The PrisonCare Podcast: Recent Episodes
Sabrina Justison
A prison is an uneasy neighborhood made up of residents, officers, staff, and administrators. Compassionate people can learn ways to support positive prison culture from outside the walls. Join Sabrina Justison (whose son, J, is incarcerated) to deepen your awareness of often-ignored populations in our society. Educate yourself and your local community about practical ways to make things better on the inside. Learn to encourage and support incarcerated people AND those who provide for their custody, care, and control. Together we can work toward a better future where restorative practices and normalization efforts make life behind the walls better for EVERYone who must spend time there. Begin prison reform before a single piece of legislation is passed! prisoncare.org sabrinajustison.com
Kym and Sabrina get to talk with Dylan about how healthy, good relationships are built inside a prison during your sentence. Can there really be good friendships in prison? What happens when people are transferred to another facility or make parole? How do COs respond to friendships they observe?
(theme music intro, “The Fool,” by incarcerated artist J. Bloom © 2022, used with permission)
“I want to be as relevant to you as you are to me…
…am I the fool who’s dreaming? I’ll wait.”
Support PrisonCare with a donation of any size:
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Time Markers:
2:10 Poker, Cellies, Chow, and Common Goals
5:15 WhenYour Friends Leave Prison
9:33 What is "Dyaln's Situation" Again??
12:30 Ain't No Such Thing...
14:45 Leaving (no jet plane required)
19:00 COs Feel the Friendships
25:00 When We're Trying to Discern What's Up...
29:20 Next week...LOVE!
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
The Fool, original recording music and lyrics by J. Bloom © 2022.
For the full song, visit the PrisonCare, Inc. YouTube Channel:
https://youtu.be/cG8zHpQZDug
Support the show
Kym and Sabrina get to talk with Dylan about the abrupt severing process that most incarcerated individuals go through when coming to prison. In this first of a 3-part series, Dylan (PrisonCare, Inc.'s Inside Community Director) shares insights with us about RELATIONSHIPS for people who are incarcerated...and the prison staff who provide for their custody, care and control.
Time Markers:
0:40 Dylan's got stuff to share!
3:05 Relationships Lost, Relationships Made, Relationships Longed For
5:30 Re-introducing Dylan! ('cause it's been a minute)
7:00 Displaced and Marooned
10:20 Text me, 'k?
12:00 Apartment Clean-outs
14:25 What about the kids?
16:55 Victims...and more victims
20:00 Stats about Prison Visits
22:30 The "Golden Year"
(theme music intro, “The Fool,” by incarcerated artist J. Bloom © 2022, used with permission)
“I want to be as relevant to you as you are to me…
…am I the fool who’s dreaming? I’ll wait.”
Support PrisonCare with a donation of any size:
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
The Fool, original recording music and lyrics by J. Bloom © 2022.
For the full song, visit the PrisonCare, Inc. YouTube Channel:
https://youtu.be/cG8zHpQZDug
Support the show
Sabrina shares some of the specific limitations on phone access, and wonders respectfully about whether there aren't some easy improvements to be made...better options for EVERYONE in the prison.
Support PrisonCare with a donation of any size:
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Time Markers:
1:59 Punitive vs. Rehabilitative - a Quick Review of the Paradigm
6:00 Let’s Talk About Phones
8:00 Why So Pricey?
9:52 Wait, People Can’t Get a Call from Their Lawyer??
13:58 “Leave me a message, and I’ll get back to you…” Except You Actually Can’t
21:57 What About Emergency Calls?
26:58 Yes, But People Could Abuse That Access
28:50 Tell Sabrina She’s Wrong
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
The Fool, original recording music and lyrics by J. Bloom © 2022.
Used with Permission on The PrisonCare Podcast.
For the full song, visit the PrisonCare, Inc. YouTube Channel:
https://youtu.be/cG8zHpQZDug
Support the show
An interview with J! Recorded before J's move to a new facility, this episode explores the complexities of feeding people in prison, the realities that cause people to be persistently hungry even when federally mandated nutritional requirements are being met, and the content (and quantities) of foods on your tray for a typical meal, the multi-layered truth about "3 hots and a cot" guaranteed, the gratitude that comes from people who appreciate being fed, and the common practice of a single third-party contractor that provides both chow hall food AND commissary items.
Whew!! It's a packed episode.
Support the show
Join Sabrina and learn what makes a prison "lockdown," and be surprised by some of the difficulties that arise out of lockdown...in particular, for correctional officers.
Support PrisonCare with a donation of any size:
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Time Markers:
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
The Fool, original recording music and lyrics by J. Bloom © 2022.
For the full song, visit the PrisonCare, Inc. YouTube Channel:
https://youtu.be/cG8zHpQZDug
Support the show
Prisons operate in the U.S. using a structure that is very similar to the military. Join Sabrina to dig into how that creates a fundamental problem for correctional staff...and is not particularly helpful to prison residents, either. And get an update on J in this last of the 4 "in-real-time" episodes of the past month.
(theme music intro, “The Fool,” by incarcerated artist J. Bloom © 2022, used with permission)
“I want to be as relevant to you as you are to me…
…am I the fool who’s dreaming? I’ll wait.”
Support PrisonCare with a donation of any size:
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
The Fool, original recording music and lyrics by J. Bloom © 2022.
For the full song, visit the PrisonCare, Inc. YouTube Channel:
https://youtu.be/cG8zHpQZDug
(theme music outro, “The Fool,” by incarcerated artist J. Bloom © 2022, used with permission)
“I’ll wait. I'll wait until I break.”
Support the show
Continuing to learn about prison culture "in real time" with Sabrina and J as they walk through the uncharted territory that follows a rules violation, this week's episode examines the difficulties faced by people undergoing serious stress, and the limitations placed on even the simplest stress-management efforts, for residents and staff alike. And can someone please explain why talk therapy is not a priority in prison budgets? Let's look through a lens of common sense for a moment, if we can.
(theme music intro, “The Fool,” by incarcerated artist J. Bloom © 2022, used with permission)
“I want to be as relevant to you as you are to me…
…am I the fool who’s dreaming? I’ll wait.”
Support PrisonCare with a donation of any size:
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
The Fool, original recording music and lyrics by J. Bloom © 2022.
For the full song, visit the PrisonCare, Inc. YouTube Channel:
https://youtu.be/cG8zHpQZDug
(theme music outro, “The Fool,” by incarcerated artist J. Bloom © 2022, used with permission)
“I’ll wait. I'll wait until I break.”
Support the show
Update on J, who is scheduled to be transferred to a new prison today, if all goes according to plan. Sabrina shares what he will face because of the transfer, and also makes available for the first time another of J's original songs, "Be Honest." Hear the story behind the song, learn how you can get a free .mp3 to add to your music library, and think in a new way about the things that simply must change in prison neighborhoods, for the good of everyone on the inside.
