Criminal (In)justice
242 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 286 ratingsSometimes challenging, often disturbing, occasionally absurd, always timely: Criminal Injustice explores the most complex and urgent issues facing the U.S. criminal justice system in conversation with the field's most knowledgeable experts. Professor David Harris and guests take on everything from racial bias to use of force... from surveillance technology to mass incarceration... and from police abuse and misconduct to the astonishing, frequently hilarious misdeeds of "Lawyers Behaving Badly." It's not a lecture hall, and you don't need a law degree to keep up. But you'll walk away from each episode with a deeper, richer understanding of what's wrong with the criminal justice system – and how to fix it.
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Episodes
#151 That's All, Folks!
April 19, 2022 06:00 - 49 minutes - 44.9 MBAfter six years and 150+ interviews, Criminal Injustice is wrapping up. Dave and producer Josh Raulerson look back on what the show has accomplished and what it's meant to them. While we're taking an indefinite hiatus from posting new episodes, the full back catalog will live on at criminalinjusticepodcast.com. Thanks to our wonderful listeners and everyone who has supported the show over the years! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Special Episode: That Day Job
April 05, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour - 64.5 MBAs listeners know, Dave has a great day job: teaching law school. On this special episode we’ll meet some of his law students from the University of Pittsburgh, learning what drew them to the law, and what’s on their minds. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#150 The DNA Earthquake
March 22, 2022 06:00 - 51 minutes - 46.8 MBOn Criminal Injustice, we’ve examined a host of changes and reforms that have altered the criminal justice landscape. But nothing – nothing – can match the change brought to every aspect of the system by the use of DNA to uncover wrongful convictions. Links: The Innocence Project Christina Swarns Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#149 Closing the Circle on an Unjust Sentence
March 08, 2022 07:00 - 1 hour - 55.7 MBIn Episode 55, we brought you a conversation with Kevin Sharp: a former federal judge who gave it up because he had to sentence young men like Chris Young to cruel and unjust mandatory sentences. Several years later, we have an update: we talk with Kevin Sharp, and this time with Chris Young too. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: Cue the Grand Jury
March 04, 2022 07:00 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MBGrand juries are a handy tool for prosecutors, providing a ready pretext for any potentially controversial decision to bring charges or, as is often the case with police accused of crimes, not bring charges. Do grand jury proceedings serve any purpose, or are they just theater? Dave explains on 90.5 WESA's The Confluence. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: Justice Breyer Retires
February 07, 2022 17:03 - 19 minutes - 17.5 MBSupreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced in January that he will retire this year, giving President Biden a chance to name his replacement. Dave reviews highlights from Breyer's 38 years on the bench. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#148 Criminalizing Black Youth
November 30, 2021 07:00 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MBThe criminal legal system has left us with too little justice, and too much mass incarceration, racial disparities, and lifelong burdens on those it touches. But few groups suffer as much under the system’s burdens as young black people. How America criminalizes black youth – we discuss it with Professor Kristin Henning, author of “The Rage of Innocence: How American Criminalizes Black Youth.” Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: SCOTUS Considers Texas Abortion Law
November 18, 2021 17:05 - 10 minutes - 9.77 MBThis month the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments concerning enforcement of the controversial "heartbeat" law that effectively bans abortion in Texas. Dave provides analysis as a guest on 90.5 WESA's The Confluence. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#147 As Murder Rises, What Works?
November 16, 2021 07:00 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBThe news is out: 2020 saw a 30% rise in murders, nationwide. 2021 isn’t looking good, either. Some want us to turn back to the aggressive policing of the past. But is there a better way to stem the tide of gun violence? What actually works? We look at the evidence and get real information on what to do, right now, to stem the violence, with Ciera Bates—Chamberlain, Executive Director of Live Free Chicago – Live Free Illinois, and Thomas Abt, Senior Fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice...
#146 Sheriff Joe Arpaio versus the Latino Resistance
November 02, 2021 06:16 - 54 minutes - 50.1 MBSheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona was larger than life – America’s Toughest Sheriff. But when he became an anti-immigration profiler of Latinos, they organized and resisted – and that changed everything. We talk to veteran journalist Jude Joffe-Block, co-author of “Driving While Brown: Sheriff Joe versus the Latino Resistance,” published in 2021 by the University of California Press. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: Supreme Court Session Preview
October 25, 2021 06:00 - 17 minutes - 16 MBDave previews some of the big cases coming before the U.S. Supreme Court this session -- first with Kevin Gavin on 90.5 WESA's "The Confluence," then continuing with extra podcast-only analysis of cases not covered in the segment. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#145 Public Defense and Criminal Justice Reform
October 19, 2021 06:00 - 53 minutes - 48.7 MBWe know that every part of the criminal justice system needs transformational change. We’ve heard this about police, prosecution, the courts, and prisons. But what about public defense systems? We talk to Jonathan Rapping, founder and president of Gideon’s Promise, a national organization supporting public defenders, and the author of “Gideon’s Promise: A Public Defender Movement to Transform Criminal Justice,” (Beacon Press, 2020). Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: What's Behind Rising Murder Rates?
