Justice Radio: Recent Episodes
WMPG
Justice Radio is a talk-show that tackles hard questions about our criminal legal system in Maine. How do we actually envision justice? Does our current criminal legal system provide justice? Do prisons and jails keep us safe? What should accountability and repair look like in the wake of harm? How do people releasing into communities cope with the overwhelming adjustment to technology changes, finding housing and work, and building relationships? Our rotating hosts will offer an ongoing 4-week cycle of shows that address these and other questions through moderated conversations with leaders in the field of criminal justice, abolitionist organizers, justice-impacted people, and other experts and community members.
Host: Kage and AJ
Guests: Aquarius Funkk
Priority is keeping in the call to action question toward the very end and promoting Aquarius's upcoming events.
Host: Emily Goulette
Guests: Elizabeth Simoni and Shawn LeGrega
Maine Indigent Defense Center sits down with Elizabeth Simoni and Shawn LeGrega of Maine Pre-Trial to discuss the organization's mission and the programs it offers to support individuals navigating the criminal legal system. Tune in to learn more about the resources available through Maine Pre-Trial and the impact these programs have on communities across the state.
Nicole and guest, Bobbi, discuss addiction, recovery, and the importance of community support.
Hosts: Kage Johnson, AJ Stash, and Hawo Mohamed
Kage, AJ, and Hawo discuss the meaning of the word "survivor".
Hosts: Linda and Nicole
Guests: Ashley Hamilton, Damariz Damken, Jon Courtney
Ashley Damariz, and Jon discuss the art project "Still Becoming" for justice-impacted women and their families in Maine.
Host: Liv and Swathi
Guests: Vic, a Lewiston youth, and Nicole Lemay, from Youth Lead Justice
Blurb: Vic talks about meeting the needs of youth, particularly in Lewiston, and Nicole urges understanding young people and involvement at a recent community gathering.
Host: Kage Johnson and Hawo Mohamed
Guests: Leah Hargrove, Executive Director of Ladder to the Moon and Elias Taye, Editor-in-Chief of Amjambo Africa,
Elias and Leah talk about justice and community in their work at Ladder to The Moon Network.
Rob and Jon discuss the importance of values and culture in the context of a public defender's office.
Guests: Ashley, Damariz, and, Jon
Part 1 - Discussion of art and humanities project Still Becoming, for justice-impacted women and their families in Maine.
Host: AJ Stash, Kage Johnson, and Hawo Mohamed
Guests: Tyrique and Mags
Tyrique, Mags, and AJ discuss how Mental Health program changes and Peer Support can help Mainers.
Host: Rob Ruffner, Maine Indigent Defense Center
Guests: Ben Rebello
Rob talks with Ben about Ben's experiences with Maine's criminal justice system
Host: Hawo & Kage
Guests:estephanie guaregua maroáll and Ulric Eubanks
Estaphie and Ulric talk about community organizing and healing with Hawo and Kage.
Host: Linda Small
Guests: Danni Shifflett of Recoery Action Project
Linda and Danni discuss recovery and re-entry.
Kage and AJ introduce themselves as new Justice Radio show hosts and talk about Healing First!
Don’t miss Catherine’s interview this Sunday, January 4 at 1:30pm with Preston Shipp. Chief Legal and Advocacy Officer for Fair and Just Prosecution, as they talk about the best practices for parole with LD 1941 scheduled for Public Hearing next Thursday, January 8 in the Judiciary Committee.
Emily's interview with Maine Indigent Defense Center Extern Sadie Colby about pre-trial release.
