Criminal (In)justice
242 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 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
Bonus: Unicorn Emergency
April 14, 2020 06:00 - 8 minutes - 7.71 MBA trademark lawsuit out of Chicago raises the question: in the midst of a global pandemic, what counts as a legal “emergency”? Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: The Insanity Defense on Trial
April 06, 2020 06:00 - 7 minutes - 6.8 MBThe Supreme Court upholds Kansas's law barring the insanity defense in criminal proceedings. Dave breaks down the decision in Kahler v Kansas. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#118 Happy Birthday to Us
March 31, 2020 06:00 - 40 minutes - 36.7 MBCan you believe it? Our first episode was published on this date in 2016! 117 interviews and countless bonus episodes later, producer Josh Raulerson joins Dave to mark the occasion with a look back at four years of Criminal Injustice. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: Progressive Prosecutors Face Primaries
March 28, 2020 21:15 - 9 minutes - 8.31 MBChicago's progressive chief prosecutor, Kim Foxx, has survived her first reelection challenge in the Democratic primary. Meanwhile, reformer and Criminal Injustice alumnus George Gascon may be poised to knock off the tough-on-crime incumbent DA in Los Angeles. We review the latest on progressive prosecutors in politics. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle....
Bonus: Courts in the Time of Coronavirus
March 25, 2020 06:00 - 9 minutes - 8.59 MBThe COVID-19 pandemic is forcing our institutions to confront a host of thorny problems. Among the thorniest for the criminal justice system: how to uphold the constitutional right to a speedy trial when courts are effectively shut down. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: What Happens When COVID-19 Hits Prisons and Jails?
March 21, 2020 14:04 - 13 minutes - 12 MBSqualid and unhealthy even in the best of times, prisons and especially jails are especially vulnerable during a pandemic. That's not just a danger to incarcerated people -- it's a disaster for public health. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#117 The Second Chance Club: Life in Parole World
March 17, 2020 06:00 - 52 minutes - 48.2 MBEvery year, more than 600,000 Americans leave our jails and prisons. Many are on parole. Others people are put on probation instead of going to prison. The job of supervising all of them falls to parole and probation officers. Our guest, Jason Hardy, served as a probation and parole officer for four years in New Orleans, and he gives us a look into a world that is invisible to the rest of us. Jason Hardy The Second Chance Club: Hardship and Hope After Prison Support Criminal Injus...
Bonus: Muzzling a Racist Judge
March 10, 2020 06:00 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MBDave appears on WESA's The Confluence to discuss the case of a Pennsylvania judge disciplined for racist comments. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: Breaking Down the Weinstein Verdict
March 06, 2020 07:00 - 14 minutes - 13.5 MBEntertainment tycoon Harvey Weinstein was convicted last month on a range of sexual assault charges. Dave analyzes the decision and what it means for the #MeToo movement. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#116 Prison Truth: The San Quentin News
March 03, 2020 07:00 - 57 minutes - 52.6 MBSan Quentin Prison in California has always had a reputation as one of the toughest, most violent prisons anywhere. But twelve years ago, the prison’s in-house newspaper, produced by inmates, began to change things. What can journalism do for incarcerated people, and for the prisons in which they serve their sentences? And what about the impact on people outside of prison? Our guest is William Drummond, an award winning journalist, professor of journalism, and the author of “Prison Truth: ...
Read This: What Was the Jussie Smollett Case Really About?