October 16, 2021 14:38 - 5 minutes - 5.09 MBWhile crime remains down overall, over the last year we've seen a startling spike in the U.S. murder rate. What's going on? Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#144 To Blame or to Learn? Sentinel Event Reviews of Police Action
October 05, 2021 06:00 - 1 hour - 56.6 MBWhen something goes catastrophically wrong with a police action, we ask whose fault it was. Who made the mistake? Focusing on who’s to blame is a key question for justice. But what if we want to prevent similar errors going forward? How do we fix the system that allowed the mistake to happen? We look at root cause analysis in the Criminal justice system with three people who were part of a Sentinel Event Review Board in Tucson, AZ. Tonya Strozier Chad Kasmer John Hollway Tucson Sen...
#143 Alternatives to Police Response: Denver’s STAR Program
September 21, 2021 06:00 - 42 minutes - 38.5 MBAs the country looks for better alternatives to police for people in crisis, Eugene, Oregon’s CAHOOTS is the model. So what happens when a much bigger city tries this approach? In this episode, we talk to Colorado Public Radio journalist David Sachs, who has been reporting on the STAR program, in Denver – an attempt to do for his city what CAHOOTS did for much smaller Eugene. His work on STAR has been heard on NPR, and has been published in Denverite. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcirc...
Read This: The Opposite of Accountability
September 16, 2021 01:00 - 15 minutes - 14.3 MBA pair of articles in USA Today (paywall) and the New York Times raises the question: do police officers face any real consequences for making false statements to cover up criminal abuse? Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#142 Public Safety Alternatives: CAHOOTS
September 07, 2021 06:10 - 57 minutes - 52.9 MBWhen people experience a mental health crisis or homelessness, the best person to help may not be a uniformed and armed police officer. So, who ya gonna call? We talk to journalist Rowan Moore Gerety, who has investigated the CAHOOTS program, in Eugene, Oregon. His story, “An Alternative to Police That Police Can Get Behind,” was published in The Atlantic. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#107 Bleeding Out (reprise)
August 31, 2021 12:49 - 44 minutes - 41 MBCriminal Injustice returns with new episodes in September 2021. Until then, we're reposting some of our favorite interviews. This episode originally appeared September 17, 2019. Urban violence kills thousands of Americans every year. It accounts for almost three quarters of the murders in the U.S., and it traps a huge number of people in poverty, blight, trauma and despair. What if there was a way cut murderous urban violence – by half? Guest Thomas Abt says it can be done with the tools w...
Bonus: Is Congressman Mo Brooks the dumbest lawyer in America?
August 28, 2021 10:24 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MBRep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) is suing his chambermate, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), over the latter's participation in the January 6 rally that led to the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Brooks's defense is... not great. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#135 A Break in Belonging (reprise)
August 24, 2021 06:00 - 39 minutes - 36.5 MBCriminal Injustice returns with new episodes in September 2021. Until then, we're reposting some of our favorite interviews. This episode originally appeared April 27, 2021. When someone goes to prison, it can destroy the family left behind – and even more so when no one really knows what happened. But then, what does the family do years later, when that family member returns? Our guest, filmmaker Shirley Vernae Williams, tells us the story of Pastor Martin Thomas: the murder he committed,...
Bonus: Can Cuomo Be Charged?
August 20, 2021 21:21 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBAndrew Cuomo is out as New York governor, after multiple accusations of harassment and abuse from female staff members. Could Cuomo be criminally prosecuted for alleged behaviors that may have crossed the line into sexual assault? Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#135 The Unlikely Philly DA (reprise)
August 17, 2021 06:00 - 54 minutes - 50.2 MBCriminal Injustice returns with new episodes in September 2021. Until then, we're reposting some of our favorite interviews. This episode originally appeared April 13, 2021. In the US, the local prosecutor – usu the district attorney has a huge influence on the criminal system. The DA influences who gets prosecuted, for what, how long they serve if convicted – even who gets the death penalty. So what happens when the usual tough on crime DA gets replaced – by someone determined to bring tra...
Bonus: Lawyers Behaving Trumpily
August 12, 2021 14:30 - 7 minutes - 7.11 MBConsequences are beginning to catch up with the lawyers who brought former president Donald Trump's election theft conspiracy theories to court. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#134: Is Police Reform Over? (reprise)
August 10, 2021 06:00 - 50 minutes - 46.3 MBCriminal Injustice returns with new episodes in September 2021. Until then, we're reposting some of our favorite interviews. This episode originally appeared March 23, 2021. For years, advocates for better policing have pushed various reforms: consent decrees, civilian oversight, body cameras. But after George Floyd’s death and 2020, is reform still a viable alternative? Or is it defund or bust? Our guest is Christy Lopez, Professor of Practice at Georgetown Law. She headed multiple polic...