Hosts: Swathi Sivasubramanian
Guest: Joe Montgomery, mentor at Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation
Host: Catherine Besteman
Guests: Cast from the Freedom & Captivity “It’s Hard to Talk About: Stories of Incarceration” Performance
Host: Emily Goulette
Guest: Mica Gonzalez, second year student at Northeastern University School of Law
Host: Catherine Besteman
Guests: Katrina Hopper- Freedom & Captivity performer and audience members Nick and Donna Drake
Hosts: Linda Small and Mackenzie Kelley
Guest: Valerie Cartonio- podcaster, producer, and host of The Prison POD Podcast
Don’t miss guest host Cuba Jackson’s interview this Sunday, August 31 at 1:30 PM with Lisa Parham Jones, visionary founder of Black Travel Maine. They’ll discuss the power of storytelling in travel, cultural preservation, and the economic impact of bringing Black joy into spaces where people of color have historically been excluded. Learn how Black Travel Maine is not only transforming narratives, but also directly inspiring Black families, entrepreneurs, and creatives to relocate to Maine—and why justice reform is essential in a state where the legal system continues to disproportionately impact communities of color.
Don’t miss Mackenzie’s interview this Sunday, August 17 at 1:30 PM with Niki Merrill, Program Coordinator for the Maine Department of Corrections through the Portland Recovery Community Center. They’ll discuss recovery inside and outside the carceral system, the importance of recovery coaching during incarceration, how individuals receive this training, and how they use it when reentering their communities.
Don’t miss Swathi and Liv’s interview with Youth Justice Network intern Ben this Sunday, August 10 at 1:30 PM. They’ll discuss the joy of travel, the freedom it brings, the people we meet along the way, and explore transportation and housing policy. We hope this lighthearted conversation brings you joy—and inspires reflection on those who lack the freedom to travel. Let’s think radically about how we can transform systems and create pathways for more people to roam the world freely.
Catherine’s interview with Kempis “Ghani” Songster the Transformative Healing & Restorative Justice Manager of The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY), as they continue the discussion about death by incarceration sentences handed down to children, and his own personal story having been released from prison, as a result of the Miller v. Alabama decision, more than 30 years after his incarceration at the age of 15.
Rob’s interview with Logan Perkins, District Defender of the Maine Highlands Region Public Defender's office which represents people from Penobscot and Piscataquis counties, as they talk about their work, jail overcrowding, and concerns surrounding the Penobscot County Sheriff’s decision to end Maine Pre-Trial Services.
Don’t miss Linda and Mackenzie’s interview this Sunday, July 20 at 1:30p with Peter Bruun, artist, writer, cultural organizer, and curator of the Puddle Dock Festival in Alna Maine (running from July to August 3), as they talk about community justice and wellbeing.
Don’t miss part Liv and Swathi’s interview this Sunday, July 13 at 1:30p with Joseph Jackson, Executive Director of the Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition, and MPAC Youth Program Coordinator, Andre Hicks, as they talk about joy, defiance, and the carceral system in Maine.
Don’t miss part 2 of Catherine’s 3-part interview this Sunday, July 6 at 1:30p with Kempis “Ghani” Songster, Transformative Healing & Restorative Justice Manager for the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY), as they continue the discussion about how to work with District Attorney’s to refer cases of very serious violence to an intensive accountability and healing focused restorative justice process rather than to courts and prison.
Don't miss Linda and Mackenzie's interview this Sunday, June 15 at 1:30 PM with Isaac Shainblum, host of Voices from the Other Side and Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor, and Michael Paddleford, Community Educator at Aroostook County Action Program and host of Recovery Loud, as they discuss their work supporting Mainers with substance use disorders and raising awareness of the carceral system's impact on individuals, families, and communities.
Don’t miss part 2 of Liv and Swathi’s interview with Will Burdick, social worker and substance use counselor at Westbrook High School, as they continue the conversation and talk about the impact of teams, movement, and mindfulness.
Don’t miss part 1 of Catherine’s 3-part interview this Sunday, June 1 at 1:30p with Kempis “Ghani” Songster, Transformative Healing & Restorative Justice Manager for the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY), as they talk about how to work with District Attorney’s to refer cases of very serious violence to an intensive accountability and healing focused restorative justice process rather than to courts and prison.