February 26, 2020 22:08 - 7 minutes - 7.01 MBA post by Paul Butler at Crime Story Daily proposes a new theory about the uproar over actor Jussie Smollett's disputed claim of being the victim of a hate crime: the real target is a progressive prosecutor. Crime Story: The Real Target of the Jussie Smollett Charges Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: DOJ Goes After Sanctuary Cities
February 23, 2020 07:00 - 10 minutes - 9.24 MBThe Trump administration's immigration lawsuits against so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions pits the Justice Department against the doctrine of federalism, formerly a bedrock principle of conservative ideology. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: Keeping Up with Bill Barr
February 19, 2020 00:06 - 19 minutes - 18 MBThe thwarted sentencing of Roger Stone kicks off the latest in a series of cascading crises for the integrity of the Justice Department, and it's all we can do to keep up. Dave recaps a week of dramatic and fast-moving events. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#115 A Life Sentence – and Now Out
February 18, 2020 07:00 - 53 minutes - 48.9 MBEvery year, courts hand out sentences of life without the possibility of parole to people convicted of serious crimes. Our guest today was one of those people, and he’ll tell us what that was like – and, with his sentence commuted, what his life is like on the outside, after 43 years. Our guest is Robert Wideman, given a life sentence without parole at 25, and now free after Pennsylvania’s governor commuted his sentence in 2019. Robert Wideman’s commutation story in the Pittsburgh Pos...
Unlocked: Mike Bloomberg's Appalling Record
February 16, 2020 17:30 - 20 minutes - 18.7 MBThis episode originally appeared on the Criminal Injustice members feed on November 17, 2019. To hear all of our premium episodes as soon as they're released, become a $5 member at patreon.com/criminalinjustice Michael Bloomberg makes a late entry to the Democratic presidential primary field. The billionaire media baron hasn't released a policy agenda for criminal justice, but he has a voluminous record from his time as New York City mayor -- and it's not good. Advertising Inquiries: https...
Bonus: Progressive Prosecutors Fight Back
February 14, 2020 07:00 - 6 minutes - 5.72 MBThe chief prosecutor of St. Louis, a woman of color elected in 2016 on a reform platform, has faced intense pushback from the day she took office. Now Kim Gardner, the first African American to serve in the post, is suing the city and its police union under a federal law passed during Reconstruction to combat white supremacist vigilantism. Progressive prosecutors elected in other cities are rallying around Gardner, but can the suit succeed? Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock ...
Bonus: What's Behind Mississippi's Staggering Prison Death Rate?
February 11, 2020 07:00 - 6 minutes - 5.56 MBWhy are so many people dying in Mississippi state prisons? As with most systemic problems, the causes are many and complex. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: Dershowitz Said What??
February 06, 2020 07:00 - 6 minutes - 6.38 MBDonald Trump's impeachment lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, makes a remarkable assertion: if the president believes his own reelection is in the national interest, then nothing he does in pursuit of that goal can be impeachable. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#114 Criminalizing HIV
February 04, 2020 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46.1 MBWhen HIV appeared in the U.S., it was a death sentence and a source of real fear. Now, with treatment, people living with the virus can live long and full lives. So why do laws still criminalize some actions of people living with HIV? Our guests are Jada Hicks, Staff Attorney for the Center for HIV Law and Policy, and Amir Sadeghi, the Center’s National Community Outreach Coordinator. They’ll discuss how the law still criminalize actions by people living with HIV which would cause no consequ...
Teaser: Live in Pittsburgh
February 01, 2020 07:00 - 7 minutes - 7.31 MBAre you a Criminal Injustice patron? If not, here's a taste of what you're missing on the members feed! Unlock this episode and more exclusive content at patreon.com/criminalinjustice. Kicking off the promotional tour for his new book, A City Divided, Dave spoke to a packed house at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Library Lecture Hall on January 14. Criminal Injustice members can hear the full program, courtesy of Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: Bill Barr's War on Criminal Justice Reform
January 28, 2020 07:00 - 7 minutes - 6.68 MBAt the direction of Donald Trump, U.S. Attorney General William Barr is launching a national commission on crime and law enforcement. It's not the first time a president has formed such a panel, but indications are that this one will take a very different approach than its predecessors. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Book tour update
January 23, 2020 07:00 - 1 minute - 1.79 MBA quick note from Dave with details on upcoming public appearances for A City Divided: Race, Fear and the Law in Police Confrontations. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#112 Understanding Rising Suicide Rates Among Police
January 21, 2020 07:00 - 56 minutes - 52.2 MBPolice suicides are on the rise. Just how bad is the problem? Why is it happening, and what can be done to stop it? Sandy Jo MacArthur is a former Assistant Chief for the Los Angeles Police Department who now coordinates mental health training for all Los Angeles County law enforcement. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Read This: America's Most Prolific Snitch
January 17, 2020 13:28 - 6 minutes - 6.32 MBFlorida may soon execute a man convicted of murder largely on the testimony of another man with whom he shared a jail cell. The problem? The informant, an ex-cop, has a decades-long long record of fraud and deception. A joint report by ProPublica and the New York Times Magazine says Paul Skalnik may be one of the most prolific jailhouse snitches in the country. But the use of such informants to bolster flimsy cases is widespread. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bon...
