70 Million
66 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 months ago - ★★★★★ - 126 ratingsThis award-winning and Peabody-nominated podcast documents how locals are addressing the role of jails in their backyards. Reporters travel around the country and hear from people directly impacted by their encounter with jails and to chronicle the progress ground-up efforts have made in diversion, bail reform, recidivism, adoption of technology and other crucial aspects of the move toward decarceration at local levels.
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Episodes
Introducing Still Paying the Price: Reparations in Real Terms
July 26, 2023 20:09 - 3 minutes - 3.52 MBThe newest narrative podcast from LWC Studios is out now! “Still Paying the Price: Reparations in Real Terms” is a 14-part series exploring how reparations should be paid and to whom. This podcast is meant to be enjoyed in an order that makes the most sense for our listeners. You can begin by listening to this episode or wherever you find your podcasts–-and start your own reparations exploration. For more information, all episodes, and transcripts visit StillPayingThePricePod.com. Original...
What’s the Public’s Role in Upholding a Broken Criminal Justice System?
December 26, 2022 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBCurrently, over 7 million people are under some form of carceral supervision in the United States–from custody to bail to probation. For our final episode, 70 Million reporter Mark Betancourt moderates a conversation about the role we, the public, play in creating and sustaining the matrix of incarceration as it exists today. He’s joined by Cornell professor Peter K. Enns, author of the book Incarceration Nation: How the United States Became the Most Punitive Democracy in the World, and Insh...
How Those Drowning in Carceral Debt Are Lining Others’ Pockets
December 19, 2022 05:00 - 44 minutes - 40.6 MBThe commercial bail bond industry is privatized, consolidated – and estimated to be worth $2.4 billion dollars. People arrested in a state like California, the most expensive place to post bail, often end up in cycles of carceral debt that derail their lives. Reporter Sonia Paul follows one woman’s story – and talks to the organizers, politicians, and experts advocating for bail reform. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here.
Why Policing Our Schools Backfires
December 12, 2022 05:00 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBSchool resource officers are often called upon in middle and high schools to help with routine discipline. But for many children, especially those with disabilities, a law enforcement response to their behavior can lead to the school-to-prison pipeline. Reporter Claire McInerny tells one family’s story in Texas. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here.
How Jailhouse Informants Rig the Justice System
December 05, 2022 05:00 - 34 minutes - 31.7 MBFor four decades, testimony from jailhouse informants has been the source of public scandal in criminal cases across the U.S. Research shows juries find these witnesses credible, even when they know informants benefit from their cooperation with prosecutors. The impact of this practice is hard to calculate. Reporter Rhana Natour looks at critical cases in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and California, to shed light on the issue. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website h...
Punished and Persecuted for Being Unhoused, Part 2
November 28, 2022 05:00 - 41 minutes - 38 MBDuring the Covid-19 pandemic, the city of Los Angeles moved thousands of unhoused people into hotel rooms. The program, called Project Roomkey, was a temporary safety net during the national health emergency. But participants soon nicknamed it “Project No Key” because they felt more incarcerated than housed. Reporter Mark Betancourt chronicles their experience in part two of our series on how homelessness is criminalized. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here.
Punished and Persecuted for Being Unhoused, Part 1
November 21, 2022 05:00 - 47 minutes - 43.9 MBIn Los Angeles, thousands of people who live outside have to navigate the insecurities caused by homelessness, the ire of housed neighbors, and the city penalizing them for their circumstances. In one park, months of efforts to remove unhoused people culminated in a showdown with police. Reporter Mark Betancourt investigates in this episode, part one of a two-part series about the criminalization of homelessness. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here.
Grand Juries, the Black Box of Justice Reform?
November 14, 2022 05:00 - 42 minutes - 38.8 MBGrand juries are supposed to safeguard against the government charging people with a crime when it lacks sufficient evidence. But because prosecutors control what happens in grand jury proceedings, they almost always get an indictment. That is, unless the accused is a police officer. Reporter Mark Betancourt explores a case of police brutality in Dallas that evaporated after going before a grand jury. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here.
