group in the early 2000's and the first parole readiness group for those with life sentences in 2012. His "Avatar" program included Board of Prison Hearings (BPH) Preparation, Post Board Denial Management, Post Incarceration Syndrome, Relapse Prevention Planning, Alternatives to Family Violence and they introduced the Board Portfolio to take to the BPH. He created this at a time when the window of opportunity for parole for those sentenced to life were barely opening up. He was found suitable 6 times, but Governor Gray Davis took three of those parole dates and Governor Schwarzenegger took two of those dates. He was finally set free after his 6th suitability.
Today Cornelius is passionate about providing workplace safety instruction and certifications to men and women currently employed; and pre-certifications to single parents, students, veterans, and formerly incarcerated people seeking entry level positions in the labor and food industries; in effect providing employers with knowledgeable candidates for future employment opportunities. Throughout his previous years of experience as a trainer/speaker and program developer he learned that safety and employment are cornerstones for building responsible people, safe workplaces, better communities, and productive lifestyles. He's passionate about empowering those who need a hand up and he is committed to leaving this earth better than he found it.
We welcomed Cornelius on The Prison Post Podcast because he is the epitome of someone who has reentered society as a responsible and thriving citizen. He is excelling today with two careers, a happy marriage, and he's done his fair share of travel all over the world.
Please watch and subscribe to The Prison Post on Apple iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and watch join over 1,800 people who watch our weekly video Podcasts on Youtube. Here is a master link to watch or listen on your favorite platform: https://theprisonpost.captivate.fm/li...
The Prison Post Podcast is a production of the CROP Organization. We exist to provide opportunities to transform lives and heal communities by creating integrated pathways to economic mobility, personal leadership, and civic engagement. Learn more about us at: https://croporganization.org/ and donate to our Signature Ready for Life Program by visiting the donation page on our website or texting CROP on 91999 or clicking this link:
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The Prison Post #36 features a friend of ours in the Criminal Justice Reform Movement. She is the Co-Founder of "Locked In" and the Host of the podcast, "Breaking Bread." Her partner is currently incarcerated in Soledad where Jason and I spent a combined 28 years of our 42 years of incarceration. She's featured several of The Prison Post's guests like Johnny Howe and Hugo Gonzalez. After she records her show she makes her guest the meal of their choice. We think this is one of the best forms of community building, intimacy, and love for our formerly incarcerated brothers and sisters. Check out DeAnne's work on her website and on her podcast. Here's a bit more about her and the work she's doing. It was a delight to have her on our show and to even talk about some of our brilliant friends.
DeAnne Knipschild is an alum of La Sierra University. She got her B.A. in Liberal Studies in 2004 and M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction in 2007. She currently works in the School of Education as an Administrative Assistant and Advisor for students getting their teaching credentials and Master's Degrees. She also is a contract teacher for the university teaching classes on how to survive college and the history of education. Outside of work she wears many hats keeping herself busy. She is a singer who has traveled all over the country and world singing gospel music with several groups. She is currently the lead singer of a Country Rock band called āSweet Mischiefā. DeAnne believes in giving back and service to the community and so she volunteers her time singing and leading praise for churches, and helps out with community events such as free health clinics, feeding the homeless, and bible studies. She is also on the Board for a non-profit organization called Black Girl Hockey Club which promotes diversity and equality in the sport of hockey and just recently started an organization and is Co-Founder of āLocked Inā which centers on 3 pillars: Communication, Education and Action to make lasting change for those affected by injustice.
Visit our website at https://www.croporganization.org/
Visit out Linktree and subscribe to our Podcast, Youtube and Social Media Channels: https://linktr.ee/CROPOrganization
Here is the website link to DeAnne's website: https://lockedin.info/
Here is the Link to Locked In's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbUGwIM_cp34cLwzbSiiihQ
Here is the link to her podcast for those that just want to listen: https://anchor.fm/deanne-knipschild
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Welcome to The Prison Post Podcast! Episode 35 features a conversation with CROP Organization's youngest Ready for Life Associate, Kyara Banks aka "Kee B". Kee is a formerly incarcerated youth from Oakland, CA. She is now 22 years old and is committed to her own personal transformation. She is determined to stop people from entering the justice system and to be a part of the process of dismantling the incarceration system. She has experienced the the societal challenges of being formerly having experienced homelessness and being turned away from jobs because of her background. Her dream is to have a great career in tech that will allow her to help her family and have the ability to meet her long-term goals. Watch and listen to her story and be inspired.