Catch Dave on Tour
January 13, 2020 19:47 - 3 minutes - 2.75 MBA City Divided, David Harris's book on the 2010 beating of Jordan Miles by Pittsburgh police, drops this week. You can hear him talk about the project in person at one of these upcoming appearances: Jan. 14: Pittsburgh, PA (Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures) Jan. 16: New York, NY (Brennan Center for Justice) Jan. 27: Washington, DC (Busboys and Poets Bookstore) Feb. 13: Philadelphia, PA (Free Library of Philadelphia) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Special: A City Divided
January 11, 2020 21:45 - 50 minutes - 46.1 MBYears before Ferguson, the well-publicized beating of a black teen by three white police officers exposed a deep racial divide in Pittsburghers' perceptions of, and experiences with, law enforcement. On its tenth anniversary, David Harris explores the Jordan Miles case and its aftermath in a new book -- A City Divided: Race, Fear and the Law in Police Confrontations. In this special episode, Dave sits down with producer Josh Raulerson to discuss what the incident can teach us about race, h...
#111 No Trust, No Justice
January 07, 2020 07:00 - 56 minutes - 51.5 MBThe National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice began just a year after Ferguson. The Initiative aimed to improve criminal justice outcomes and police-community relations in six cities. Now the results are in. Did it work? And what can we learn as we look for ways to improve our whole system? Jesse Jannetta is a Senior Policy Fellow in the Justice Policy Center at the Urban Institute, where he leads projects on prison and jail re-entry, community-based violence reduction s...
#84: Can You Build a Better Cop? (reprise)
December 31, 2019 07:00 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MBCriminal Injustice returns with new episodes on January 7, 2020. Until then, we're reposting some of our favorite interviews. This episode originally appeared June 12, 2018. We often hear that police work requires split-second responses to keep officers and the public safe. But this might be less true than we think. Can we build a better cop, by training them to slow things down? Emily Owens and her colleagues have produced new research that shows that, with a simple and inexpensive interve...
#106: Police Attitudes in Plain View (reprise)
December 24, 2019 07:00 - 43 minutes - 40.1 MBCriminal Injustice returns with new episodes on January 7, 2020. Until then, we're reposting some of our favorite interviews. This episode originally appeared Sep 3, 2019. Many people make their social media posts public. Everyone can see them, like a signed billboard visible anywhere in the world. So, what should we think when we learn that *some* police officers, in some departments, have been posting racist messages or memes endorsing violence, visible to anyone on the Internet? Emi...
#92 What Civilian Oversight Needs to Succeed (reprise)
December 17, 2019 07:00 - 49 minutes - 45.1 MBCriminal Injustice returns with new episodes on January 7, 2020. Until then, we're reposting some of our favorite interviews. This episode originally appeared Oct 30, 2018. With every police shooting of an unarmed civilian, we hear calls for civilian oversight of police. But just creating an oversight agency is no magic bullet. What does a civilian review board need to succeed? What’s the evidence on the success of civilian oversight? Our guest, Brian Corr, is the President of the Nation...
Bonus: Florida Freeway Shooting
December 15, 2019 22:09 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MBEarlier this month, police killed four people on a South Florida highway: two robbery suspects, their apparent hostage, and a bystander. Whether they were right to do so is being fiercely debated. But as Dave tells the Washington Post, the key question is whether the officers' actions were in line with department policies. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redci...