Don’t miss part II of Rob’s interview this Sunday, May 25 at 1:30p with Frayla Tarpinian from the Capital Region Public Defenders Office as they continue the discussion about the indigent defense crisis in Maine, more specifically the benefits of indigent defense and its future promise as they build out the system.
Don’t miss part II of Linda and Mackenzie’s interview with Meghan Reedy, Program Coordinator for the Maine Humanities Council, and Jon Courtney, former Film Screenings Programmer for the Portland Museum of Art, as they continue the conversation and talk about the importance of access to books while incarcerated.
Don’t miss part I of Liv and Swathi’s interview with Will Burdick, social worker and substance use counselor at Westbrook High School, as they talk about the power of authentic relationships to promote connection and healing for young people and how schools can create space for these kinds of relationships.
Host: Catherine Besteman
Guest: Tina Nadeau
Blurb: Don’t miss Catherine’s interview with Tina Nadeau, Executive Director of the Maine Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL), this Sunday, May 4 at 1:30p, as they talk about dissent in a country where democracy, the rule of law, free speech and the right to protest are all under direct attack from the federal government.
Host: Rob Ruffner
Guest: Frayla Tarpinian
Don’t miss part 1 of Rob’s interview with District Defender Frayla Tarpinian about the misinformation surrounding Maine’s indigent defense crisis.
Hosts: Linda Small and Mackenzie Kelley
Guests: Meghan Reedy and Jon Courtney
Don’t miss Linda’s interview with Meghan Reedy, Program Coordinator for the Maine Humanities Council, and Jon Courtney, Film Screenings Programmer for the Portland Museum of Art, as they talk about how they improve and support the lives of incarcerated people through film, art, poetry, and books.
Don’t miss guest host Mara Sanchez’s interview with Linda Small, Justice Radio show host and Executive Director of Reentry Sisters. Tune-in this Sunday, March 30 at 1:30p as they talk about Women, Incarceration, and Education.
Don’t miss Emily’s interview with Colby College students who are doing their winter term at the Maine Indigent Defense Center, as they talk about their focus projects.
Don’t miss Linda and Mackenzie’s interview with Rae Sage, Policy Coordinator for the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous, and Tribal Populations, as they talk about the work of the Commission, it’s mission to address Maine’s legacy of disparity, and its vision for Justice.
Don’t miss part II of Liv & Swathi’s interview with Brandon Brown, Executive Director of Youth-LED Justice, as they talk about revisioning conflict narratives.
Catherine interviews Brandon Brown, Executive Director of Youth-Led Justice, and Former Legislator and advocate Jeff Evangelos, to talk about the topic of clemency in Maine.
Don’t miss part I of Liv & Swathi’s interview with Brandon Brown, Executive Director of Youth-Led Justice, as they talk about revisioning conflict narratives.
Don’t miss Rob’s interview with Maine Immigration Attorney Barbara Taylor, as they talk about the challenges of navigating the complicated immigration legal process in Maine.
Don’t miss Linda’s interview with Jan Collins, Assistant Director of the Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition, as they talk about advocating for humane prisons through legislation and public education.
Don’t miss Catherine Besteman’s interview with Co-Directors Erin Bonner and Shayna Lonoaea of the Justice Arts Coalition, an organization formed to unite artists impacted by the criminal legal system and creatives everywhere to harness art’s transformative power and reimagine justice.
Don’t miss Rob and Emily’s interview with Attorney and Executive Director of the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Tina Nadeau, as they talk about the inequities in our criminal legal system in Maine.
on’t miss Linda’s interview with Dr. Mara Sanchez, Programs Director at the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison, as they talk about why we should support education in prison and how it ensures more positive outcomes and reduces recidivism.