(theme music intro, “The Fool,” by incarcerated artist J. Bloom © 2022, used with permission)
“I want to be as relevant to you as you are to me…
…am I the fool who’s dreaming? I’ll wait.”
Support PrisonCare with a donation of any size:
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
The Fool, original recording music and lyrics by J. Bloom © 2022.
For the full song, visit the PrisonCare, Inc. YouTube Channel:
https://youtu.be/cG8zHpQZDug
Support the show
Yeah, you read that right. There is so much complexity here, and this episode is Sabrina's super-careful analysis and fiercely-determined effort to LIVE OUT the non-partisan PrisonCare Mission of support for EVERYONE inside a prison neighborhood. No us. vs. them. Not even right now. Please listen to this important episode.
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
The Fool, original recording music and lyrics by J. Bloom © 2022.
For the full song, visit the PrisonCare, Inc. YouTube Channel:
https://youtu.be/cG8zHpQZDug
(theme music outro, “The Fool,” by incarcerated artist J. Bloom © 2022, used with permission)
“I’ll wait. I'll wait until I break.”
Sabrina facilitates a powerful imagination game: let's imagine your worst possible work assignment. And then let's look at what that has to do with prison neighborhoods...and how it may increase our compassion for Correctional Officers. (Let's change the world for the better, shall we?)
Support PrisonCare with a donation of any size:
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Time Markers:
1:10 An Imagination Game
4:00 No, we're not actually talking about 2nd Grade Teachers
5:00 Here's what one CO said about his work world
7:00 Removed from society?
8:45 The Prison Workplace: an overview
10:45 Hey, CO! The TV quit working!
11:25 Liar, liar, pants on fire
14:10 Stop picking sides, please, and thank you
18:45 Shared Goals
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
The Fool, original recording music and lyrics by J. Bloom © 2022.
For the full song, visit the PrisonCare, Inc. YouTube Channel:
https://youtu.be/cG8zHpQZDug
Sabrina starts Season 2 with a big-picture question that we ALL need to be asking ourselves, because it will fundamentally change the way we care for everyone inside a prison neighborhood, whether incarcerated individuals or corrections staff. There are many good questions to ask ourselves:
What does "rehabilitation" even mean?
How long is long enough?
but most importantly..."What if you were defined by your worst moment?"
SUPPORT PRISONCARE'S WORK WITH A DONATION OF ANY SIZE:
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Time Markers:
1:28 A Quick Framework for How to Recover from Disaster
5:00 I Kinda Wanna Throw Up
7:25 What Do You Look Like These Days?
9:55 But What Happens When WE See It?
======================
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
The Fool, original recording music and lyrics by J. Bloom © 2022.
For the full song, visit the PrisonCare, Inc. YouTube Channel:
https://youtu.be/cG8zHpQZDug
(theme music intro, “The Fool,” by incarcerated artist J. Bloom © 2022, used with permission)
“I want to be as relevant to you as you are to me…
…am I the fool who’s dreaming? I’ll wait.”
(theme music outro, “The Fool,” by incarcerated artist J. Bloom © 2022, used with permission)
“I’ll wait. I'll wait until you stay.
I'll wait. I'll wait until I break.”
The end of a WHOLE YEAR of weekly PrisonCare Podcast Episodes...Whew!!
So much important info in this episode, y'all. The mission is expanding, and there is room for a whole bunch of new personalities in the PrisonCare model. You do NOT want to miss this look at what we learned in our first year, and what we're marching into in Year 2. So much goodness...so much care!
Time Markers:
(0:32) Lots of People Care
(1:32) The Mission is BIG
(6:59) Person Stories are Important
(7:53) Raising Awareness in Year 2
(9:48) PrisonCare House Parties?
(11:13) Prison Residents Need Mental Health Resources
(16:08) Newest Resources and What’s To Come
(17:45) Telephone Coaching for Residents
(19:31) What Do YOU Want to Explore?
Sabrina and Fred continue their conversation about what visits to the prison are like, and how different things challenge each of them, but some things are tough for ALL visitors. Also, get Fred's perspective on what all this prison exposure is doing to Sabrina's mental health in a big-picture way.
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Learn more about PrisonCare, Inc. and donate to our work
Time Markers:
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
As we continue to share prison visit experiences, this first of a 2-part episode series captures a conversation between Sabrina and her husband, Fred, who is J's stepdad. He is not at all the same personality type as Sabrina, so his experience on visits is different from hers in many ways.
For more prison visit stories, check out ep. 10 with J's sister, Bekah, and eps. 31 and the Bonus Concert episode with PrisonCare's Community Director, Kym!
We are approaching our one-year anniversary on the podcast! Get ready for exciting news in the next couple of weeks!!
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Learn more about PrisonCare, Inc. and donate to our work
Time Markers:
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Sabrina and J dig into an important question -- who actually experiences rehabilitation while serving a prison sentence? We know a lot about what DOESN'T work in the process (lack of programming, lack of personnel, lack of mental health treatment, an environment that would corrupt the sweetest of us, etc.), but there are success stories out there. So what makes rehabilitation actually happen?
NOTE: J may use occasional mild profanity in this episode.
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Learn more about PrisonCare, Inc. and donate to our work
Time Markers:
(0:49) Prison Doesn’t Have to be a Rehabilitative Process
(3:45) A Life of Shenanigans and Malarkey
(6:01) Playing the Long Game
(8:45) A Risk Worth Taking
(12:22) Creating and Holding Boundaries
(14:23) Consistency In What A Person Is Doing
(16:44) Rehabilitation is Personal Growth
(18:59) There’s People Who Just Suck
(21:50) Proof Over Time
(24:24) A New Application of the PrisonCare Model
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
J is on the phone, talking with Sabrina about the rigid structure of prison routines AND the paradoxically random disruptions in every bit of routine life. Institutionalized living means that routines rule...except for when they don't. Yeah. Nothing like that kind of unpredictability to keep everyone feeling anxious!
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Learn more about PrisonCare, Inc. and donate to our work
Time Markers:
1:58 Hi, J. It's been awhile!
4:43 On the outs, we have a lot of choice about the really basic stuff
7:13 When they're telling us when to eat, but then it's not time to eat
9:32 Wait, what's the deal with COUNT, again?
12:25 Tell us how Chow works, once you actually get called.
15:40 How do things go if you have a job to report to?
17:40 Cassandra opens her big mouth
18:00 J tries to follow this healthy routine when possible
20:17 Yard pulls
21:19 Phone Calls out
23:31 The "Hurry Up and Wait" Culture
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Well, that's a mouthful! PrisonCare's unusual in its non-partisan vision -- EVERYONE on the inside matters. If you are way-left or way-right politically, or somewhere in-between, there's still a place for you at PrisonCare. Want some specific examples of how that can be? Sabrina's got you covered!
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Learn more about PrisonCare, Inc. and SUPPORT our work
Time Markers:
(0:49) A Nonpartisan Mission
(4:42) A Heart for Incarcerated Individuals
(6:41) Praise Can Lead to Growth
(10:48) Tough on Crime
(13:14) Getting Started with CO Support
(17:44) Any Bit of Support Helps on Either Side
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT: We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version) Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
The number one question people ask Sabrina -- answered here! Dig into the nuts and bolts of safety and risk when you are corresponding with someone who is incarcerated.
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Learn more about PrisonCare, Inc. and SUPPORT our work
Time Markers:
1:30 And the answer is...
4:00 Proximity and our sense of risk
6:00 Defined by that crime?
10:00 Clarity about YOUR purpose
11:00 The sense you get, and the boundaries you set
16:00 Misunderstandings happen, of course
18:00 A few safety tips
23:00 When a cause compels you
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT: We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version) Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Sounds boring, right? NOT! You need to hear what these two came up with when given the chance to share their thoughts and hearts with a room full of folks at a Criminal Justice conference. Think you know what a "Change Engine" is? Listen, and learn!
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Learn more about PrisonCare, Inc. and SUPPORT our work
Time Markers:
(1:14) Why an essay?
(2:57) The Idea of A Book
(4:52) The Essay
(13:31) The Engine Provides the Movement
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT: We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version) Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Let Sabrina take you to the ACJS Conference with her and share the major lightbulb moments she had there (plus hear some really cool stories about how people in the PrisonCare Workshop responded to the mission!). A couple of major things she had never thought of before may just blow your mind, too.
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Learn more about PrisonCare, Inc. and SUPPORT our work
Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences -
https://www.acjs.org/page/PastMeetingPrograms
Shakespeare Behind Bars -
https://shakespearebehindbars.org/
Time Markers:
(4:29) There’s No Real Way to Measure Rehabilitation
(8:03) Why Are Recidivism Rates So High?
(10:46) Housing is a Major Problem
(14:00) There’s Minimal Opportunites for Jobs
(15:36) We Don’t Know What Our Goals Are
(18:56) Corrections Academies
(24:02) A Hidden Curriculum
(28:45) Shakespeare Behind Bars
(34:08) The PrisonCare Workshop
(39:07) People Want to Make A Difference
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT: We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version) Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Shakedowns are a common occurrence in prison, and they are tough on all the people in the neighborhood. Join Sabrina to learn what a shakedown is, how it impacts EVERYONE on the inside. (And hear what happened to the penguin...)
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Learn more about PrisonCare, Inc. and SUPPORT our work
Time Markers:
(1:07) What is a Shakedown?
(4:17) Facility Wide Shakedowns
(7:06) Contraband is Everywhere
(9:26) The Contraband Must Be Found
(13:12) What is a Shakedown Like for Residents?
(14:46) The Penguin Story
(20:41) Expressing Yourself While Incarcerated
(24:57) Sometimes Empathy is Tough
(29:30) Here’s Where Penpal Encouragers Come In
(34:15) Where Do We Go From Here
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT: We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version) Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
People have been asking for stories from incarcerated people who are connected to PrisonCare Compassion Teams, so "Stories from the Inside" will become a periodic feature on the podcast. This episode, Sabrina shares stories about:
a "7 Habits on the Inside" special event,
a graduation party,
a domestic violence recovery group with a surprising twist,
grief counseling for people who can't get a counselor
* a pod-sized feast
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Learn more about PrisonCare, Inc. and DONATE to our work
Time Markers:
(0:49) Finally Time to Share
(1:52) Steve’s Mock Funeral
(7:08) Sean’s Graduation Party
(9:24) Matthew’s Domestic Violence Support Group
(14:00) Gratitude and Continued Support
(17:08) Casa De Quesadilla Day
(19:43) Share Your Stories With Us!
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT: We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version) Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Well, that's a mouthful! But it really does all fit together in a fascinating way behind the walls of a prison. Natural introverts experience the prison neighborhood in certain ways that natural extroverts do not...and vice versa. And these experiences are present no matter which uniform folks are wearing.
So, how does an understanding of these personality traits impact our beliefs about Static vs. Dynamic security models? Join Sabrina for a lot of big words that make an awful lot of practical sense when you explore them for a moment through the lens of a prison neighborhood.
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Learn more about PrisonCare, Inc. and DONATE to our work
You can also view this episode on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg1zYh48GV5KRMrz_FikIRcndtiWBqZbD
Time Markers:
(0:57) Wired Differently
(4:30) Incarcerated Introverts
(7:43) Incarcerated Extroverts
(11:37) Switching Uniforms… Extroverted and Introverted COs on the job
(14:34) The Static US Model
(16:29) Dynamic Security is Possible
(20:06) Taking Advantage
(22:50) Sympathetic COs
(25:42) Sympathetic Residents
(28:44) A Shared Neighborhood with Shared Goals
(33:32) Moving Forward
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT: We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version) Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
BONUS EPISODE! J. Bloom has released NEW original music via PrisonCare.org.
"The Fool," what we hope will become the ANTHEM for compassionate people everywhere who rally around the needs of people inside prison neighborhoods (no matter which uniform they wear) is a gift to you from J in gratitude for all you have done to get PrisonCare off the ground this first year!
Download your free MP3 file from PrisonCare.org, and share it with everyone!
This episode shares the song with you, and explains where it came from, and where we hope it is going as an ANTHEM of caring.
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Learn more about PrisonCare, Inc. and donate to our work
Time Markers:
1:52 The Meaning Behind the Song
4:02 Waiting and Breaking
4:59 The Lyrics, so you don’t miss a word
6:45 Anthems of a Moment in History
9:02 If You’d Like to Support PrisonCare Financially
11:40 THE SONG!!!!
14:16 Relevance
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Why do most of our "prison movies" portray staff in a certain way? And what do the instinctual responses to danger - fight or flight - tell us about prison neighborhoods? And what can compassionate people on the inside do to be supportive of EVERYONE behind the fence, no matter which way they typically respond to threat? Join Sabrina for this episode, and ask yourself some interesting questions.
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Learn more about PrisonCare, Inc. and DONATE to our work
Time Markers:
(0:58) Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn
(3:02) Backs to the Wall
(6:07) In the Movies
(8:26) Wired to Fight
(12:08) Correction’s Counseling
(15:50) Mental Health Stigma is Everywhere
(19:59) A Significant Drop in Life Expectancy
(22:00) Are You Having These Conversations?