#98 Holistic Criminal Defense (reprise)
December 10, 2019 07:00 - 37 minutes - 34.8 MBCriminal Injustice returns with new episodes on January 7, 2020. Until then, we're reposting some of our favorite interviews. This episode originally appeared February 19, 2019. We try to solve the problem of mass incarceration by eliminating mandatory sentences, or by getting rid of cash bail. But what about a better method of providing criminal defense services? Could this cut prison and jail populations, AND secure public safety? There’s a way to do this: use a holistic model for crimina...
Teaser: Cory Booker's Long Game
December 08, 2019 17:21 - 3 minutes - 3.47 MBAre you a Criminal Injustice patron? If not, here's a taste of what you're missing on the members feed. Unlock this episode and more exclusive content at patreon.com/criminalinjustice. Sen. Cory Booker has mostly progressive positions on criminal justice reform, but the one that really distinguishes him is his emphasis on aging prison populations and what happens to former inmates after they've left the system. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Hear This: You're Doing Fine, Oklahoma
December 03, 2019 07:00 - 4 minutes - 4.4 MBRecommended: NPR's November 4 report on the release of hundreds of prisoners in Oklahoma after their sentences were reduced by the state's Pardon and Parole Board. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Read This: Police as Prosecutors
November 26, 2019 07:00 - 6 minutes - 6.26 MBDid you know that police officers in eight states also double as prosecutors? Dave recommends The Appeal's October 10 report by Julia Rock and Harry August. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Teaser: Bloomberg's 180 on Stop-and-Frisk
November 23, 2019 14:58 - 6 minutes - 5.7 MBAre you a Criminal Injustice patron? If not, here's a taste of what you're missing on the members feed! Unlock this episode and more exclusive content at patreon.com/criminalinjustice. A few days after jumping into the Democratic presidential primary field, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg disavowed and apologized for stop-and-frisk, the law enforcement policy that defined his administration. But only a few years ago, Bloomberg was warning of dire consequences if a federal court...
#111: College Behind Bars
November 19, 2019 07:00 - 54 minutes - 49.7 MBIn the U.S., our prisons are full of people raised in the poorest neighborhoods, who only had access to the worst schools. So what happens when they can enter a first-class college program – inside prison? On this episode, Wesley Caines, an alum of the program and now Chief of Staff at Bronx Defenders, and Lynn Novick, award-winning documentary filmmaker, discuss College Behind Bars, premiering Nov. 25 and 26 on PBS. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes a...
Bonus: Gag Orders, Grand Juries, and Due Process
November 16, 2019 15:44 - 11 minutes - 10.9 MBFour Pittsburgh teens, accused of a crime they did not commit, spent months in jail despite having an ironclad alibi. What happened? Dave discusses the case, and other criminal justice news, on 90.5 WESA's The Confluence. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: Lightning Round
November 12, 2019 07:00 - 41 minutes - 38.1 MBDon't miss Dave's interview next week (11/19) with filmmaker Lynn Novick, whose new documentary explores higher education from the perspective of incarcerated people. In place of another interview this week, we're taking a moment to clear our backlog of listener questions, new developments in stories we've covered, and show news. Producer Josh Raulerson joins Dave for updates and analysis on: the federal death penalty Jeffery Epstein's autopsy aftermath of the Amber Guyger verdict D...
Bonus: John Conyers's Legacy for Justice
November 09, 2019 07:00 - 15 minutes - 13.9 MBFormer congressman John Conyers, who died at 90 on October 27, left office under a cloud. But he also left an important legacy for criminal justice reform: the "pattern or practice" statute that gave the Justice Department authority to go after law enforcement agencies engaged in unconstitutional practices like racial profiling. Video: Dave addresses the Congressional Black Caucus on racial profiling in 1997 Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more o...
