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This podcast is dedicated to the 98% of people incarcerated in North Carolina who will eventually be released from prison back into their communities, often with few, if any resources. Through the voices of people in transition and those who support them, we explore hurdles and life long barriers many justice-involved people confront whether getting a drivers license, finding housing, or trying to find a job. We examine issues like substance use disorder and mental health that plague this po ...
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Send us a text In our second episode examining the use of solitary confinement, we meet two people on a mission to end the use of prolonged solitary confinement in our nation's prisons. From personal experience, Craig Waleed understands the psychological harm caused by isolation in a 8x10 box. Dolores Canales was trying to save her son when she fir…
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Send us a text Meet Drew Doll and Daquan Peters, both survivors of solitary confinement, and both devoted to seeing the practice banned in US prisons. Hear their stories and learn why the Mandela Rules, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015, declare the use of prolonged solitary confinement to be torture. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber…
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On a Mission with a Purpose: Post Incarceration Syndrome
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Send us a text April riffs about the social, emotional, and psychological difficulties caused by the ongoing trauma of prison. She also shares some of the stubborn habits that have followed her home from her 31 years inside. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast about the many issues people face when transitioning fro…
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Brian Scott - Leading with Lived Experience
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Send us a text As a young man Brian Scott saw people in terms of what they could do for him. His behavior eventually led to a 20-year prison sentence. In the four years since his release, Brian's become a leader in North Carolina's reentry movement with his non-profit Our Journey. This is his story. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered …
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Send us a text It's one thing to get out of prison. It's quite another to stay out. More than 40% of returning citizens in North Carolina end up back in prison within the first two years. In this episode, we explore the reasons so many people fall down and are re-incarcerated. We'll meet Delfonzo Brewer and learn how his 27-years in prison left him…
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Send us a text Meet Josh LeRoy, father, husband, and former prison chaplain. Josh spent roughly ten years pastoring to men in minimum security. He says it's the most fun he's ever had in any job. Learn what it was like to arrive at a new prison in the middle of Covid, how he thinks the carceral system should be changed, and why he finds prison mini…
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Send us a text At the age of 20, Randolph Wilson was sentenced to life in prison in a case built entirely on hearsay. Three co-defendants, who testified against him, later recanted their testimony saying they'd been coerced by the local sheriff. After 33 years behind the wall, Randolph Wilson is a free man. This is his story. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk …
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On a Mission with a Purpose: April interviews a man on death row.
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Send us a text Lyle May received a death sentence in 1999. Since that time, he's found God, gotten sober, and has devoted himself to a life of scholarship and reflection. This is Episode 3 of April's special series On a Mission with A Purpose, in which she interviews people who are living with meaning and purpose despite their particular circumstan…
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Send us a text Formerly incarcerated people face a number of barriers as they try to rebuild their lives after prison. One big one is employment. In this episode, we learn about one company that's made a commitment to providing a second chance and find out what can happen when justice-involved people are given an opportunity. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk …
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Send us a text Over the past 20 years, North Carolina’s Legislature has increased court and criminal fees by 400 percent. A good percentage of that money is disbursed to the state’s General Fund, not allocated to the courts, which remain grossly underfunded. In this episode, we learn how court-imposed fees lock people in a cycle of debt and can lea…
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Send us a text With so much focus on the mass incarceration of men, we often overlook the fact the number of incarcerated women stands almost seven times higher today than it did in 1980. Bianca Harris has watched the rise since she began her career in corrections in 1993. After more than 20 years at North Carolina's largest women’s prison, she has…
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Send us a text Edward Scott believes having difficult conversations with his loved ones is part of what it takes to be strong person and a good father. He invited us to listen in to the conversation he had with his grown son Terrell about what it was like to grow up without him because he was incarcerated. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber par…
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Bonus Episode 2_ On a Mission With a Purpose
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Send us a text On a Mission With a Purpose is a series of interviews conducted by April Barber Scales. Felishia McPherson describes how the lack of cultural understanding she experienced with mental health therapists in prison sent her on a mission to become a mental health counselor herself. Today she is Licensed counselo and a Peer Support Specia…
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Send us a text With a shortage of mental health services in this country, prisons and jails have become a dumping ground for people with mental illness including people with conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Too often these conditions go untreated and people are released back into the community with no support. Learn how Fit Welln…
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Send us a text Incarcerated with more than two life sentences, Joe Perry thought he was condemned to die behind bars. But once he found a sliver of hope, he decided he would become a man worthy of his freedom. It took many more years but Joe is now a free man living and working in Durham. This is his story. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber pa…
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Bonus Episode1_ On A Mission With A Purpose
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Send us a text On a Mission With a Purpose is a series of interviews conducted by April Barber Scales. Cierra Cobb has started two new initiatives to advocate for justice involved people. One addresses mental health while the other prepares returning citizens for the job market. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast a…
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Send us a text It's common knowledge that healthcare in prison is usually substandard at best. And, until recently, most people getting out of prison have had no access to insurance or healthcare. Since 2017, NC FIT - Formerly In Transitions - has been working to change that by connecting formerly incarcerated individuals who have a chronic disease…
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Send us a text In 2013, Deb Cunningham and Maria Ikenberry began Ear Eyes Nose and Paws, a therapy dog program that trains service dogs for people with mobility and medical issues. Today, incarcerated men do the bulk of the training, transforming their sense of self from someone who's done harm to someone who serves others. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk an…
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Send us a text When Rachel Mascarenas's partner was arrested and sent to federal prison, her children were just 3 and 5 years old. In this podcast, we learn why it's said that when someone goes to prison their family goes with them and the societal consequences of that sad reality. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcas…
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Send us a text Mike Thumm reflects on his twenty years as a Superintendent/ Warden of Orange Correctional Center in Hillsborough North Carolina. He shares the challenges and rewards of running a minimum security prison and recalls a time before changes in sentencing laws led to mass incarceration. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to…
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Send us a text The war on drugs has successfully filled our prisons and jails. But as the opioid epidemic shows, criminalizing drug use has failed to address the enormous problem of addiction in this country. Tune into this episode to hear personal stories about the intersection between addiction and incarceration. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April B…
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Welcome to Your Local Reentry Council - Part One
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Send us a text North Carolina's Local Reentry Councils were established in 2018 to reduce the barriers to reentry by providing case managers and a network of needed services to help people transition from prison. Currently, there are reentry councils in 20 of North Carolina's 100 counties. Orange County has one of the oldest and strongest reentry c…
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Welcome to Your Local Reentry Council - Part Two
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Send us a text North Carolina's Reentry Councils were established to reduce the barriers to reentry by providing case managers and a network of needed services to help people transition from prison. Currently, there are reentry councils in 20 of North Carolina's 100 counties. Durham has one of the strongest, best resourced LRCs in the state. In 202…
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Benevolence Farm - A Transition House for Women
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Send us a text Benevolence Farm offers women a roof over their head and a chance to adapt to life after prison all while earning a living wage. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast about the many issues people face when transitioning from prison. Van Wyk is a longtime video producer and criminal justice advocate. Apr…
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Send us a text Co-host April Barber was incarcerated when she was 15-years-old. In this episode, we learn about the crime that sent her to prison for life. We'll also meet the advocates who fought to win her freedom and have supported her since her release. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast about the many issues p…
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Paying it Forward, One Returning Citizen at a Time
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Send us a text Between the two of them Tommy Green and William Elmore spent some 37 years behind bars. Once released, they both decided they wanted to do something to help their fellow inmates navigate the difficult task of reintegrating back into the community. Today, Green and Elmore run a transition house in Hillsborough, North Carolina where th…
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Send us a text Bessie Elmore’s life was turned upside down in 1992 when her son William was sentenced to life in prison. Working through her anger, she threw herself into making the best of a bad situation. She got a job working with domestic violence victims. She became certified facilitator with Nami, the National Alliance of Mental Illness. She …
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Send us a text In this episode, we learn about April's transition back into society after spending nearly 32 years in prison. Anthony Willis, who, like April, had his sentence commuted by the governor also reflects life since his release. Finally, Antoine Blake, who was sent to prison when he was just 14-years-old, shares what he's learned from his…
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Send us a text This podcast is dedicated to the 98% of people incarcerated in North Carolina who will eventually be released from prison back into their communities, often with few, if any resources. Through the voices of people in transition and those who support them, we explore hurdles and life long barriers many justice-involved people confront…
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