Highway Robbery: How a Small-town Traffic Trap Became a Legal Black Hole
November 07, 2022 05:00 - 44 minutes - 41 MBIn Brookside, Alabama, an eager new police chief, unsuspecting motorists, and a state-mandated loophole converged to create a nightmare for local residents—and generate piles of cash for the local government. Reporter Rhana Natour has the story. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here.
How Guilty Pleas Fastrack and Derail Justice
October 31, 2022 04:00 - 40 minutes - 37.2 MBThe US Constitution guarantees a right to trial to anyone accused of a crime, but less than 3 percent of criminal defendants get a trial. Instead, they’re regularly cornered into pleading guilty, sometimes admitting to a crime they didn’t commit. Reporter Mark Betancourt retraces one innocent man’s legal ordeal to explain why this happens. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here.
They’re Running for Office to Change the Criminal (Injustice) System
October 24, 2022 04:00 - 42 minutes - 39.2 MBWeeks before the 2022 midterm elections, 70 Million creator and executive producer Juleyka Lantigua digs into the subject of criminal justice reform with three candidates from different parts of the country: Maxwell Alejandro Frost, Carolyn “Jiyoung” Park, and Durham County District Attorney, Satana DeBerry. All three spotlight inequities in policing and the courts, and call out areas in need of serious reform in the criminal justice system. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at...
Our Final Season Launches October 24!
October 17, 2022 04:00 - 2 minutes - 2.39 MBLooking back over five seasons, we’re so thankful to you, our listeners, for believing in this work, for sharing the episodes, and for including our reporting in your own work. Season 5 builds on the legacy of this Peabody Award-nominated podcast with fresh in-depth reporting and our characteristic rich narrative storytelling. This time we start with a thesis: the entire criminal justice system is rigged, top to bottom. Each episode goes deep into how local, regional, state and federal playe...
When a State Treats Drug Addiction Like a Health Issue, Not a Crime
November 15, 2021 05:00 - 35 minutes - 32.4 MBA year ago, Oregon became the first state to decriminalize drug possession. The goal is to reverse some of the negative impacts of the War on Drugs by approaching drug use from a health-centered basis. We visit an addiction and recovery center in Portland that’s gearing up for what they hope will be an influx of people seeking treatment. Reported by Cecilia Brown. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here.
When “Bail Reform” Isn't
November 08, 2021 05:00 - 27 minutes - 25.1 MBTexas conservative lawmakers and bail reform advocates have long debated what bail reform can look like for those who cannot afford to bail themselves out of jail. Journalist Andrea Henderson looks closely at a new bail law some activists consider a setback. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here.
Taking Mental Health Crises Out of Police Hands
November 01, 2021 04:00 - 34 minutes - 31.7 MBPolice encounters during a mental health crisis have a greater chance of turning deadly if you're Black. New response mechanisms bypass law enforcement and result in helpful interventions. Reporter Jeneé Darden looks at how folks in Northern California are trying to reimagine crisis response services. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript on our website here.
Forget Reform, They Want Abolition
October 25, 2021 04:00 - 27 minutes - 24.8 MBMany organizers in St. Louis have given up on reforming the criminal legal system. Now, they’re working to abolish it. And they’re starting with the closure of one notorious jail. To reach their goal, they’ve decided to get involved in electoral politics. Reporter Chad Davis takes a look at what happens when you go from agitating from the outside to working with those in power. Co-reported with Carolina Hidalgo. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here.
An Effort to Hold Prosecutors Accountable
October 18, 2021 04:00 - 32 minutes - 29.5 MBA legal matrix that incentivizes criminal convictions can motivate unethical prosecutors to bend or break the rules. In New York, a group of law professors is trying to curb that by pushing the system to discipline its own. Reported by Nina Sparling. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here.
We Went Back to See How These Reforms Worked
October 11, 2021 04:00 - 38 minutes - 34.9 MBWe wanted to see what has happened since we first reported on mental health interventions for arrestees in Miami, how the "bond angels" save lives in New Orleans, and what the digital police surveillance network called Project Greenlight has meant for Detroit. Reported by Danny Rivero, Eve Abrams and Sonia Paul. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here.
Why COVID-19 Goes from Jails to Communities
October 04, 2021 04:00 - 36 minutes - 33 MBThis special roundtable of experts looks at how policing and incarceration practices are impacting COVID-19 rates in BIPOC communities around the country. Because being jailed means an increased risk of getting COVID-19, those released might unknowingly bring the virus home, putting their loved ones and communities at risk. Our editor, Jen Chien, moderates the conversation with Nicole Lewis, senior editor of the jurisprudence section at Slate Magazine, Eric Reinhart, medical anthropologist...
How Black Women Are Rightfully “Taking Seats at the Table”
September 27, 2021 04:00 - 29 minutes - 27.1 MBNearly one in two Black women in the US have a loved one who has been impacted by our carceral system. Many become de facto civilian experts as a result. Some rise to lead as outside catalysts for change. And now, scores of Black women are joining the ranks—as officers of the court, police, judges—to manage and advance a system that has had such an outsized impact on their lives. Reported by Pamela Kirkland. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here.
Curing “Petty, Everyday Injustice” in Cook County
September 20, 2021 04:00 - 36 minutes - 33.3 MBThe saying goes that “justice delayed is justice denied.” One part of Illinois’ judicial system has had an outsized role in delaying justice for decades: the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court. Home to Chicago, Cook County’s court system is massive, with more than a dozen courthouses generating millions of records. And in the records disarray, residents were mired in years-long delays that cost them time and opportunities. Reported by Mark Betancourt. Find a resource guide and annotated...
Where Juvenile Detention Looks More Like Teens Hanging Out
September 13, 2021 04:00 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBThere’s a place in rural St. Johns, Arizona, where teens who have encounters with officers of the law can play pool, make music, and get mentored instead of going to jail. It’s called The Loft, and it’s the brainchild of a judge who wanted to save the county hundreds of millions of dollars and divert young people towards the support many were not getting at home. Reported by Ruxandra Guidi. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here.
Season 4 Launches September 13!
August 30, 2021 04:00 - 2 minutes - 2.06 MBPeabody Award-nominated podcast 70 Million is coming back for our fourth season! Join us for more in-depth reporting and rich narrative storytelling from communities impacted by the carceral complex. We'll bring you updates from previous seasons and new dispatches from the frontlines of criminal legal system reform. First episode launches September 13, 2021. Find more information—including transcripts and resource guides—and catch up on our past three seasons here.
Where the COVID-19 Pandemic Might Finally Ignite Change in the Bail Bonds System
November 16, 2020 05:00 - 36 minutes - 33 MBWhen jails across the country began releasing thousands of people amid the COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year, and mass demonstrations against police brutality brought millions out of their homes, criminal reform advocates wondered if they'd finally see significant and lasting reform. Journalist Renata Sago reports on two Florida jails that are having very different responses to the possibility of change. Sign up for our newsletter today.
TRAILER: Future Hindsight!
November 13, 2020 05:00 - 2 minutes - 2.72 MBOur friends at Future Hindsight just launched Season 12! Future Hindsight is a weekly podcast that aims to spark civic engagement through in-depth conversations with citizen changemakers. Season 12 is full of thought-provoking, visionary and practical ideas that help us reimagine our future in a post pandemic and post Trump world. It covers everything from needing to be civically engaged all the time––which is to say in between elections––to education, policing our communities, and having t...
Where Housing, Not Jails, Is the Answer to Homelessness
November 09, 2020 05:00 - 41 minutes - 37.7 MBIn California, so-called quality of life laws criminalize panhandling, living in cars, and blocking sidewalks. Reporter Sarah McClure chronicles how arresting homeless individuals entangles them in a cycle of poverty and incarceration—and how three groups are breaking the cycle. This episode talks about some troubling details, which involve gun violence. Some listeners may find it disturbing. Sign up for our newsletter today.
On Tribal Land, Banishment, Rehabilitation and Re-entry Add Up to Justice
November 02, 2020 05:00 - 36 minutes - 33.5 MBIn Alaska, rising violent crime and substance abuse across the state have also increased incarceration rates among Native Americans. Making use of their legal sovereignty, some Alaska Native leaders issue “blue tickets,” documents that sentence offenders to legal expulsion. Journalist Emily Schwing reports on the consequences and cultural impact of banishment from Toksook Bay. Special thanks to Vanessa Lincoln for simultaneous interpretation and transcription for this episode. Sign up for ...
Where Hep C Remains Untreated for Those in Custody
October 26, 2020 04:00 - 33 minutes - 31 MBSean Wesley knew he had Hepatitis C when he started serving his prison sentence in Louisiana, and spent years trying to get treatment. Despite an innovative arrangement between a drug manufacturer and the state's Department of Corrections, he was transferred from facility to facility, and even finished his sentence, without ever receiving proper care. Reporter Xander Adams looks into why. Sign up for our newsletter today.
No Longer Waiting for Top-Down Reform
October 19, 2020 04:00 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MBOver the past few years, voters across the U.S.have elected prosecutors who promised to implement much-needed criminal justice reforms, from decriminalizing marijuana to ending cash bail. Journalist Ruxandra Guidi revisits her reporting on the election of a new prosecutor in Houston two years ago, and chronicles how activists, relatives of incarcerated people, and local residents are changing strategies and pushing for reform. Sign up for our newsletter today.
TRAILER: Say Their Name!
October 15, 2020 16:00 - 2 minutes - 2.73 MBFrom DCP Entertainment, "Say Their Name" is a documentary series that focuses on the assault and killing of unarmed Black people by police and in ‘Stand Your Ground’ states. It highlights incidents throughout the United States, memorializing these individuals through the words of the people that knew them best and helping us understand the aftermath for their families and communities, long after the headlines and hashtags have moved on. +Subscribe to Say Their Name on Apple Podcasts. +Visi...
A Special Court Keeping Native Americans Out of Jail
October 12, 2020 04:00 - 35 minutes - 32.4 MBKirsten made her way out of jail and addiction with the help of a special court on the Penobscot Nation reservation in Maine. There, culture and justice work together to bypass traditional punitive measures for more restorative ones. Reporter Lisa Bartfai visits the Healing to Wellness Court to see how it all works. Sign up for our newsletter today.
How the Asylum Process Became Another Carceral Matrix
October 05, 2020 04:00 - 45 minutes - 41.8 MBThe Trump administration has issued numerous policies to systematically dismantle asylum as a legal right. They're also locking up asylum seekers for months or years, until they either win their case, are returned to their home countries, or self deport. Reporters Valeria Fernández and Jude Joffe-Block follow two asylum seekers as they endure detention, legal cases, and family separation in the US, where they sought refuge. Thank you to Maria and Ansly for sharing their stories with us. ...
Why Detroit Might Be the True Test of Whether More Cameras Make Cities Safer
September 28, 2020 04:00 - 40 minutes - 36.8 MBReporter Sonia Paul takes us to Detroit, where 80% of residents are Black, and examines the tools, models and methods changing the nature of policing in the city — from the rise of live-streamed surveillance to facial recognition technology. She investigates their impact on residents, and implications for overpoliced communities of color across the country. Sign up for our newsletter today.
Voting from Jail Is a Right, and Now a Reality in Chicago
September 21, 2020 04:00 - 40 minutes - 36.7 MBA year ago, Illinois passed a law requiring all jails to ensure that pre-trial detainees have an opportunity to vote. Chicago’s Cook County Jail was turned into a polling place during the 2019 primaries. Sheriff Tom Dart is an enthusiastic supporter of the program. And advocates like Amani Sawari are working to ensure voters in custody are informed and prepared to vote in the upcoming election. Pamela Kirkland reports. Sign up for our newsletter today.
COVID-19 Makes Deciding Who Gets Out of Jail Urgent
September 14, 2020 04:00 - 36 minutes - 33.6 MBJames Howard III was arrested this spring and sent to Chicago’s Cook County Jail a few weeks into the state's coronavirus lockdown. Crowded, unsanitary, and with little means of social distancing, the single-site jail experienced a rapid outbreak of COVID-19. Mark Betancourt reports on the unprecedented steps officials took to control the outbreak, and the urgent attempts of families to keep their loved ones safe. Sign up for our newsletter today.
TRAILER: Driving The Green Book!
September 03, 2020 04:00 - 4 minutes - 4.43 MBWe produced something beautiful for Macmillan Podcasts!! Introducing Driving the Green Book, a ten-part documentary series premiering September 15. Follow award-winning BBC broadcaster Alvin Hall as he retraces many of the locations featured in the historic travel guide. From Detroit to New Orleans, Hall takes us on an immersive audio journey, collecting powerful, personal testimony about how Black Americans used the Green Book to travel with dignity during the height of segregation. New epi...
Season 3 Starts Sept. 14!
August 31, 2020 04:00 - 2 minutes - 2.3 MBWe're back! Now as an award-winning and Peabody Award nominated podcast. Thank you for listening and sharing us. For two years we've documented criminal justice reform—one jail and one story at a time. In season 3, we travel the country exploring how our changing reality is impacting those in custody and the policies that keep them there. We're going to dig deeper, from the spread of COVID-19 in jails, to police depending on private companies that offer new surveillance and facial recognitio...
Thank you dear listeners!!
May 08, 2020 22:04 - 2 minutes - 1.88 MBA heartfelt thanks to listeners from our creator and executive producer as we celebrate our Peabody Awards nomination for season 2.
Civic Engagement, Social Distancing, and Democracy Reform
May 01, 2020 17:51 - 37 minutes - 34.3 MBHost: Richard Davies, Co-host, How Do We Fix It? @DaviesNow Guests: Mila Atmos, Host, Future Hindsight @milaatmos Juleyka Lantigua-Williams, Founder and CEO of Lantigua-Williams and Co., Creator and Executive Producer, 70 Million @JuleykaLantigua Carah Ong-Whaley, Associate Director at James Madison Center for Civic Engagement at James Madison University, Co-host, Democracy Matters @CarahOng Lee Drutman, Senior Fellow at New America, Co-host, Politics in Question @leedrutman ...
Bonus: COVID-19 and Democracy with The Democracy Group
April 29, 2020 04:00 - 54 minutes - 50 MBFor more information about The Democracy Group podcast network, visit democracygroup.org Thank you to Democracy Group Network Manager Katie DeFiore for producing this episode! Host: Jenna Spinelle, Communications Specialist at the McCourtney Institute for Democracy; Host, Democracy Works. @JennaSpinelle Guests: Luke Knittig, Senior Director of Communications at the McCain Institute; Host, In The Arena. @LukeKnittig / Jeremi Suri, Mack Brown Distinguished Professor in the LBJ Schoo...
TRAILER: How to Talk to Mamí and Papí About Anything
April 27, 2020 04:00 - 36 seconds - 570 KBFrom the creator of 70 Million, welcome to How to Talk to Mamí and Papí About Anything! Juleyka Lantigua-Williams made the show because she and many of her friends who were born or raised in the US could use some help in communicating with their immigrant parents. "We’re sometimes torn between the way we choose to live our Americanized lives and the loyalty we feel to our parents’ ways," she says. Every week, she'll talk to adult children of immigrant parents facing a heavy situation from whi...
Two Rural Counties Take Diverting Paths to Jail Reform
September 16, 2019 04:05 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBDrug 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. But jails have also become “the dumping ground” for people with mental illness who are arrested. We visit one county that wants to use it’s jail less and one county that just built a state-of-the-art one to see how the two approaches are working out. Please take our Listener Survey to tell us w...
Two Rural Counties Take Diverting Paths to Jail Reform
September 16, 2019 04:05 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBPlease take our Listener Survey to tell us what you think about 70 Million and help us shape the future of the show!
Where Texting Brings People to Court
September 09, 2019 04:05 - 27 minutes - 25.1 MBAfter 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.
A Pregnancy That Changed Texas Law, Part 2
September 02, 2019 04:05 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MBIf 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...
A Pregnancy That Changed Texas Law, Part 1
August 26, 2019 04:05 - 38 minutes - 35.1 MBShandra 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.
Comedian Felonious Munk Stands Up for Reform
August 19, 2019 04:05 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBComedian 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-Williams talks with Munk about the years he spent in prison, the shock of losing his freedom, and his crusade for sensible justice reform.
An Open and Shut Case, Reopened
August 12, 2019 04:05 - 30 minutes - 28.1 MBAt 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.
The Work of Closing a Notorious Jail
August 05, 2019 04:01 - 38 minutes - 34.8 MBFive 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. UPDATE: July 2020: The St. Louis Board of Aldermen unanimously voted to pass a bill which provides for the closure of the Workhouse by the end of ...
How Bail Shackles Women of Color
July 29, 2019 04:01 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBTamiki 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.