Unlocked: Supreme Court Session Preview
November 05, 2019 07:00 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MBThis episode originally appeared on the Criminal Injustice members feed on October 24. To hear all of our premium episodes as soon as they're released, become a $5 member at patreon.com/criminalinjustice Several notable criminal justice cases are before the U.S. Supreme Court in the session that began September 30. Here's everything you need to know. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: Subpoena, Schmubpoena
November 02, 2019 20:24 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MBNot only does Donald Trump's personal lawyer maintain that the president doesn't have to comply with a federal subpoena -- he's argued that Trump couldn't be investigated or prosecuted even if he really did shoot someone on Fifth Avenue. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#110 From Solitary to the Street
October 29, 2019 06:00 - 44 minutes - 40.3 MBThe U.S. uses solitary confinement like no other country in the world, and nowhere more than the Supermax prison in Colorado. Solitary damages prisoners' minds, and the U.N. has called it torture. What happens when prisoners leave Supermax? Keegan Hamilton is a senior reporter at Vice News. From 'The Alcatraz of the Rockies' to the Streets Vice 8.28.19 Doing Time in Solitary Is Unimaginably Hard. Getting Out Might Be Harder. Slate 2.3.16 video: Lawyer on Lawyer violence Support C...
Teaser: Bernie Means It
October 26, 2019 14:39 - 4 minutes - 3.89 MBAre you a Criminal Injustice patron? If not, here's a taste of what you're missing on the members feed! Unlock this episode and more exclusive content at patreon.com/criminalinjustice. Sen. Bernie Sanders was decades ahead of the Democratic party on the core ideas that now define progressive consensus on criminal justice reform. Now that the times have caught up with him, what is Bernie proposing? And can he succeed? Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Bonus: The Confluence, October 1
October 22, 2019 06:00 - 9 minutes - 8.31 MBPennsylvania's Supreme Court declines to hear a challenge to the state's death penalty law. Dave provides analysis on 90.5 WESA's The Confluence. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Teaser: Four More Years...?
October 19, 2019 06:00 - 5 minutes - 4.67 MBAre you a Criminal Injustice patron? If not, here's a taste of what you're missing on the members feed! Unlock this episode and more exclusive content at patreon.com/criminalinjustice. Donald Trump's reelection campaign isn't exactly touting his criminal justice platform, but it's not hard to read the tea leaves on what a second Trump term might look like. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
#109: Keeping Up with Synthetic Drugs
October 15, 2019 06:00 - 52 minutes - 47.9 MBThe law makes heroin, cocaine, and meth illegal according to their defined chemical structures. But what about drugs made from synthetic compounds, which can be changed with a tiny tweak in a clandestine lab? Can the law just say "close enough?" Jordan Rubin is a legal editor at Bloomberg Law and co-host of the Cases & Controversies podcast. "America's Secret Drug War," August 2019 Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patre...
Bonus: The War on Supervised Injection Sites
October 13, 2019 06:00 - 7 minutes - 6.5 MBSupervised injection sites provide a venue where addicts can safely use intravenous drugs under medical supervision. The practice saves lives, but in the midst of a deadly opioid epidemic the Justice Department is going after injection sites using laws designed to shut down crack houses. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month and unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Teaser: Mayor Pete's Police Problem
October 10, 2019 06:00 - 3 minutes - 2.95 MBAre you a Criminal Injustice patron? If not, here's a taste of what you're missing on the members feed! Unlock this episode and more exclusive content at patreon.com/criminalinjustice. Pete Buttigieg entered the Democratic presidential primary race last spring with a message deliberately light on policy specifics. Since then he's rolled out a robust criminal justice platform, part of a broader package of social reforms -- but will it be enough to win over African American voters skeptica...
Bonus: The Confluence, September 16
October 08, 2019 06:00 - 10 minutes - 9.67 MBDave explains how prosecutors use "drug delivery resulting in death" charges in opioid overdose deaths on WESA's The Confluence. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month and unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed: patreon.com/criminalinjustice Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands