Wednesday, Aug 05, 2009

TTT AUG 5: SECOND CHANCES: Reforming Justice, Repatriating Minnesota's Offenders

Download this episode (56 min)
To suggest our so-called system of "corrections" is correcting a damned thing is to stick one's head firmly in the sand over the racist and inhumane disparities not only of incarceration itself - where prisons and institutions - now disproportionately populated by with African-Americans and other women and men of color - quick to become colleges of crime wallowing in the underlying, unspoken presumption that, like Les Miserables, no one imprisoned for any crime can be anything but a crook the rest of their natural life.

But others know better - and many organizations and activists are working to restore the rights and privileges of citizenship so often now denied to those returning to society and are thus themselves victimized by a justice system that too often provides little justice to those who have paid for their errors and offenses. But, these are the easy targets of "tough-on-crime" politicians and law enforcers who play on the contempt of citizens to foster permanent punishment for those who have offended society's rules and laws, rarely forgiving and never forgetting - much of it aided and abetted by a sensation-loving media industry.

TTT'S ANDY DRISCOLL and LYNNELL MICKELSEN meet and talk with those who believe that permanent punishment for those who have paid their debt to society must stop. We talk about Second Chances for formerly incarcerated offenders in job, housing, voting rights and other privileges society offers us all. We speak with Second Chance advocates and a former felon, now an attorney and member of "*Save Our Sons*":.

GUESTS:

• State Senator MEE MOUA, Chair, Senate Judiciary Committee

• SARAH WALKER - Chief Operating Officer, 180 Degrees, Inc. and co-founder, Second Chance Coalition; Co-Chair, Ramsey County Juvenile Detention Alternative to Incarceration-Disproportionate Minority Contact

• LORI STEE - Director of Student Learning, Rebuild Resources and Member, Second Chance Coalition

• DAVID MARTIN, Attorney; Former felon; Board member, Save Our Sons

• "SINA BLACK": - Community Engagement Associate, Community Action Partnership of Ramsey & Washington Counties and Member, Take Action Second Chance Organizing Committee

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