#131 Re-entry: The Real Experience (reprise)
August 03, 2021 19:42 - 1 hour - 59.2 MBCriminal Injustice returns with new episodes in September 2021. Until then, we're reposting some of our favorite interviews. This episode originally appeared Feb 9, 2021. Leaving incarceration, and returning to life outside of prison. It’s a difficult process, and many end up back behind bars. What does it take to make it work? What more can be done to support those coming home? We hear it directly from two men who have done it. Mr. F. and Mr. R. (identities withheld) describe their steps i...
#130 Does Eliminating Cash Bail Harm Public Safety? (reprise)
July 27, 2021 14:12 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBCriminal Injustice returns with new episodes in September,ber 2021. Until then, we're reposting some of our favorite interviews. This episode originally appeared December 15, 2020. More US jurisdictions are questioning the use of money bail systems for pretrial release from jail. But many in law enforcement and the bail bond industry say this will damage public safety. Is that true? What really happens when you trash cash bail? Dr. Don Stemen of Loyola University in Chicago is co-author o...
Bonus: Trump Organization Indicted
July 22, 2021 06:00 - 9 minutes - 8.67 MBThe New York DA brings indictments against Donald Trump’s business organization and its CFO, Allen Weisselberg. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: SCOTUS Roundup
July 20, 2021 06:00 - 27 minutes - 25 MBThe U.S. Supreme Court wraps up its session with big decisions on juvenile justice, criminal procedure, civil rights and liberties, voting rights, and more. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: Cosby Released
July 18, 2021 19:23 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MBBill Cosby is out of prison, but not because he's innocent of the rape charges that landed him there. What happened? Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#141 Police Misconduct: On Our Watch
July 06, 2021 18:00 - 50 minutes - 45.9 MBIn the world of police reform, accountability for misconduct depends on transparency – and that kind of transparency exists in very few places. So when a state finally does open its files on police discipline, what do we learn? We talk to Sukey Lewis and Sandhya Dirks, two reporters at KQED in San Francisco; their new podcast, On Our Watch, is a deep dive into the inner workings of the police disciplinary process. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: In the Garage
July 02, 2021 18:14 - 11 minutes - 10.4 MBA California man's DUI has been thrown out by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that police needed a warrant to enter his attached garage. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#140 Police Reform: What Works?
June 29, 2021 06:00 - 58 minutes - 53.4 MBSince the murder of George Floyd, cities and towns everywhere have proposed reforms that they hope can transform their police departments. Proposals range from more body cameras to eliminating police departments entirely. But what really works? Which of these will improve public safety, for everyone? Our guests are Nancy LaVigne, Executive Director of the Task Force on Policing of the Council on Criminal Justice, and Walter Katz, Task Force member and Vice President of Criminal Justice at ...
#139 Flawed Forensics
June 15, 2021 06:00 - 57 minutes - 52.2 MBEvery day in American courtrooms, forensic science offers evidence to judges and juries: fingerprints, ballistics, shoe prints, even bite marks. It’s supposed to provide scientific proof of guilt. But what if it’s a lot less reliable than we think? Our guest is Brandon Garrett, Professor of Law at Duke University School of Law and author of “Autopsy of a Crime Lab: Exposing the Flaws in Forensics.” Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: Krasner's Mandate
June 08, 2021 06:00 - 10 minutes - 9.34 MBHoping to leverage public frustration with rising crime, Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner's critics framed his reelection as a referendum on the incumbent's progressive reforms. In the end it was -- but not in the way they had hoped. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#138: To Fix Policing, Understand It
June 01, 2021 12:10 - 53 minutes - 49.3 MBSince George Floyd’s death, countless advocates, government officials, task forces and commissions have made demands and proposals for police reform. But one reform advocate took a novel approach: she went inside the police organization, and joined up. In her book “Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City” (Penguin Press, 2021) author Rosa Brooks tells the story of joining the police in Washington D.C. – what she learned, and what she came away with regarding police reform. Advert...
Bonus: The Year of George Floyd
May 25, 2021 06:00 - 30 minutes - 27.6 MBToday marks the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. How have his death and the resulting groundswell of activism shaped the landscape for criminal justice reform? Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: Police Body Cameras and Their Limits
May 16, 2021 11:31 - 15 minutes - 14.5 MBReformers had high hopes that equipping police with body cameras would make officers more accountable. How's that going? Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#137 Police Reform from a Rare Perspective
May 11, 2021 06:00 - 54 minutes - 49.6 MBSince the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May of 2020, many governments, commissions, and organizations have come out with plans to change police departments. What does this look like when the leaders of a reform effort are African American, from law enforcement, and female? Our guest is Karol V. Mason, President of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and one of the co-leaders of the reform effort that produced a police reform plan called “The Future of Public Safety.” Links:...
