Hosted by AFSC-AZ’s Joe Watson, the ReFramingJustice podcast amplifies the voices of people who are formerly incarcerated and directly-impacted by our system of criminal punishment. Recorded in Tucson, the podcast also features discussions with local and national experts on sentencing and drug policy reform, prosecutorial accountability, the challenges of re-entry, and alternatives to mass incarceration.

EPISODE 11:
MAIL CALL!
with Clyde Hardin, John Fabricius, Nancy Mellan, & Deb North |

On a very special episode of the RFJ Podcast, we discuss how letter writing can be a transformative and meditative experience for those on the inside, and how prison mailroom policies in Arizona and across the country are exacerbating the distance between incarcerated people and their loved ones. We’re joined by our allies and accomplices Clyde Hardin, John Fabricius, Nancy Mellan & Deborah North.

EPISODE 10:
PRIVATE PRISON DIVESTMENT
with Dalit Baum & Alex Friedmann |

The biggest banks in the country are pulling their financial backing from the biggest private prison companies. Why now, and what does it mean long-term in the larger fight to end mass incarceration? On Episode 10 of ReFraming Justice, we discuss private prison divestment with Dalit Baum, AFSC’s director of Economic Activism, and Alex Friedmann, an activist shareholder in CoreCivic and the associate director of the Human Rights Defense Center.

EPISODE 9:
ALLIES & ACCOMPLICES
with Timo Padilla & Rafael Batain |

On this episode, we seek answers to some important questions within the movement to end mass incarceration: Who can we trust as collaborators? Should we work with law enforcement and other system actors to achieve change? The If Project’s Rafael Batain and Timo Padilla of Sustainable Nations try to answer those questions and more.

EPISODE 8:
ARIZONA STATE PRISON TOWN HALL IN REVIEW |

Host Joe Watson shares some of the most powerful and poignant moments from the town hall on state prison conditions that AFSC-Arizona hosted this summer in Phoenix. And Joe updates us on the new interim director of Arizona’s Department of Corrections and Gov. Doug Ducey’s national search for a permanent replacement.

*  Additional music in this episode by David Cutter Music

EPISODE 7:
RE-ENTRY CHALLENGES
with Adrienne Kaye, Antonio Espree, & Danny Howe |

On this special episode of the podcast—hosted by AFSC-AZ’s Nate McKowen—Adrienne, Tony, and Danny discuss the myriad challenges formerly incarcerated people face after prison and offer solutions for communities looking to support those re-entering society after years, or even decades, away.

EPISODE 6:
DECRIMINALIZING SEX WORK
with Juliana Piccillo & Raquel Velasquez |

Juliana Piccillo and Raquel Velasquez of the Tucson chapter of the Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP) join us for a conversation on the continued criminalization of consensual sex work and explain how it’s not only killing sex workers themselves but harming entire communities.

EPISODE 5:
2019 LEGISLATIVE WRAP-UP
with Tuesday Brauer & Caroline Isaacs |

Tuesday Brauer, a leader of AFSC-Arizona’s ReFraming Justice Project, calls in from Phoenix to discuss what it’s like as someone who’s formerly incarcerated to lobby state lawmakers for sentencing reform and how it’s impacted her personally. And Caroline Isaacs, AFSC-Arizona’s program director, recaps this hugely disappointing state legislative session while making the case for plenty of optimism going forward.

EPISODE 4:
CHALLENGING E-CARCERATION
with James Kilgore & Tiera Rainey |

James Kilgore, the acclaimed author and expert on the complexities of electronic monitoring, explains why wearing an ankle monitor isn’t necessarily better than doing time in prison. And Tiera Rainey explains why AFSC-AZ is working to stop for-profit companies from expanding into electronic monitoring and everything from halfway houses to drug treatment centers.

EPISODE 3:
AZ’S FAILING DRUG LAWS
with Michael and Zach Perrino & Rebecca Fealk |

AFSC-Arizona’s Rebecca Fealk discusses her groundbreaking report on our state’s draconian drug laws and the harm such legislation causes to families, particularly in poor communities and communities of color. And Zach Perrino and his father, Michael—estranged for more than three years while Zach served time in Arizona’s Department of Corrections—have a conversation about addiction, abandonment, and accountability.

EPISODE 2:
PROSECUTORIAL ACCOUNTABILITY
with Brandon Sturdivant & Joel Feinman |

Pima County Public Defender Joel Feinman tells listeners how elected prosecutors “gave birth to mass incarceration” and why only elected prosecutors “can kill mass incarceration.” And Brandon Sturdivant, the lead organizer of the Mass Liberation Project of People’s Action, discusses how marginalized communities can “co-govern” with elected prosecutors to ensure the system is transformed.

EPISODE 1:
RFJ PODCAST DEBUT
with Dr. Grace Gámez & Jesse Merriman |

In our first episode, Dr. Grace Gámez discusses the genesis of AFSC-AZ’s multimedia storytelling project and her own journey through our system of criminal punishment. And Jesse Merriman, currently a sociology undergrad at the University of Arizona, talks about life as a trans woman in Arizona’s prison system.

#ReFramingJustice is produced by formerly incarcerated and directly impacted people–from our social media to graphics and music. Hear more music from Ojalá Systems by following them on Soundcloud. And see ink and other designs from Clyde Hardin by following him on Instagram.

If you want your questions about re-entry, criminal punishment reform, or community activism answered on the podcast, contact our host, or send a direct message to us on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you!