CROP Organization envisions a society that invests in people over punishment. CROP's purpose is to transform lives and heal communities by creating integrated pathways to economic mobility, personal leadership, and civil engagement.
Creating Restorative Opportunities and Programs signature Ready for Life program provides: Three months of Leadership Development provided by CROP, Financial Literacy provided by Beneficial State Bank, and IC3 Digital Literacy Certification training, professional workplace skills provided by Linked In Learning. CROP also provides three months of inbound and outbound sales representative career training in business to business sales in tech. We have partnered with Climb Hire, Code Tenderloin, and Checkr, Inc. to provide this training and employment opportunities upon graduation. CROP Organization provides a $1,000 monthly stipend to our Associates as they go through our six month program. We want to thank Oracle and Dell Technologies for their strong support now and in the future.
Please donate to support the training in tech for our Ready for Life Program Associates by texting CROP on 91999 or clicking this text to give link https://igfn.us/form/2OZxqw
Subscribe to The Prison Post Podcast and follow us on our social media channels at https://linktr.ee/CROPOrganization
#CROPOrganization #ThePrisonPostPodcast #ReimaginingReentry #ThePrisonPost #ReadyforLife #ReadyforLifeAssociates #LeadershipDevelopment #DigitalLiteracy #FinancialLiteracy #TransformingLivesandHealingCommunities #investinginpeopleoverpunishment
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Welcome to the Prison Post! Episode 34 is here today with CROP Organization's humble and talented Ready for Life Associate, Elgin Rose. He is the fifth CROP Associate to join us to share his transformational story and reentry journey. Elgin is one of the most inspiring and authentic people we have had as part of our Signature Ready for Life Program. Watch and listen to his story!
Elgin Rose is a 29-year-old father of two beautiful girls. Heās from San Francisco and loves tasty food and gaming. His dream is to have a great career in tech, which will allow him to provide for his daughters and have the ability to travel the world someday. Elgin is hard working, super funny, a natural storyteller, and a committed father. We love his worth ethic, drive, and his numerous impersonations.
Creating Restorative Opportunities and Programs' (CROP) Ready for Life Program provides: Three months of Leadership Development provided by CROP, Financial Literacy provided by Beneficial State Bank, and IC3 Digital Literacy training provided by LinkedIn Learning. CROP also provides three months of career training in Business to Business Sales in Tech. We have partnered with Code Tenderloin and Checkr, Inc. to provide this training and employment opportunities upon graduation. CROP Organization provides a $1,000 monthly stipend to our Associates as they go through our six month program. We want to thank Oracle and Dell for their strong support now and in the future.
#CROPOrganization #ThePrisonPost #ReimaginingReentry #ReadyforLife #ReadyforLifeAssociates #LeadershipDevelopment
Please consider donating to support our stipend program and subscribe to The Prison Post Podcast. Follow us on our social media channels at https://linktr.ee/CROPOrganization
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Welcome to the Prison Post! Episode 33 is here today with CROP Organization's Dynamic and Passionate Ready for Life Associate, Claudine Sipili. She is the fourth CROP Associate to join us to share her transformational story and journey in reentry. Claudine is one of the most impressive people we have met and we are excited to have her as part of our Signature Ready for Life Program. You must hear her story!
Claudine Sipili is a Program Director at CityTeam Ministries where she oversees the San Jose and Oakland CityTeam Work locations. She develops and implements programs to help optimize employability and provide opportunities for clients to earn a livable wage and find stable housing. In addition to her management role, Claudine works directly with clients individually to empower them, foster their career interests, and launch them into career paths that were once out of reach. She also serves on the Santa Clara County Continuum of Care (CoC) Governance Board, the Destination: Home Board of Directors, and the Santa Clara County Lived Experience Advisory Board. Claudine was born and raised in American Samoa. Before her nonprofit career, she served in the United States Navy and the Army National Guard. Having experienced addiction, incarceration, and homelessness first-hand, she has passion for being an active part of the solution for ending homelessness in the Silicon Valley. Claudine likes to say, āI am an ordinary human serving an extraordinary God and it is from this perspective that I carry out my daily duties at City Team.
