Just Justice

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.

S3EP4: Sixteen Years in Prison For A Crime He Didn't Commit: Attorney and Exoneree Jeffrey Deskovic on Justice and Redemption

At just 17, Jeffrey Deskovic was coerced into a false confession and wrongly convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, despite DNA evidence that proved his innocence. After 16 years behind bars, he was finally exonerated. Now an attorney and founder of the Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation, Jeff joins Just Justice to share his powerful story and his mission to free the wrongfully convicted. It’s a powerful conversation about resilience, truth, and the urgent need for justice reform to protect the innocent.   
Learn more about Jeffrey Deskovic at: 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.deskovic/ 
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreydeskovic/ 
Learn more about the Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation (with a link to donate!): https://www.deskovicfoundation.org/ 
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/deskovicfoundation/ 
Watch the short documentary "Conviction": https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0B35H3CR3/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r
Learn more about Jessica Henry at jessicahenryjustice.com.

S3EP3: The Cost of Integrity, with former U.S. Pardon Attorney Liz Oyer

When former U.S. Pardon Attorney Liz Oyer refused to recommend a pardon for actor Mel Gibson, the Trump administration fired her just three hours later. Now, Liz is telling her story. Liz has become a leading voice for justice, transparency, and integrity in the criminal legal system. On this episode of Just Justice, we dive into the politics of federal pardons under the Trump administration, and talk about what it takes to stand up for what's right, even when the personal cost is devastatingly high.  
 
You can learn more about Liz Oyer at: https://www.lawyeroyer.com, (where you can subscribe to her substack!) or find her on the socials at "Lawyer Oyer" 
 
For more about Jessica Henry, go to jessicahenryjustice.com
 
 

S3EP2: Aliza Kaplan: Second Chance Lawyering

Law professor Aliza Kaplan joins Just Justice to share the human side of “second-chance lawyering." Aliza details the chllanging legal work that happens after a conviction, where post-conviction advocacy, parole, clemency, and re-sentencing can truly change lives. Aliza traces her journey from co-founding the New England Innocence Project to helping reshape criminal justice policy in Oregon, and shares stories of people who came home ready to thrive. If you’re curious about reforms that actually work, and the people behind them, join us for a conversation that is hopeful and inspiring.