Host: Catherine Besteman
Guest: Nicole Lund
Topic: Don’t miss Catherine’s interview this Sunday with Nicole Lund, visual artist, writer, prison abolition advocate, graduate student at the University Maine of Farmington, and former volunteer at the Maine State Prison, as they talk about her new book co-authored with Buddy Bieler and Esder Chong titled “Stuffed behind Bars: Secret Recipes from inside Maine State Prison” which speaks to the importance of community, connection, and food.
Guest Host: Cuba Jackson
Guest: Ted Berry
Topic: This is a special edition of Justice Radio with guest host Cuba Jackson interviewing Ted Berry about why states are abolishing Felony Murder convictions, how the statute disproportionally effects those who are strategically marginalized, and what we can do to support its repeal in Maine.
Host: Emily Goulette
Guest: Kim Stevens
Topic: Emily interviews Kim Stevens, a third year law student at the University of Maine Law School and extern at the Maine Indigent Defense Center, to talk about the current indigent defense crisis in Maine.
Host: Linda Small
Guest: Daniel Rosen
Topic: Don’t miss part 2 of Linda’s interview with Daniel Rosen of the Coalition for Carceral Nutrition as they talk about how we can improve nutrition in prisons and jails to create healthier and more cost-effective outcomes not just for people living in carceral spaces, but also for tax payers and policy makers.
Hosts: Liv and Swathi
Topic: This is Liv and Swathi’s interview with Emma Shwartz about Regional Care Teams; a network of individuals from youth serving agencies, systems, organizations, and communities who meet monthly to share resources and respond to the needs of local youth’s referred to the initiative.
Hosts: Catherine Besteman and Linda Small
Guest: Frenchie Davis of The Abolitionist podcast
Topic: Catherine and Linda’s interview with sexologist, Frenchie Davis, host of The Abolitionist radio show on WBAI in New York City, as they talk about the relationship between love, sexuality, oppression, and repression, related to survivors of sexual violence and those who cause sexual harm. And the difference between an abolitionist feminist and carceral feminist.
Host: Rob Ruffner
Guest: Toby Jandreau
Blurb: An interview with Toby Jandreau from the Aroostook County Public Defender’s Office as they talk about their experience in doing defense work and becoming district defender for Aroostook County.
Hosts: Linda Small and Mackenzie Kelley
Guest: Daniel Rosen, Coalition for Carceral Nutrition
Topic: Linda’s interview with Daniel Rosen of the Coalition for Carceral Nutrition as they talk about how we can improve nutrition in prisons and jails to create healthier and more cost-effective outcomes not just for people living in carceral spaces, but also for tax payers and policy makers.
Hosts: Swathi Sivasubramanian- YPC Program Manager and Liv Eckert- YPC Program Coordinator
Topic: This discussion with co-hosts Swathi Sivasubramanian, YPC Program Manager, and Liv Eckert, YPC Program Coordinator, as they talk about the framing of punishment in childhood and the current state of healing, repair, and justice for young people in Maine.
Host: Catherine Besteman
Guest: Dr. Brashani Reece
Topic: Catherine’s interview with Dr. Brashani Reece, Executive Director of Drop LWOP, they talk about their experience both as a victim and survivor of a violent crime and their mission to end the death penalty and all forms of extreme punishment.
Host: Emily Goulette
Guest: Katie Kelly, Maine Indigent Defense Center (MIDC)
Topic: Don’t miss Emily’s interview with Katie Kelly, the Maine Indigent Defense Center’s extern this semester from North Eastern Law School, as they talk about their personal experience and motivation to study criminal law.
Hosts: Ana Noriega and Nazli Konya of Colby College
Guests: Victoria Scott and Lalee Awad, MS
Topic: Join guest hosts Ana Noriega and Nazli Konya, as they talk with Victoria Scott and Lalee about their work in the Colby College Justice Think Tank. A collaborative initiative comprised of 12 incarcerated and formerly incarcerated scholars across Maine who are actively researching and advocating for transformative alternatives to the current criminal legal system.
Host: Emily Goulette
Guest: Attorney, Ali Brauner of the Maine Indigent Defense Center
Topic: Don’t miss Emily’s interview with MIDC’s staff Attorney and 2023 Maine Law graduate, Ali Brauner, as they talk about what brought them to this work, the struggles of new Attorney’s doing indigent defense work, and the changes they would like to see made in our criminal legal system.
Host: Linda Small
Blurb: Don’t miss Linda’s interview with Kevin Bott, founder and Artistic Director of Ritual4Return, and two recent graduates of the program, Baiyinah Shewmake and Tiyana Scarlett, as they talk about homecoming rituals for returning citizens transitioning from incarceration to freedom.
Host: Linda Small
Guests: Doug Dunbar and Brian Pitman
Topic: Don’t miss Linda’s interview with Doug Dunbar and Brian Pitman, members of No Penobscot County Jail Expansion (NPCJE), as they talk about what’s happening in Maine jails and the money we spend on new construction.
Host: Catherine Besteman
Guests: Rockland Police Chief Tim Carroll and resident Mark Munger
Topic: Catherine interviews Rockland Police Chief Tim Carroll and resident Mark Munger to talk about the Midcoast Community Collective, an inspiring new initiative to build collaborative networks in coastal Maine to deal with troubled Youth for whom standard forms of intervention have not been working.
Highlights the following episodes:
Are Prisons the Answer?
Episode 27 - Toward Hope and Renewal (aired 5/7/23)
Can we move toward hope and renewal? Find out with hosts Leo Hylton and Catherine Besteman and special guest Reverend Jane Field, Executive Director of the Maine Council of Churches, as they explore why faith groups support LD 178, a parole bill considered by Maine lawmakers.
From Our Perspective: Voices of the Directly Impacted
Episode 10 - Punishment: Perpetuating Generational Cycles of Harm (aired 1/8/23)
Host Marion Anderson and special Guest Kayla Kalel, co-creator and co-founder of The Birth Justice Collective, talk about forms of punishment we use so widely in society through the prison industrial complex that perpetuate generational cycles of harm.
Creating Windows Not Bars
Episode 85 Solitary Watch (NEW episode airs 6/16/24)
Join hosts Linda Small and Mackenzie Kelley as they talk with special guest Val Kiebala managing editor of Solitary Watch about the use of solitary confinement in the United States and its repercussions.
Ending the Drug War in Maine
Episode 60 - Maine Recovery Council (aired 12/24/23)
Join hosts Charlotte Warren and Zoe Brokos as they talk about the first steps taken by the Maine Recovery Council to fund programs in harm reduction, treatment, prevention, and recovery support.
Special Edition of Justice Radio
Episode 68 - What do Crime Survivors Actually Want? Survivorship Series, Part I (aired 2/18/24)
First episode in a 3-part series focused on surviving harm and the relationship between accountability, healing, and justice, in relation to our criminal legal system. Join hosts Linda Small and Catherine Besteman as they talk with special guest Aswad Thomas of the Alliance for Safety and Justice, about what crime survivors actually want.
Hosts: Linda Small and Mackenzie Kelley
Guest: Kristie Puckett
Topic: Don’t miss Linda and Mackenzie’s interview with Kristie Puckett, Senior Project Manager for Forward Justice about her work as a gender justice policy expert.
Hosts: Linda Small and Mackenzie Kelley
Guest: Susan Mason, executive director and co-founder of What's Next Washington
Topic: Don’t miss Part II of Linda and Mackenzie’s interview with Susan Mason, the formerly incarcerated executive director and co-founder of What's Next Washington, as they continue the discussion about the systemic challenges returning citizens with conviction histories face and the progress and obstacles toward economic justice.
Host: Catherine Besteman
Guests: Annie Greenbaum and Robert Ruffner
Topic: Don’t miss Catherine’s interview with Lawyers Annie Greenbaum, and Robert Ruffner from the Maine Indigent Defense Center, as they talk about the challenges Maine faces meeting our constitutional obligation to ensure that everyone who is charged with a crime has legal representation and the state's lack of compliance with the 6th Amendment.
Hosts: Linda Small and Mackenzie Kelley
Guest: Val Kiebala, Managing Editor of Solitary Watch
Topic: Don’t miss Creating Windows Not Bars on Justice Radio. Join hosts Linda Small and Mackenzie Kelley as they talk with special guest Val Kiebala managing editor of Solitary Watch about the use of solitary confinement in the United States and its repercussions.
Host: Catherine Besteman
Guests: Brandon Brown and Jeremy Hiltz hosts of the podcast Behind the Door
Promo Blurb: Don’t miss Catherine’s interview with podcasters Brandon Brown and Jeremy Hiltz, as they talk about their show Behind the Door which shines a light on the humanity of people on the inside and the brokenness of our carceral and recovery systems.
Hosts: Catherine Besteman and Linda Small
Guests:
* tyler redskye, Youth Led Justice
* kage johnson, Youth Justice Liaison Sexual Harm Response Design Lead, Restorative Justice Institute of Maine
Host: Catherine Besteman
Guests:
* Brianna Herman-Brand, Lead Teacher at Generative Somatics
* Matthew Kama’aina, Restorative Dialogue Director of Collective Justice
* Jonathan Spear, Survivor & Restorative Justice Process Advocate
Hosts: Linda Small and Catherine Besteman
Guests: Priya Nair and Dolphy Jordan of Collective Justice
Host: Charlotte Warren
Guests: Maine State Representatives Lydia Crafts and Nina Milliken
Hosts: Linda Small and Catherine Besteman
Guest: Aswad Thomas of Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice
Host: Leo Hylton
Guests: Laura Ligouri (Executive Director) and Kholi Pepani (Assistant Director of the Healing Racial Trauma Initiative) from the Mindbridge Center
Hosts: Linda Small and Mackenzie Kelley
Guests:
* Darlene George, Consultant for CEPP (Center for Effective Public Policy) and currently housed at the Maine Correctional Center for Women
* Shawn Libby, Peer Leader, Recovery Coach, Master's degree student in Youth Development, and currently incarcerated at the Maine State Prison
Hosts: Craig Williams, Staff for the National Council of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls, and Maine Hub Leader for Participatory Defense.
Guests: Participatory Defense team members, Janet Drew and Sarah Johnson.
Hosts: Linda Small and Mackenzie Kelley
Guests:
* Darlene George, Consultant for CEPP (Center for Effective Public Policy) and currently housed at the Maine Correctional Center for Women
* Shawn Libby, Peer Leader, Recovery Coach, Master's degree student in Youth Development, and currently incarcerated at the Maine State Prison
Hosts: Linda Small and Mackenzie Kelley
Guests:
Jen LaChance, Director of Advocacy and Victim Services at Through These Doors
* Jenny Stacio, Director of Operations at Through These Doors*
The Maine Recovery Advocacy Project, a grassroots network of people in recovery, people who use drugs, people with lived experiences of incarceration, and our allies working on community and policy based solutions to the addiction crisis in Maine, will highlight pending legislative solutions that address the concerns raised in previous shows. They will also provide listeners with ways they can get involved with grassroots Organizing in Maine. The specific piece of legislation will be determined closer to the legislative session.
Who are we and why does it matter? How did we end up in prison? What was our experience of the criminal legal system? Court appointed attorney? Plea agreements? Judgment/sentencing? How long were we incarcerated and what was our experience while inside? Since release?
This is “Are Prisons the Answer?”, a monthly show on Justice Radio on WMPG with your hosts Catherine Besteman and Leo Hylton. Today, we are talking with DA Jonathan Sahrbeck and defense attorney Jeremy Pratt about how a person ends up in prison.