You can also view this episode on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg1zYh48GV5KRMrz_FikIRcndtiWBqZbD
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT: We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version) Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Is every prison resident looking for a way to take advantage? How can you tell who is being manipulative, and who is genuinely trying to live well? Join Sabrina and J for these complicated questions.
NOTE: J may use some mild profanity in this episode.
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Learn more about PrisonCare, Inc. and donate to our work
Time Markers:
2:04 Trying to Get Stuff
3:54 If Everyone is Manipulating, Isn’t the System to blame?
6:49 Staff As Observers
8:52 Hypochondriacs and Malingerers
10:14 Training and Rapport
12:43 Rotating COs
16:33 Manipulation is it’s Own Language
20:22 How Can We Help?
22:56 Help from Retired COs and Past Prisoners
24:46 Building Intimacy and Connection Takes Time
26:40 Human Decency Shouldn’t Be a Surprise
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT: We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version) Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Naked. Intimate. Complicated for everyone involved! Let's have a talk about strip searches and the impact they have on residents AND staff, shall we? Does that thought make you uncomfortable? Face your fears and join Sabrina for this important topic.
Time Markers:
2:00 Let’s Get Naked
2:55 Appreciation for Hospitals
5:40 Prison…appreciation???
8:00 Not as Clear Cut as we Want it to be
8:55 Our Expectations for Released Prisoners
9:57 Our Weird Attitude Toward Corrections STAFF
11:55 The “Other” Branch of Law Enforcement
13:55 Back to the Hospitals/Prisons Framework
15:30 “Strip Searches” in Medical Settings
17:00 Trauma for Incarcerated Individuals
19:00 How’s All of This Making the COs feel, btw?
21:58 When a CO Has to Strip Search Someone Who Has Caused Trouble
22:59 What’s the Answer…Technology?
26:00 Have That Awkward Conversation
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Join Sabrina for this exploration of the power of virtues-based language. More than simply "writing letters," a pen-pal encourager is a voice of truth, hope, and support in the life of an incarcerated person...and HOW those words get chosen is important. Take a listen, and learn to make some subtle changes in vocabulary that will increase your positive impact in a prison neighborhood!
Time Markers
2:00 When Somebody Says, “I See What You Did”
6:00 Virtues-Based Language is NOT Actually Hoity-Toity
8:15 Getting Started When You Don’t Know Each Other Well Yet
11:00 Turning the Conversation Toward Virtues and Good Character
14:00 R-E-S-P-E-C-T
16:00 When Your Pen-Pal is Frustrated? Validate, then Remind
18:00 When They’re Super Hard on Themselves
20:10 It Becomes a Habit, and It’s Not Just About Writing Letters
25:00 Ways to Get Involved That You Might Not Have Considered
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Perhaps our most important episode to date - Sabrina explains the looming crisis in the Corrections industry nationally, and shares what PrisonCare, Inc. is doing about it. (Hint: there's a LOT more going on here than just the equipping of pen pal encouragers, as important as that work may be!!)
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Learn more about PrisonCare, Inc. and DONATE to our work
You can also view this episode on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg1zYh48GV5KRMrz_FikIRcndtiWBqZbD
Time Markers:
1:28 A Much Larger Picture, An Important Time in History
3:43 A Looming, Industry-Wide Problem
5:22 Resources for Research — All the Good Pie Charts
6:54 Simple Math, Recruitment, and a Look at the Workplace Environment
9:34 How About All of the Other Perks, Though?
11:42 Retention is Approaching Crisis Status, and Corrections Fatigue is Real
15:15 Literally Taking Years Off of Your Life
16:46 What Does PrisonCare, Inc. Have to do With Big Stuff Like This??
20:12 The SHARED Goals
21:05 The Ways That PrisonCare, Inc. is Casting Vision for Policy Makers
http://prisoncare.org/community.html
Learn more about PrisonCare, Inc. and donate to our work
https://bjs.ojp.gov/
Bureau of Justice Statistics - Office of Justice Programs
https://themarshallproject.org
The Marshall Project - Nonprofit Journalism About Criminal Justice
https://sentencingproject.org
The Sentencing Project - Advocating for Effective and Humane Responses to Crime
https://prisonpolicy.org
Prison Policy Initiative - non-profit, non-partisan, producing cutting edge research about the broader harm of mass criminalization
https://desertwaters.com
Desert Waters Correctional Outreach
https://onevoiceunited.org/
One Voice Uniting Corrections
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Sabrina and J have an honest conversation about the challenges of providing medical care to incarcerated people. Getting sick while you are in prison is not a situation that is easy to manage. Is there any way compassionate people from the outside could help?
(J and his friends do NOT have scabies, by the way. That is a very common problem in prisons, but J was treated for it, and symptoms were unchanged. Current best guess is a reaction to something that only some of them are allergic to, since many have symptoms but not all, and it does not appear to be contagious. They are continuing to try to problem-solve. We want to be careful to avoid accusing the facility of any issue that has not been proven.)
NOTE: J may use some mild profanity in this episode.
Time Markers:
1:25 Taxpayers’ money cover medical care for prisoners…how annoying
4:45 Brainstorming a Diagnosis and Treatment Plan
7:35 Technically, Prison Medical Care for All is True
13:45 What About a MAJOR Medical Incident??
21:31 So How Do You Handle Things When You CAN’T Get Meds or Intervention?
25:23 Medical Staff with Big Hearts and Tied Hands
30:50 How WE Can Help from the Outside!
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Sabrina shares from a live event one of her favorite exercises for potential pen pal encouragers: "10 Minutes (or Less!) to True Awesomeness!"
Walk through the process, and see how easy it is to write...and invest in the mental well being of Correctional Officers, as well as residents. mind blown
Time Markers:
1:50 Two Reasons for this Practical Episode
2:50 Invite me!
5:30 10 Minutes (or Less!) to True Awesomeness
8:30 Take Out Your Phone and Write Your First Letter!
10:00 A Free List of Letter Starters, In Case You Feel Stuck
11:30 They Actually Feel Stuck, Too
13:00 A Quick Recap of the Less Than 10 Minute Process
13:50 No Matter How You Come At This Thing
16:20 Caring for COs by Writing to Residents - Mental Wellness for ALL
17:53 Wanna be on the Podcast?
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
We've been getting requests for Mental Wellness Resources, and we've been creating free articles to meet that need. But you might be surprised at the top asks! We were. People in prisons want to improve their own lives AND their neighborhoods, and it's reason for hope. PLUS: Learn about the new Loose Change Project!TIME MARKERS:
TIME MARKERS:
1:25 Why Do They NEED Stuff Sent in from the Outside?
3:10 A More Realistic Framework for this Conversation
8:00 The Number One Request
10:20 Number Two is What? Really?