Claudine enjoys road trips to explore quaint towns where she finds the coolest, most unique, independently owned coffee shops and coffee roasters. Her number one hobby is learning about and drinking coffee. For Claudine, it is Jesus first, coffee second, and everything else falls somewhere below that.
Creating Restorative Opportunities and Programs' (CROP) Ready for Life Program provides: Three months of Leadership Development provided by CROP, Financial Literacy provided by Beneficial State Bank, and IC3 Digital Literacy training provided by LinkedIn Learning. CROP also provides three months of career training in Business to Business Sales in Tech. We have partnered with Code Tenderloin and Checkr, Inc. to provide this training and employment opportunities upon graduation. CROP Organization provides a $1,000 monthly stipend to our Associates as they go through our six month program. We want to thank Oracle and Dell for their strong support now and in the future.
#CROPOrganization #ThePrisonPost #ReimaginingReentry #ReadyforLife #ReadyforLifeAssociates #LeadershipDevelopment
Please consider donating to support our stipend program for our Ready for Life Associates at https://lnkd.in/gAKje-3
Please subscribe to The Prison Post Podcast and follow us on our social media channels at https://lnkd.in/gVACzhT
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We continue a series of conversations with #CROPOrganization's Ready for Life Associates. We want to welcome KC Matthews to our show today. He is a committed Associate in CROP's Virtual Training Program and we're honored to have him share his life journey and reentry experiences on The Prison Post. KC Matthews is a formerly incarcerated black trans man living in California. He is dedicated to abolishing the prison industrial complex through community building and remaining connected with those on the inside. It is important for him to bring his experience of advocacy to fight against the obstacles inflicted by the punitive criminal justice system.
KC Matthews is a Housing Navigator for TGIJP (Transgender variant intersex Justice Project) in San Francisco. He is a passionate criminal justice reform advocate. He is serious about advocating for equal opportunity rights for gender equality and housing for LGBTQ folks. He lives and works in San Francisco. His goal is to help justice involved LGBTQIA individuals struggling with housing.
Creating Restorative Opportunities and Programs' (CROP) Ready for Life Program provides: Three months of Leadership Development provided by CROP, Financial Literacy provided by Beneficial State Bank, and IC3 Digital Literacy training provided by LinkedIn Learning. CROP also provides three months of career training in Business to Business Sales in Tech. We have partnered with Code Tenderloin and Checkr, Inc. to provide this training and employment opportunities upon graduation. CROP Organization provides a $1,000 monthly stipend to our Associates as they go through our six month program.
In this episode, KC shares stories from his personal life growing up in the foster care system, the breakdown in that system, the choices that led to his incarceration, the challenges of being justice involved, and his experience of over two months in CROP Organization's program. He is truly a tremendous person. We encourage him to keep striving for his future worth having!
#CROPOrganization #LeadershipDevelopment #ThePrisonPost #ReimaginingReentry
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In The Prison Post #31 we continue a series of conversations with #CROPOrganization's Ready for Life Associates. We want to welcome Jesse Lee Foshay on our podcast. He is a committed Associate in CROP's Virtual Training Program and we're honored to have him share his life journey and reentry experiences on The Prison Post.
By day Jesse, is a Housing Specialist for Abode Services in the San Francisco Bay Area. By night, he's a Ready for Life Associate from 5:30-9:30 PM PT. Heās also an aspiring artist and father of 2 beautiful boys. He lives and works in San Francisco and itās his goal to help house as many homeless individuals and families possible. As Jesse says, "Everyone deserves a place to call home." He has a heart for the marginalized and hurting people of this world and is making an impact and equipping himself in Ready for Life to make an even bigger dent in the world of social justice.
Creating Restorative Opportunities and Programs' (CROP) Ready for Life Program provides: Three months of Leadership Development provided by CROP, Financial Literacy provided by Beneficial State Bank, and IC3 Digital Literacy training provided by Linked In. CROP also provides three months of career training in Business to Business Sales in Tech. We have partnered with Code Tenderloin and Checkr to provide this training and employment opportunities upon graduation. CROP Organization provides a $1,000 monthly stipend to our Associates as they go through our six month program.
In this episode, Jesse shares stories from his personal life growing up in the foster care system, the breakdown in that system, the choices that led to his incarceration, the challenges of being justice involved, and his experience after nearly two months in CROP Organization's program. Jesse talks about his experience of the digital literacy aspect of the program where he is at the head of the class. He shares how the community we are creating has become a great support system and positive environment for him to thrive in. In short, Jesse shares the raw about his childhood in the foster care system, being in the revolving cycle in the carceral system, changing his life and juggling fatherhood, career, and building a future worth having for his sons. He is truly a tremendous person. We appreciate Jesse's efforts as he is the first person to arrive to class on a daily basis. We encourage him to keep striving for his future worth having!
#CROPOrganization #LeadershipDevelopment #ThePrisonPostPodcast #ReimaginingReentry #WorkingTogethertoRestoreLivesandHealCommunities #ReadyforLife #ReadyforLifeAssociates
Please consider donating to support our stipend program for our Ready for Life Associates at
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The Prison Post Podcast is honored to have the author of "Untapped Talent," on our podcast! Jeff is a remarkable man on a transformative mission. CROP Organization's Executive Director, Ted Gray, and Director of Business Development, Ken Oliver, have an excellent conversation with him about fair chance hiring. Please watch, comment, subscribe, and order a copy of his book here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Untapped+Talent&i=digital-text&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
Jeff Korzenik is Chief Investment Strategist for one of the nationās largest banks, where he is responsible for the investment strategy and the allocation of over $40 billion in assets. For more than 30 years, Jeff has been known in the investment management industry for the clarity and originality he brings to complex challenges. A regular guest on CNBC, Fox Business News, and Bloomberg TV, his insights into the economy, markets, manufacturing, and the workforce are frequently cited in the financial and business press.
What is "Untapped Talent: How Second Chance Hiring Works for your Business and the Community" about? This work shares the business case and best practices of āsecond chance hiring,ā employing people with criminal records. The first and only book of its kind, āUntapped Talentā is meant to inform and inspire business leaders to broaden their hiring to this population. This is a disciplined and realistic look at this issue ā not everyone with a record is ready for employment, and even those that are may require additional support. Based on the successful experience of pioneering second chance employers around the country, āUntapped Talentā identifies the challenges and opportunities in hiring people who have been marginalized from the workforce. The book covers the realities of our criminal justice system, models of hiring (both successful and unsuccessful), overcoming objections, implementation, refinement and where employers can find the resources. Within the pages of the book, readers will learn more about the business leaders who have led the way in giving people a chance. Beyond numerous lessons and anecdotes throughout the book, an entire chapter is devoted to the case study of an Ohio manufacturer, whose business and company culture were transformed by this experience.
Why this matters? The United States has 19 million people with a felony conviction, including one in three Black men. Along with the additional tens of millions burdened with misdemeanor convictions, āpeople with recordsā represent an enormous underutilized labor resource.
On a macroeconomic level, higher workforce growth drives faster growth for everyone. The United States, and virtually the whole world faces a demographic challenge ahead. Our best opportunity lies in bringing marginalized workers into employment and giving them a chance to be as productive as possible.
On a company level, using the model explained in the book, second chance employees are on average more engaged and more loyal, leading to lower turnover costs and higher productivity. Contributing to a worthy social cause in this way makes companies more attractive to investors, employees and customers alike.
On a societal level, this is the right thing to do, one of the most important ways businesses can engage in solving social problems. When people who have made a mistake and paid for that error continue to suffer the penalty of workforce barriers, we create injustice, reduced public safety, family dysfunction, and intergenerational poverty. As a country, we cannot hope to get to equality of opportunity across racial lines, until we offer people the opportunity to move beyond their worst moment. Second chance hiring is the
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