70 MILLION’S SECOND SEASON WON A SILVER AWARD AT THE 2020 NEW YORK FESTIVALS® RADIO AWARDS IN THE NARRATIVE/DOCUMENTARY PODCAST CATEGORY.
SEASON 2, EPISODE 10
TWO RURAL COUNTIES TAKE DIVERTING PATHS TO JAIL REFORM
Alamosa County Sheriff Robert Jackson. Photo by Andrew Meeker.
09.16.19
Drug felony charges have more than doubled in Colorado as the state faces an opioid crisis. Jail admissions are on the rise in some counties while diversion efforts are proving effective in others. And some jails have also become a "dumping ground” for people with mental illness who are arrested. We go to Southern Colorado to meet two sheriffs battling the same issue—jail overcrowding—with differing results.
SEASON 2, EPISODE 9
WHERE TEXTING BRINGS PEOPLE TO COURT
Raven Gamboa receives reminders of her court date by text. Photo by Andrea Sarcos.
09.07.19
After someone is arrested, there are multiple court-ordered actions after they make bail. Often, missing any of these--especially court appearances--complicates their situation and increases their punishment. Reporter Jenny Casas goes to Palm Beach, Florida, where something as simple as texting has made a significant difference in people’s lives.
SEASON 2, EPISODE 8
A PREGNANCY THAT CHANGED TEXAS LAW, PART 2
Cat Wyndham and her mother Bonnie at their cabin in Texas. Photo: Rowan Moore Gerety.
09.02.19
If you haven’t already listened to Part 1 of this story, we suggest you do that first.
In 2013, the Texas Jail Project gets a call from Bonnie Wyndham—a mother whose daughter, Cat, is pregnant behind bars and not getting the medical care TJP has been fighting to guarantee. In this episode, we hear Cat’s story. Plus, nearly 15 years after their chance meeting in the Victoria County Jail helped launch the TJP, our reporter Rowan Moore Gerety brings Shandra Williams and founder Diane Wilson together.
SEASON 2, EPISODE 7
A PREGNANCY THAT CHANGED TEXAS LAW, PART 1
Shandra Williams and Diane Wilson. Photo: Deborah Valcin.
08.26.19
Shandra Williams had experienced five miscarriages by the time she and her husband Dawayne became pregnant with their son. Then she was arrested. Reporter Rowan Moore Gerety travels to Victoria, Texas, where Williams’ harrowing story of being pregnant behind bars unknowingly launched a reform movement.
SEASON 2, EPISODE 6
COMEDIAN FELONIOUS MUNK STANDS UP FOR REFORM
Felonious Munk. Photo by Xilla Valentine.
08.12.19
Comedian Felonious Munk was among the 13,000 formerly incarcerated people whose voting rights Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe restored in 2018. 70 Million creator Juleyka Lantigua talks with Munk about the years he spent in prison, the shock of losing his freedom, and his crusade for sensible justice reform.
SEASON 2, EPISODE 5
AN OPEN AND SHUT CASE, REOPENED
Mark Denny with a customer at his barbershop. Photo by Kunjo.
08.12.19
At 17, Mark Denny was wrongfully convicted of a rape and robbery in Brooklyn. It took nearly 30 years for that conviction to be overturned—and it might never have happened without help from the same office that prosecuted him. Reporter Sabine Jansen tells the story of the Brooklyn Conviction Review Unit, the DAs who re-investigate their colleagues’ work, and the collaboration that finally set an innocent man free.
SEASON 2, EPISODE 4
THE WORK OF CLOSING A NOTORIOUS JAIL
Inez Bordeaux holds up a sign while doing street outreach in north St. Louis to raise awareness about the Close the Workhouse campaign. Photo: Carolina Hidalgo.
08.05.19
Five years after Michael Brown’s death at the hands of a police officer galvanized criminal justice reform activists in St. Louis, they're gaining serious momentum to shut down the city's notorious Workhouse jail. Reporter Carolina Hidalgo spent time with the Close the Workhouse campaign and Arch City Defenders, their supporters, and detractors.
Annotated Transcript
SEASON 2, EPISODE 3
HOW BAIL SHACKLES WOMEN OF COLOR
Tamiki Banks has become the sole breadwinner since her husband has been in custody for the past two years—without being convicted of any crime. Photo: Pamela Kirkland.
07.29.19
Tamiki Banks’ life was turned upside down when her husband was arrested, leaving her the sole breadwinner and caregiver to their twins. More than two years later, she’s still struggling, and he’s still in custody, even though he hasn’t been convicted of any crime. From Atlanta, Pamela Kirkland reports on the heavy burden women of color like Tamiki bear when a loved one is jailed.
Annotated Transcript
SEASON 2, EPISODE 2
WHEN DISABILITY REQUIRES A DIFFERENT APPROACH
Kade Threadgill faced 5 years incarceration, until diagnosis led prosecutors to seek probation. Photo: Justin Katigbak.
07.22.19
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities, known as I/DD, are overrepresented behind bars. One reason is that police officers, lawyers, and correctional staff don’t always know how to meet their needs. Reporter Cheryl Green brings us to Oregon, where case managers translate their needs for a system that’s not set up to accommodate them -- and where the proper diagnosis is the difference between incarceration and freedom.
SEASON 2, EPISODE 1
MARCHING TOWARD REFORM IN NEW ORLEANS
Retired Judge Calvin Johnson has been working on reforming cash bail in New Orleans for the past decade. Photo: Cheryl Gerber.
7.15.19
For years, to fund itself, New Orleans’ criminal legal system has relied on bail, fines and fees levied on the city’s poorest. But there are signs of change on the horizon, with a groundswell of community action and two landmark federal rulings in the last year. Reporter Eve Abrams takes us inside some of the big shifts happening in the Big Easy.