Bonus: Independent Investigations Aren't Enough
May 06, 2021 06:00 - 10 minutes - 9.23 MBIndependent investigations into police killings are supposed to circumvent the apparent conflict of interest that often prevents local prosecutors from bringing charges against local officers. But they don't seem to be any likelier to result in charges, because the law is stacked in favor of police regardless of who's investigating. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#135 A Break in Belonging
April 27, 2021 06:00 - 39 minutes - 36 MBWhen someone goes to prison, it can destroy the family left behind – and even more so when no one really knows what happened. But then, what does the family do years later, when that family member returns? Our guest, filmmaker Shirley Vernae Williams ( https://www.shirleyvernae.com/portfolio ) , tells us the story of Pastor Martin Thomas: the murder he committed, and his quest to make his life worthwhile, after he returns from prison. Trailer: A Break In Belonging ( https://www.abreakinbelo...
#136 A Break in Belonging
April 27, 2021 06:00 - 39 minutes - 36 MBWhen someone goes to prison, it can destroy the family left behind – and even more so when no one really knows what happened. But then, what does the family do years later, when that family member returns? Our guest, filmmaker Shirley Vernae Williams, tells us the story of Pastor Martin Thomas: the murder he committed, and his quest to make his life worthwhile, after he returns from prison. Trailer: A Break In Belonging Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: Patterns and Practices
April 25, 2021 14:21 - 12 minutes - 11 MBFollowing Derek Chauvin's conviction in the murder of George Floyd, the Justice Department launches a "pattern or practice" investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: Chauvin Guilty
April 23, 2021 01:50 - 15 minutes - 14.1 MBA Minneapolis jury has found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all three counts in the murder of George Floyd. What does it mean for criminal justice reform? Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#135 The Unlikely Philly DA
April 13, 2021 06:00 - 53 minutes - 49 MBIn the US, the local prosecutor – usu the district attorney has a huge influence on the criminal system. The DA influences who gets prosecuted, for what, how long they serve if convicted – even who gets the death penalty. So what happens when the usual tough on crime DA gets replaced – by someone determined to bring transformational change to prosecution? We’ll talk with Larry Krasner, the unlikely Philly DA; his election and attempt to bring that change to an entrenched system is told in...
Bonus: What's a Hate Crime, Exactly?
April 06, 2021 06:00 - 23 minutes - 21.2 MBThe apparently racially-motivated spa murders in Atlanta have reignited discussion about hate-crime statutes. How do these laws work? How often are they applied, and to what ends? Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#134: Is Police Reform Over?
March 23, 2021 06:00 - 50 minutes - 45.8 MBFor years, advocates for better policing have pushed various reforms: consent decrees, civilian oversight, body cameras. But after George Floyd’s death and 2020, is reform still a viable alternative? Or is it defund or bust? Our guest is Christy Lopez, Professor of Practice at Georgetown Law. She headed multiple police reform investigations at the U.S. Department of Justice, and now runs the Innovative Policing Program at Georgetown. Her article, “Defund the Police? Here’s What That Really ...
Bonus: A Dream Fulfilled
March 15, 2021 00:11 - 4 minutes - 4.48 MBA happy ending to the story of Chris Young, as told by former federal judge Kevin Sharp back in episode #55. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#133 Re-entry After Exoneration
March 09, 2021 21:14 - 45 minutes - 41.2 MBWe’ve spoken here about exoneration of the wrongfully convicted – how difficult and how important it is. But what happens to the exoneree – to that person – after release? How does that person build a life after years in prison, for something he or she did not do? We’ll talk to filmmaker Jia Wertz; she looks at these questions through the case of exoneree Jeff Deskovic in her debut film “Conviction,” available now on Amazon. "Conviction" Trailer Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.c...
#131 Re-entry After Exoneration
March 09, 2021 21:14 - 45 minutes - 41.2 MBWe’ve spoken here about exoneration of the wrongfully convicted – how difficult and how important it is. But what happens to the exoneree – to that person – after release? How does that person build a life after years in prison, for something he or she did not do? We’ll talk to filmmaker Jia Wertz; she looks at these questions through the case of exoneree Jeff Deskovic in her debut film “Conviction,” available now on Amazon. "Conviction" ( https://www.jiawertz.com/work ) Trailer Advertisin...
Bonus: Baltimore's Surveillance Drones Grounded
March 02, 2021 20:08 - 6 minutes - 6.01 MBAn ambitious but controversial program to surveil the entire city of Baltimore from above is on hold after its philanthropic backer had second thoughts. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands