Just Justice

S3E13: Farming for Justice, with Charles Rosen

In this episode of Just Justice, Jessica Henry speaks with Charles Rosen, founder of Ironbound Farm, about an unusual approach to justice: combining regenerative farming with second-chance employment. Charles shares what he’s learned from hiring people returning from prison, why jobs alone often aren’t enough, and how systems like parole can still derail successful reentry. Drawing on lessons from agriculture, he explores "regenerative justice," based on the belief that repairing people, communities, and even the land requires time, dignity, and connection.Join us for a conversation that highlights both the promise and the challenges of farming for justice. 
To learn more about Ironbound Farm and Ciderhouse (including how to visit the farm), go to https://www.ironboundhardcider.com/.
To watch Charles' TedTalk where he explains the connection between regenerative farming and regenerative justice, go to: https://www.ted.com/talks/charles_rosen_regenerative_agriculture_as_a_model_for_urban_renewal.
To learn more about Jessica Henry, subscribe to her free substack "All Things Justice" or visit her website at jessicahenryjustice.com.
Production Editor: Kaz Araki

S3E12: Breaking Good, with author Nikki Mammano

Nikki Mammano is the author of Breaking Good, a fast-paced memoir that traces her journey from suburban New Jersey to the drug underworld of Waikiki and back again, through addiction, arrest, prison, and ultimately recovery. Our conversation is both poignant and unexpectedly funny as we explore trauma and second chances in our criminal justice system. Who gets imprisoned and who receives grace? What is prison really like? What does it take to rebuild a life after you’ve been labeled by the system? This is an episode you won't want to miss! 
To learn more about Nikki Mammano (and for links to her fabulous book) go to: https://www.nikkimammano.com/.
To learn more about RYSE Hawaii, go to Rysehawaii.org.
For more about Jessica Henry, go to jessicahenryjustice.com. 
Production Editor: Kaz Araki
 

S3E11: Death by Incarceration: Felix Rosado on Life Sentences and Restorative Justice

S3E11: Death by Incarceration: Felix Rosado on Life Sentences and Restorative Justice
Sentenced to life without parole at 18, Felix Rosado spent nearly 27 years in prison before his sentence was commuted. In this episode of Just Justice, Felix reflects on the moment he realized what a life sentence truly meant, what's wrong with "death by incarceration,"  and how restorative justice transformed his understanding of accountability and change. Now a restorative justice practitioner and educator, Felix discusses healing, responsibility, and why true justice must go beyond punishment to repair harm and rebuild relationships.
For more information about Let's Circle Up, go to: https://www.letscircleup.org/our-history
To get your copy of Justice From the Inside Up: A Restorative Justice Education Facilitator's Manual, by Felix Rosdao, go to https://livingjusticepress.org/product/justice-from-the-inside-up/.
For more about Jessica Henry, go to her website at jessicahenryjustce.com.
Production Editor: Kaz Araki

S3E10: Sentenced to Life Without Parole as a Child, with April Barber-Scales

In this episode of Just Justice, host Jessica Henry speaks with April Barber-Scales, who was sentenced to life without parole in 1991 as a frightened, pregnant teenager.  After more than thirty years in prison, April received a rare commutation in 2022 from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. Since her release, April has devoted herself to advocating for people in prison and challenging extreme sentencing practices. She is the founder of the nonprofit Fenced In: Fighting For Freedom Advocacy and author of multiple books, including her memoir of the same name. In this moving episode, April shares her personal experiences if incarceration, reflects on the lasting impact of extreme sentences on children, and makes a powerful case for a justice system that leaves room for dignity, accountability and second chances.
To learn more about April Barber-Scales, her writing, and Fenced In: Fighting For Freedom Advocacy, visit to https://aprilbarberscales.com
To learn more Jessica Henry, visit https://jessicahenryjustice.com
Audio mixing by Kaz Araki.
 

S3E9: Writing His Way Out: Emile Suotonye DeWeaver on Abolition and Imagination

In this powerful episode of Just Justice, writer, organizer, and abolitionist Emile Suotonye DeWeaver, author of Ghosts in the Criminal Justice Machine: Reform, White Supremacy, and an Abolitionist Future, draws on more than two decades of incarceration to offer a deeply personal and sharply analytical critique of the U.S. criminal legal system, along with a bold vision for what justice could look like beyond prisons. Emile reflects on how writing quite literally helped secure his release, why his story is inseparable from the collective wisdom of people still inside the walls, and what an abolitionist future demands of our imagination.
To learn more about Emilie's work, go to Re:Frame at https://www.reframeconsults.com/about-emile
Pick up your copy of Ghosts in the Criminal Justice Machine here.
To learn more about Jessica Henry, go to www.jessicahenryjustice.com.
Audio mixing by Kaz Araki
 

Happy Holidays from Just Justice

S3E8: "You Don't Have to Be Prison," with Dr. Daphne Brydon

Dr. Daphne Bryden joins this episode of Just Justice to explore trauma, transformation, and life after long-term incarceration. Drawing on over two decades of clinical and research experience, Dr. Brydon examines how people sentenced to life as children survive and grow in prison, and how they reclaim their identities and intimacy upon their release. She also tackles complex ideas about what a trauma-informed approach to justice could look like. A must-listen for anyone interested in justice, growth, and healing. 
 
To learn more about Dr. Daphne Bryon and her work, go to: https://researchdirectory.uc.edu/p/brydonde
 
For more information about Jessica Henry, go to jessicahenryjustice.com.
 
Audio mixed by Kaz Araki

S3E7: Ending State Killing, with Abe Bonowitz from Death Penalty Action

In this episode of Just Justice, host Jessica Henry sits down with Abe Bonowitz, co-founder and executive director of Death Penalty Action and one of the most persistent voices in the movement to end capital punishment in the United States. Abe shares how he went from a young man who once said he’d “pull the switch” himself to a lifelong abolitionist, and what decades of work on the front lines have taught him about justice, accountability, and the value of every human life. They discuss the politics behind the recent uptick in executions, why support for the death penalty is at historic lows even as some states ramp up killing, and the cost to victims’ families of capital punishment. Ultimately, Abe offers a powerful vision for justice in a world without capital punishment. 
To learn more about Death Penalty Action and ways to support their work, go to https://deathpenaltyaction.org/.
To learn more about Jessica Henry got to https://jessicahenryjustice.com/ 
Audio mixed by Kaz Araki

S3EP6: Where Hope Lives: Jennifer Soble and the Illinois Prison Project

Jennifer Soble, founder and Executive Director of the Illinois Prison Project, is re-imagining justice around a simple but radical belief: people can change. In this episode of Just Justice, Jennifer and host Jessica Henry explore how hope becomes action, and how that hope has brought hundreds of people home. Through compelling stories of freedom and reform, we hear how the Illinois Prison Project fights for second chances through parole, compassionate release, re-sentencing, and clemency. It’s a moving conversation about redemption and legal reform, and the bold passion for justice that makes both possible. Join us. 
To learn more about Jennifer Soble and the work of IPP: 
Visit their website: illinoisprisonproject.org or find them on social media: @illinoisprisonproject.
To learn more about Jessica Henry, go to jessicahenryjustice.com.

S3EP5: Meet David Carrillo, the First Incarcerated College Professor in the United States

David Carrillo was serving a life without parole sentence when he realized he needed to radically change his thinking, and the way he was living behind bars. From a prison cell, he began a journey of education, reflection, and transformation that led him to become the first incarcerated college professor in the country. In this inspiring episode, we talk about what it means to imagine a life of purpose in a place built for punishment, how education became David’s pathway to hope, and what his story reveals about the power of redemption and the human capacity for change.
 
To learn more about David's work: https://www.davidrcarrilloconsulting.com/.
Check out his memoir, Kiko: From Life Without Parole to Life with Purpose: https://a.co/d/3Qth27p
 
For more about Jessica Henry, go to jessicahenryjustice.com.