12:09 Ones We’d Expect, and Others That Surprised Us
14:00 It Starts With…
16:03 The Common Enemy
18:55 The Loose Change PrisonCare Project
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Episode 31 let you hear all the in-the-moment feels from Kym and Sabrina. This BONUS episode gives the narrative. Wanna hear each thing that happened -- including "The Bathroom Dance," the strip-search room, the Assistant Warden's welcome, and more? This is the episode for you! We wish we could have taken you each with us for this life-changing day. If you wish you could have come along, take a listen to this BONUS episode.
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Sabrina and Kym got to go all the way INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD at a prison concert and graduation ceremony for guys who participated in Mark and Tammy Collie's "My Song for Life" program! It was a LIFE-CHANGING experience. This episode is full of all the feels, all the lame efforts to capture in words the hope that we found inside the razor wire in January 2023!
TIME MARKERS:
1:25 While the Feelings are Fresh
4:20 Visiting Their Neighborhood
7:00 Who’s in the Room?
10:35 There was no “Us vs. Them”
16:20 Hugs in a Space Devoid of Contact
17:35 Stories of Healing - Brave and Vulnerable
20:55 How the Visitors Felt SOO Different
23:55 It Absolutely CAN Happen
24:30 On the Back of the Program
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Sabrina records in a hotel room while waiting to see if a collaborative program is actually going to happen the next day at a prison...because there has been ZERO communication from the facility. She explores the importance of good communication anywhere, and especially inside prisons, and (blame-free!) looks at why good communication is even MORE important in a prison than most anywhere else. Plus, she has ideas about how we can help from the outside.
Time Markers:
1:00 Howdy from my hotel room!
3:55 No blame being assigned here
6:30 Scale the problem
12:00 What’s the PRODUCT of a prison?
15:05 Paper Thin Relationships
18:00 Paranoia will destroy ya
22:50 What are you hoping for?
26:55 How WE can help
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Sabrina and Kym get to have a great, free-flowing conversation with our incarcerated friend and Inside Programs Director, Dylan. We talk about thinking big picture -- ideas for new approaches to problems in the carceral system that stem from experience inside the fence. Instead of complaining about what's broken, Dylan and his friends brainstorm ways to try things differently. Oh, and we learn a lot about Turtle Suits.
Time Markers:
2:45 It Starts with the Arts
6:00 A Framework for Returning Citizens
11:15 Going to Prison for…breaking curfew??
14:10 County Jail, Mental Health Needs, and Solitary
15:20 Turtle Suits and Boats
19:10 On Display (Naked) in Holding
21:00 Seeing These as OPPORTUNITIES
25:00 They/WE can do better
27:30 The Transformation in Myself
28:45 Unreal, but Achievable
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Sabrina and Kym get to start 2023 with hope and PUPPIES! Becky Hein, Puppy Program Manager for Canine Companions for Independence (canine.org) is our guest on this beautiful, inspiring episode that looks at the puppy training programs in prisons that pair incarcerated trainers with puppies that are being prepared for jobs as service dogs for people with disabilities.
Time Markers:
2:30 Meet Becky!
5:00 Community Director, Kym, trains Seeing Eye Puppies
7:10 What kind of training? What kind of Trainers?
13:50 Tell us about the prison puppy training programs
19:10 Inmate Trainers mentoring one another FTW!
23:10 Letters from program participants (grab a tissue!)
26:00 Making a Difference in the World in a POSITIVE WAY
30:35 A Day in the Life of a Lead Trainer and Pup
33:50 Recommended Resources for Dog Training
36:10 Time Tested Success in Rehabilitation
https://canine.org
https://canine.org/get-involved/prison-puppy-raising/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dwBQHkH2uc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SzMq_G0Jqk
https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/
https://denisefenzi.com/
https://susangarrettdogagility.com/
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/670353/the-year-of-the-puppy-by-alexandra-horowitz/
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
In the second part of this interview with Mary Buser, author of Lockdown on Rikers, and Director of Social Workers and Allies Against Solitary Confinement, Sabrina learns about why there are so many people with mental illnesses who are incarcerated, what mental health and medical professionals do and do not have to do as they provide care for the, and alternatives to the "hammer" approach our system currently employs.
TIME MARKERS:
4:30 Mandated Reporters of Abuse
11:00 Why Are So Many Mentally Ill People in Jails and Prisons?
17:30 It Isn’t Just Them, It’s Their Families
20:00 Proximity is a Game Changer
23:00 Starting to See Alternatives to the Hammer
25:30 Whatever your politics, PrisonCare is a piece of it
Find Mary Buser at:
https://www.marybuser.com/
Find Social Workers and Allies Against Solitary Confinement at:
https://socialworkersasc.org/
Fine Lockdown on Rikers Island at:
https://www.amazon.com/Lockdown-Rikers-Shocking-Injustice-Notorious/dp/1250077842
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Sabrina gets to talk with Mary Buser, Director of Social Workers and Allies Against Solitary Confinement, and former assistant director of mental health services at Rikers Island, the huge jail complex in New York City. She has a heart of gold, a depth of knowledge, and work experience that can teach us all SO much. While we avoid any shocking or triggering descriptions in both parts of this interview, we get a real glimpse into the reality of solitary confinement and its torturous impact on people, the challenge of bringing mental health resources and corrections into the same space, and the ways that ordinary people can be a part of positive change in prison neighborhoods everywhere. (This is the first of a two-part series.)
TIME MARKERS:
0:50 Meet Mary Buser
7:00 Assigned to Rikers Island as a student
8:30 Wait, you want to go BACK there?
10:00 A Guest in Their House
12:30 The Final Straw
18:00 The Baddest of the Bad…or a Minor Rules Infraction?
21:00 What Solitary Confinement ACTUALLY Does to a Person
25:45 Tom Clemens, Rick Raemisch, and Reform in CO
29:25 from Ch. 26 Lockdown on Rikers Island
Find Mary Buser at:
https://www.marybuser.com/
Find Social Workers and Allies Against Solitary Confinement at:
https://socialworkersasc.org/
Fine Lockdown on Rikers Island at:
https://www.amazon.com/Lockdown-Rikers-Shocking-Injustice-Notorious/dp/1250077842
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Join Sabrina and Kym for this phone interview with incarcerated friend Dylan. They begin talking about holidays, but quickly move to exploring the power of shared meals in creating community, and end up digging into the surprising shared challenges faced by prison residents and corrections staff. (Learn about prison burritos and cheesecakes as an added bonus!)
Time Markers:
2:50 How are you today?
5:25 What are the ways you ARE able to build community?
8:25 Awesome tortilla chips and CHEESECAKES
11:30 Ain’t nothing like eating in the Chow Hall
13:00 Please give me a real job — another model
16:00 Just like the COs
20:00 Sponsoring a Spread!
