Pri-Zen: Lessons from Lockup with Jesse Crosson: Recent Episodes
Courteney Stuart and Jesse Crosson
What does it mean to be rehabilitated, and how can the criminal justice system be improved to promote public safety and genuine rehabilitation for offenders? Those are questions Jesse Crosson has spent nearly two decades contemplating and putting into practice as he serves a 32-year active sentence in the Virginia Department of Corrections for crimes committed just after his 18th birthday. In the Pri-Zen podcast, Crosson explores with veteran journalist Courteney Stuart the state of the criminal justice system in Virginia, criminal justice reform and related topics from mental health and addiction to violence and grief.
Most people agree that the criminal justice system in the United States needs reform. But what changes would be most effective and be reasonably implemented in the near future? Jesse Crosson shares his thoughts based on nearly 19 years incarceration in the Virginia Department of Corrections.
Original Music by Michael Clem
Sound production by Taylor Thomas
Grief is a universal experience, but people who are incarcerated are deprived of some of the social rituals used to cope. In this episode, Jesse and Courteney discuss the experience of grieving while incarcerated and the importance of recognizing the multiple sources of grief from loss of freedom and opportunity to the deaths of family members.
Original music by Michael Clem
Sound production by Taylor Thomas
Physical and mental health are important components of rehabilitation. In this episode, Jesse discusses various treatment modalities that have supported his transformation and describes his powerful experiences with meditation.
Original music by Michael Clem
Sound production by Taylor Thomas
A prison sentence is an immediate disruption to important relationships, and maintaining those connections with family and other loved ones is important for successful rehabilitation and eventual re-entry. Jesse describes the challenges in staying connected, particularly during a pandemic, the how-to's of romantic relationships while incarcerated, as well as meeting new friends from around the world while incarcerated.
Original music by Michael Clem
Sound production by Taylor Thomas
Education is a foundation of rehabilitation. Jesse Crosson earned his college degree in existential psychology while incarcerated in Virginia and also became a journeyman electrician. Formal education, however, is not the only important form of learning. Here, he also discusses significant informal education experiences and ideas for improving educational opportunities for incarcerated people.
Violence is a component of many crimes, but the reasons for violence vary. In this episode, Jesse discusses three types of violence and how identifying the root causes may help determine the risk of future offenses and the type of treatments that may be effective.
Original music by Michael Clem
Sound editing by Taylor Thomas
In this episode, Jesse and Courteney discuss the intersection of addiction, mental health and criminality, the current treatment options within the Virginia Department of Corrections and potentially transformative treatment options.
Original music by Michael Clem
Sound production by Taylor Thomas
In 2002, at the age of 18 and under the influence of drugs and alcohol, Jesse Crosson committed several violent crimes and was sentenced to 32 years in prison, twice the maximum suggested by sentencing guidelines. Rather than a planned gap year before college, Jesse would spend decades in prison. His family feared his future was bleak, but Jesse's story was just beginning. Now an experienced practitioner of Zen meditation with a bachelor's degree in existential psychology earned while behind bars, Jesse has worked as a mentor to fellow inmates with mental health and substance abuse issues and has had his writing published in newspapers and on national criminal justice related websites. In this episode, journalist Courteney Stuart, who developed a friendship with Jesse after reporting on his quest for clemency in 2019, speaks with him about his path to incarceration and his transformation over the past two decades as an inmate in the Virginia Department of Corrections.
Original music by Michael Clem
Sound editing by Taylor Thomas