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
In this 2nd of a 2-part interview, Sabrina talks with Drs. Hattery and Smith -- Angie and Earl -- about solitary confinement and the study they did that led them to write Way Down in the Hole. Meet some of the folks whose stories they will never be able to forget.
For more from Angie and Earl, visit:
http://hatteryandsmith.com
Time Markers:
4:15 Where Race Comes Into It
6:39 We’re ALL In Here Because of the Mistakes We Made
8:40 from the book — CO Travis and MIRRORS
14:50 Did It Impact You In a Personal Way?
21:39 Marina’s Story
24:35 Why Am I Hiding From This Man in Family Dollar?
30:10 It’s Deadly; I Don’t Care How You Want To Paint It
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Sabrina gets to interview Drs. Angela Hattery and Earl Smith, professors of Sociology and authors of the new book, WAY DOWN IN THE HOLE. Learn about Solitary Confinement. Learn about its torturous impact on those held in those solitary cells, and on the Correctional Officers who work the unit. Part 1 of 2.
Time Markers:
0:49 Welcome to Solitary Confinement
3:35 Who are these authors, anyway?
6:00 Why did you do this study?
13:28 Ethnographic…say what??
16:50 The Power of Personal Observation
20:12 The Big Take-Aways (and Strip-Searches)
26:51 The COs in Solitary
30:00 Some Brief Excerpts
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Join Sabrina and J for this conversation about the holiday season, the extra levels of complication that arise from being incarcerated, ways to support during the holidays, and power of a fire-engine red knitted beanie.
NOTE: J may use mile profanity in this episode.
Time Markers:
1:40 Holidays are a Super-Complicated Thing
5:45 Remaining Connected and Creating New Celebrations
9:05 Maybe I’m Just Not Gonna Call This Year
14:13 Does It Offend You If We ASK About he Holidays?
17:47 I Had a Fire-Engine Red Beanie
20:40 Things That Remind Me of Who I Want To Be
23:56 Relational Stuff is More Powerful to People Who Are Incarcerated
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Sabrina digs into the "Us V. Them" mentality that rules prison neighborhoods, and considers the impact on Correctional Officers. What if...?
Time Markers:
1:00 Upcoming Interview Episodes - sneak peek!
4:00 All the Differences
6:00 Naive, much??
9:07 A Closer Look at COs
13:02 Surrounded
14:32 What about…? / What If…?
16:25 A Word We Don’t Often Use
19:10 Knocking the Legs Out From Under It All
20:07 What Can We Do?
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
The first-ever PrisonCare Compassion Team started with a group of people at a little church called LifePath. But this was not a religious thing at all -- in fact, it was intentionally NOT religious -- so what DID characterize it? What do new friends, new good friends, for incarcerated people look like?
TIME MARKERS:
(3:00) A story of true friends
(4:45) Why we don’t solicit
(5:30) The “90 Second Version” of the Roots of PrisonCare, Inc.
(7:00) Seeing it on EVERYONE’s faces
(8:45) Yay, Team! (connections on the inside)
(9:45) And then came COVID
(10:35) Yay, Team! (connections on the outside, too)
(12:15) Staff, too? Yup. A Pivotal Moment of Understanding.
(14:20) How do incarcerated people make new, good friends?
(17:00) Wait, but the first Compassion Team was from a church, right? You just said…
(19:10) Patiently trying to connect to staff
(20:35) The Wrong Kind of Math
(21:50) Your Political Leanings Regarding Prisons are Irrelevant
(23:00) What might happen??
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Have you ever thought about the paramilitary structure of a U.S. prison? And what might be good about that for a vet -- or really, really bad for them? Sabrina explores the strong connection between those who have served in the military and those who can now be found in prison neighborhoods -- serving sentences, or serving as correctional officers.
Time Markers:
1:05 Challenges? What Challenges?
3:31 Many Vets Wind Up in Prison
5:08 The Paramilitary Model
7:00 What the Challenges Look Like in a Prison
8:38 A Common Enemy CAN Breed Compassion
10:28 The Staff Needs Support from Above
11:31 Help Sabrina? Veterans Justice Outreach Program
12:00 Vets-Only Housing
12:40 Puppies!
13:10 How PrisonCare Provides a Ray of Hope - SO many examples!
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Of course birthdays and anniversaries are hard for people who are incarcerated. But there are other anniversaries that are (perhaps unexpectedly) brutal for those serving prison sentences. Good news -- compassionate people on the outside can do something practical and EASY that will help. Join Sabrina for this personal AND practical episode.
Time Markers:
1:45 The Power of Calendar Squares
2:40 Not Talking About Those Kind of People
5:23 I AM Talking about THESE Kind of People
6:50 The Big Ask! (no, it’s not about money)
7:40 Back to the people who are trying so hard to BECOME
8:22 J’s First Anniversary Had Us All Confused
9:47 The Second Anniversary It Began To Make Sense
11:12 The Good News
12:02 Victims WIN, hands-down; it is not fair what they must endure
13:39 When Praying People Should Pray (but not talk about it)
14:48 Mark Your Calendars
16:34 First Letters Are Different — and Super Easy, Actually!
17:20 Ask About the Fundamentals
17:42 Loved Ones and Anniversaries
19:35 Let’s Give ‘Em Somethin’ To Talk About!
20:40 Ways to Link Arms
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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In the second half of this conversation between Sabrina and J, find out how the cliffhanger from Ep. 17 is resolved! Also, explore how using mail in prison can feel like a throw back to another time, why some people DON'T want a penpal, the kiss of death in a penpal encourager relationship, and what to do when your hand has a cramp.
(NOTE: J may use mild profanity in this episode.)
Time Markers:
0:50 Resolving the Cliffhanger
5:50 Let’s Send a Raven
7:45 I Don’t Actually Need That In My Life
10:00 What Ruins a PenPal Encourager Relationship
15:30 Am I Boring You??
20:45 My Hand is Cramping
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
In this conversation between Sabrina and J, we get into the nitty-gritty psychological struggles that accompany the whole process of receiving and writing letters to people on the outside. Topics like the weirdness of knowing that every letter is read by staff, the rules about photocopying, and the delays that can make you go a little nuts are explored. This is the first part of a 2-part series.
(NOTE: J may use mild profanity in this episode.)
Time Markers:
0:50 Setting Up the Episode
3:00 Even More Important?
5:05 They Read it ALL!
9:10 Photocopies, delays, JPays, and pink slips
15:05 The Waiting is the Hardest Part
20:05 Cliffhanger!
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Sabrina and Kym get some more time to talk with Dylan about forming relationships with people on the outside when you are incarcerated. We get the chance to learn from him things that will make the "FIRST LETTER" awkwardness a little bit more manageable for EVERYONE. We also get to hear about gangs without ever mentioning gangs, and learn about why people in prison may need to "go dark" sometimes.
Time Markers:
0:45 Recap and Setup
1:50 That Bizarre First Moment
4:05 Learning from Dylan
5:35 Kym’s Christmas Decorations
6:40 Limited Relational Skills and A Different Set of Rules
8:00 Speed Dating Questions and The ONE THING
9:30 “I kinda wish it would happen more…”
11:34 Our Own Society
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
In this first interview with one of our friends on the inside, Dylan shares a bit about his journey from foster care to prison, and what he is learning about making friendships and building healthy relationships while serving a prison sentence. Join Sabrina and Kym (Community Director for PrisonCare, Inc.) on this episode, and learn about the puppy-raising program in Dylan's facility, what incentive pods are, and what the statistics are for the foster care to prison pipeline.
Time Markers:
0:50 Meet Dylan
3:49 The Dog Program
5:30 French Horns and Keeping Up With the Band
7:30 Connecting With People
10:05 Dylan is Wise
12:17 Clarifying Incentive Pods
15:20 Quite the Cushy Life...????
18:30 Can't Carry a Tune in a Bucket
19:30 Some Sobering Statistics
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Living with a mental illness while incarcerated presents specific challenges, and perhaps as many as 30-50% of the people who are in prison are dealing with the symptoms of a mental illness. In this second part of a phone interview with J (and Kym Smythe, Community Director for PrisonCare, Inc.), we explore the helpful and unhelpful elements of structure, the power of isolation, setting big goals, dealing with proximity, and deciding how much to explain about your illness in a prison neighborhood...many ideas which are a factor for corrections officers, as well as for resident inmates.
Time Markers:
0:00 Recap
2:45 Structure - Helpful, and Not So Much
5:25 COVID Lockdown
9:00 Big Goals, Big Dreams, and One-Legged Marathoners
13:30 Proximity Problems
18:13 “Oh, my condition! Oh, my issues!”
20:50 Cassandra cuts us off, yet again
22:25 …and what about mental wellness for Correctional Officers?
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Mental illness is a piece of the story for a surprisingly high percentage of incarcerated people. In this episode, J shares some of his specific experience with symptoms, and what he has learned about helping himself when there is no one else to turn to. Learning and returning to "the fundamentals" has been a game-changer for him. Join this interview (and meet PrisonCare's Community Director, Kym Smythe, who hops in to the conversation for the first time!) and explore this complicated issue. First of 2 parts.
(NOTE: J may use mild profanity in this episode.)
0:35 Intro. Kym and J
3:05 Setting up the Episode
5:12 Mania and Halloos
7:55 Ramping Up and Powdered Milk
10:18 Lights and Shadows, and Voices in the Crowd
13:00 I am My Own Lab Rat
15:25 The Fundamentals
18:15 Surrender to the System
21:10 Wrap Up Part 1 of 2
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Receiving mail (like, actual MAIL, in an envelope, with a stamp, delivered by snails) is uniquely powerful inside the prison fence. Learn some of the reasons why mail MATTERS very much to inmate residents, and learn why mail from a STRANGER is actually extra-powerful.
Time Markers:
0:45 Mail Call!
2:40 Choice
4:10 What, Me? Vulnerable??
6:00 Thinking of You
9:33 Tangible
12:00 Pen-Pal Encouragers
15:30 Shared Loss
17:20 Lost People
22:48 That 1st Super-Awkward Letter
24:00 The Chosen One
25:45 A Commitment to Encouragement
27:50 Dangerous?
29:00 The Purpose
31:30 How to Help
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Join Sabrina and her daughter, Bekah, for a chat about their recent visit to J in prison. Learn a bit about the process of visiting, and clear up some misconceptions that many of us have about visiting, and the way staff feel about visitors.
Time Markers:
0:00 Welcome to our Hotel Room
3:25 Misconceptions
5:15 Tiny and Scared
7:50 What You Carry
8:27 Paperwork and Food
9:45 Underwire Bras and the Key to Not Freaking Out
12:33 One Red Chair
14:20 The Mask of Toughness
18:15 They WANT Me to Come and Visit!
19:45 It's Intense
Transcript of this episode is also available at http://prisoncare.org/podcast--video.html.
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
In the last of the 3-part series looking at Positive Prison Culture from J's perspective on the inside, we dig into the complexities of sharing, following the rules (which aren't obvious at all), how we become what we focus on, and get tips on how to engage as a supporter.
(NOTE: J may use mild profanity in this episode.)
Time Markers:
1:00 Recap
2:30 Cassandra Makes a Connection
3:00 Sharing is Caring…or is it?
6:17 The Challenge for the Cops is Real
8:00 Aren’t the Rules the Rules??
9:52 Here’s What Support Looks Like
11:16 Putting Crime in Prison
13:20 What We Focus On, We Become
16:33 I Kind of Want to Ask You Something…
18:45 A great place to end
Write to J at:
Jacob T. White, DOC 182205
Crowley County Correctional Facility
PO Box 100
Olney Springs, CO 81062
Keep it simple - just a letter on regular paper. No stickers. No glue. No glitter.
You MUST include a complete return address on your envelope, or the mail room staff will discard your letter undelivered.
Transcript of this episode is also available at http://prisoncare.org/podcast--video.html.
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Talking more with J about what positive prison culture actually looks like, sounds like, and feels like inside a prison. We need examples, stories to help us understand the kind of changes we're talking about.
This interview yielded 3 episodes, and in this second part we talk about hyper-vigilance, the relational skills that are missing or hard to use, context, staff, and the key to being a good cellie.
(NOTE: J may use some mild profanity in this episode.)
Time Markers:
1:12 Recapping Ep. 7 - Part 1
2:09 Hyper-vigilance
3:15 Missing Skills
3:44 J Can Totally Relate
6:14 We Are All Rebooting
7:25 Context and STAFF
11:24 Ever-Changing Rules
12:49 The Exhaustion Factor
14:14 Cellie Struggles
15:44 10x7, Minimalism, and DOGS?
17:15 The Key to Being a Good Cellie
22:00 Wrap Up, Look Ahead, & How YOU can GIVE to PrisonCare, Inc.!
Write to J at:
Jacob T. White, DOC 182205
Crowley County Correctional Facility
PO Box 100
Olney Springs, CO 81062
Keep it simple - just a letter on regular paper. No stickers. No glue. No glitter.
You MUST include a complete return address on your envelope, or the mail room staff will discard your letter undelivered.
Transcript of this episode is also available at http://prisoncare.org/podcast--video.html.
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Let's talk with J about what positive prison culture actually looks like, sounds like, and feels like inside a prison. We need examples, stories to help us understand the kind of changes we're talking about.
This interview yielded 3 episodes, and in this first part we talk about noise, the secret code in prison, respect, and what being an acting change engine means.
Time Markers:
1:42 - Recap
3:15 - A Nice, Quiet Morning
6:33 - In Really Simple Terms, What Are We Talking About?
9:40 - So, Is the Disrespect Intentional?
12:00 - An Acting Change Engine
14:25 - RESPECT (find out what it means to me!)
18:15 - The Survival Mindset
20:07 - Coming Next Week: Hypervigilance, Rebooting, and Context
Write to J at:
Jacob T. White, DOC 182205
Crowley County Correctional Facility
PO Box 100
Olney Springs, CO 81062
Keep it simple - just a letter on regular paper. No stickers. No glue. No glitter.
You MUST include a complete return address on your envelope, or the mail room staff will discard your letter undelivered.
Transcript of this episode is also available at http://prisoncare.org/podcast--video.html.
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
All this talk about positive prison culture...what is that even supposed to mean?
Are we suggesting that everyone hug-a-thug?
Nope. Not even close. Let's do a sociological/psychological/include a little common sense deep-dive into the concept of positive prison culture.
Time Markers:
(1:08) Culture Is…
(2:26) A Complex Series of Customs
(4:45) There Are Actually MORE Than Two People Groups Here
(7:50) Is Win-Win Even a Possibility?
(9:39) Culture Creation IS Possible, For Real!
(12:01) That’s Where a PrisonCare Encourager Comes In
(14:00) No Effort Feels Small
(16:35) Positive Prison Culture in Summary
(19:00) Next Time on The PrisonCare Podcast
Transcript of this episode is also available at http://prisoncare.org/podcast--video.html.
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Have you ever thought about that icky feeling you get when you drive past a prison, and wondered how that might be effecting the way you look at correctional officers? Or people who were formerly incarcerated?
In this episode, we take a hard look at the five people groups inside a prison, and recognize how quick we are to forget about them, when they all need our support.
Time Markers:
(1:00) Not in My Backyard!
(2:31) What’s the Threat That We Perceive?
(4:31) Our Comfortable Forgetfulness is Hurting People
(5:30) How Many People Groups? Because you keep chaining the number
(7:30) The Five Forgotten People Groups in a Prison
(9:40) How Much Do You Know About the Corrections Industry?
(10:40) The Fear That Inmates Admit Most Readily
(12:05) Prison Makes People Worse Instead of Better
(12:50) How Do We Really Feel About Corrections Professionals?
(13:50) Taking Responsibility
(15:10) Coming Up Next: What is Positive Prison Culture?
Transcript of this episode is also available at http://prisoncare.org/podcast--video.html.
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Allow me to make the introductions!
J is the co-founder of PrisonCare, Inc. In this first episode with him on the phone, he shares the mind-blowing journey that took him from profound psychotic delusion to founding a non-profit from behind the walls of a Level 3 Medium Security prison, building hope and fostering growth in others as he pours into the prison culture in his neighborhood.
Time Markers:
(2:08) Say hi to J!
(4:12) The Power of Choice
(7:00) Co-founders with VERY different opinions on faith
(8:22) Unpacking Personhood
(11:58) “Hey, I think I’ll be the co-founder of a non-profit organization!”
(14:26) Who the heck is Cassandra??
(15:27) There’s More Potential in Here than you probably imagine
(17:12) Meet Cassandra!
(18:05) Wrapping up and looking forward
Transcript of this episode is also available at http://prisoncare.org/podcast--video.html.
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Who are these people? And how did they become the founders of PrisonCare, Inc.? And why should I give a hoot about their story?
Commitment to change in society has more to do with personal connections than it does lofty ideas. Listen to Sabrina's story today, and you will never think about prison quite the same way again.
sabrinajustison.com to learn more about J's story and to read his and Sabrina's, "Person, Interpreted" blog posts
J’s mailing address:
Jacob T. White, DOC #182205
CCCF, PO Box 100
6564 State Hwy. 96
Olney Springs, CO 81062
Rules for Letters to Prisons:
-
You MUST include a complete return address on your envelope.
-
Enclose nothing but the letter itself.
-
No stickers except for the postage stamp on your envelope.
-
Nothing decorated — glue, glitter, etc.
Time Markers:
(1:00) Recap
(2:43) The Start of Our Story
(4:37) Things Began to Change
(6:25) Back in Our House, Weirder and Weirder
(9:03) And Then We Saw It On The News
(10:37) Delusion Crumbles
(13:43) Just the Letter J
(15:36) They CAN Become Positive Culture Creators
(17:35) How Do I Know These Things?
(19:45) The Next Time You Hear About Prison on the News
(21:45) Upcoming Episodes
Transcript of this episode is also available at http://prisoncare.org/podcast--video.html.
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Okay, so episode 1 has you intrigued. The Mission Statement for PrisonCare, Inc., was the heart of that Welcome episode, and now you want to better understand what we're suggesting compassionate people actually DO.
Using the idea of society's relationship with a hospital as opposed to its relationship with a prison, Sabrina Justison unpacks the big-picture need for a new understanding of prison neighborhoods. Then, using specific examples of strategies that work, she casts a vision for how a PrisonCare compassion team might form, what kinds of activities it might explore, and what kinds of goals it might set.
(0:47) Quick Review of Episode 1
(1:32) Summary of today’s episode
(2:40) Let’s examine hospitals and prisons, side by side
(5:50) A “Serves you right!” Mindset
(7:50) Let’s Talk about CO’s
(10:37) A Look at Wardens
(12:02) What We Learn from TV
(13:38) So, what IS a PrisonCare Compassion Team?
(15:41) Choosing A Prison to Care ABOUT
(16:53) Caring FOR a Prison you already care about
(19:28) What to Avoid
(21:26) You Have No Idea How Big This COULD Be
Transcript of this episode is also available at http://prisoncare.org/podcast--video.html.
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Welcome to The PrisonCare Podcast!
What IS PrisonCare.org, and who is likely to be interested in this podcast?
PrisonCare, Inc. founder, Sabrina Justison, answers that and casts a vision for the kind of support EVERY prison needs, but almost none of us has ever considered it.
(1:04) Introducing Sabrina and PrisonCare, Inc.
(2:00) The PrisonCare distinctive
(5:44) Goals and Objectives of PrisonCare, Inc.
(8:00) Topics in the FREE PrisonCare.org PDF library
(9:59) The story behind PrisonCare.org
(13:53) How PrisonCare gets the word out
(14:54) Practical Examples of Culture Creation
(16:50) What's to come on The PrisonCare Podcast?
(18:15) How YOU can connect!
Transcript of this episode is also available at http://prisoncare.org/podcast--video.html.
Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT:
We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version)
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/