70 Million
This award-winning and Peabody-nominated podcast documents how locals are addressing the role of jails in their backyards. Reporters travel around the country and hear from people directly impacted by their encounter with jails and to chronicle the progress ground-up efforts have made in diversion, bail reform, recidivism, adoption of technology and other crucial aspects of the move toward decarceration at local levels.
S6 E10 · Mon, November 04, 2024
ICE Chief of Staff Michael Lumpkin Speaks on the Record About Conditions Inside Detention Centers, the Treatment of LGBTQ+ Detainees, and More
In our final episode of the series on ICE and gender, series co-editor Fernanda Santos interviews ICE Chief of Staff Michael Lumpkin to talk about ICE’s mission, what some see as strategic pitfalls, the treatment of trans migrants at detention centers, and the challenges and limitations of an overloaded system. Find an annotated transcript at our website here. Find more information—including transcripts and resource guides—visit 70MillionPod.com (Here). Follow @70MillionPod.
S6 E9 · Mon, November 04, 2024
Why Transgender Immigrants Don’t Need Allies, They Need Accomplices
Transgender migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. experience higher rates of sexual, physical, and emotional mistreatment while in ICE detention. In this roundtable, moderated by series creator Juleyka Lantigua, a trans immigration lawyer and a researcher expand on how ICE policies and procedures harm trans immigrants. They also make the case for not merely being ‘an ally’ but becoming ‘an accomplice’ in the fight for trans immigrants' rights. Find an annotated transcript at our website here. Find more information—including transcripts and resource guides—visit 70MillionPod.com (Here). Follow @70MillionPod.
S6 E8 · Mon, November 04, 2024
Angel Island, and Why the U.S. Has Historically Used Islands to Isolate, Process, and Deter Immigrants
We take a deeper look at the creation and enduring legacy of the country’s first detention center, Angel Island, and examine how the past reflects the complexities of today’s immigration matrix. Reporter Andrea Gutierrez visits Angel Island and hears from a Chinese descendant whose ancestor fought against her deportation in the 1920’s. Find an annotated transcript at our website here. Find more information—including transcripts and resource guides—visit 70MillionPod.com (Here). Follow @70MillionPod.
S6 E7 · Mon, November 04, 2024
Mothers Seeking Asylum Face Much More Than Documentation Challenges
Many make the dangerous trek across South and Central America to arrive at the U.S. border to seek asylum and safely. But for some mothers, reaching the country is where their hardships begin. Reporter Inés Rénique connects with two immigrant mothers in NYC whose journeys only intensified as they sacrifice and work to support their families after arriving in the U.S. Find an annotated transcript at our website here. Find more information—including transcripts and resource guides—visit 70MillionPod.com (Here). Follow @70MillionPod.
S6 E6 · Mon, November 04, 2024
This Wyoming Lawyer Is Creating a Legal Safety Net for Asylum Seekers
In states with large immigrant populations, it’s easy to find an immigration lawyer. But in Wyoming, attorney Rosie Reed’s nonprofit firm, the Wyoming Immigrant Advocacy Project, is a pioneer. Reporter Héctor Alejandro Arzate sees firsthand how Rosie’s work changes lives. Find an annotated transcript at our website here. Find more information—including transcripts and resource guides—visit 70MillionPod.com (Here). Follow @70MillionPod.
S6 E5 · Mon, November 04, 2024
Accusations and Denials About the Treatment of Trans Migrants in ICE Custody, Part 2
Vicky, a trans migrant from Honduras who came to the US seeking asylum, was placed in an ICE detention center set up to support LGBTQ+ detainees. But she says the so-called “trans pod” only added to her isolation, anxiety, and the dehumanization she felt. At the Louisiana ICE Detention Center she says she experienced civil rights violations. Vicky Reporter Emilce Quiroz has part two of this story. Find an annotated transcript at our website here. Find more information—including transcripts and resource guides—visit 70MillionPod.com (Here). Follow @70MillionPod.
S6 E4 · Mon, November 04, 2024
Accusations and Denials About the Treatment of Trans Migrants in ICE Custody, Part 1
Detainees at ICE detention centers have long reported a lack of basic necessities, like edible food and potable water—but for transgender migrants, something as basic as physical safety can seem questionable. Vicky, a trans woman from Honduras, shares her story. Facing harassment after being housed with male detainees, she was placed in “isolation”—a.k.a., solitary confinement—for 23 hours a day. Undeterred, she continues her fight for asylum. Reporter Emilce Quiroz reports this two-part episode. Find an annotated transcript at our website here. Find more information—including transcripts and resource guides—visit 70MillionPod.com (Here). Follow @70MillionPod.
S6 E3 · Mon, November 04, 2024
Why These Afghan Women Had to Re-Learn to Be Mothers as Refugees in the US
Moving to the US as an immigrant from another country can sometimes take years. But in 2021, after the US’s disastrous exit from Afghanistan, many Afghans' safety and futures were upended overnight, leaving some with no choice but to abandon their homes in a rushed exodus. Reporter Adreanna Rodriguez has the story of two women who find themselves entangled in an overburdened system while adapting to becoming mothers in a country where everything is an unknown. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here. Find more information—including transcripts and resource guides—visit 70MillionPod.com (Here). Follow @70MillionPod.
S6 E2 · Mon, November 04, 2024
Migrants Risk Their Lives During Hunger Strikes Inside ICE Detention, Part 2
In California, force-feeding detainees on hunger strike is illegal, but in Texas it’s legal. In part two of this mini-series, investigative reporter Jesse Alejandro Cottrell speaks with a former ICE detainee about the conditions inside ICE detention, the hunger strike he led, and the legality and morality of force-feeding strikers. Find an annotated transcript at our website here. Find more information—including transcripts and resource guides—visit 70MillionPod.com (Here). Follow @70MillionPod.
S6 E1 · Mon, November 04, 2024
Migrants Risk Their Lives During Hunger Strikes Inside ICE Detention, Part 1
When some detainees complained about the lack of basic safety, health and medical necessities inside some ICE detention centers, they said they faced punitive retribution—including solitary confinement. In this two-part episode, investigative reporter Jesse Alejandro Cottrell talks to detainees in custody and on the outside about why and how they organized hunger strikes–and the consequences that followed. Find an annotated transcript at our website here. Find more information—including transcripts and resource guides—visit 70MillionPod.com (Here). Follow @70MillionPod.
Trailer · Mon, November 04, 2024
70 Million Investigates: ICE x Gender
In the sixth season of our Peabody Award-nominated series, we look at what happens at the intersection of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and detainees across the gender spectrum. We investigate the myriad ways ICE is failing to address the safety and legal rights of those in custody, and how their gender identity may influence that. Find more information—including transcripts and resource guides—visit 70MillionPod.com (Here). Follow @70MillionPod.
Bonus · Wed, July 26, 2023
Introducing Still Paying the Price: Reparations in Real Terms
The newest narrative podcast from LWC Studios is out now! “Still Paying the Price: Reparations in Real Terms” is a 14-part series exploring how reparations should be paid and to whom. This podcast is meant to be enjoyed in an order that makes the most sense for our listeners. You can begin by listening to this episode or wherever you find your podcasts–-and start your own reparations exploration. For more information, all episodes, and transcripts visit StillPayingThePricePod.com . Original score by Kojin Tashiro. Cover art: "Gemini" by Fitgi Saint-Louis. This series was funded by a grant from The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
S5 E10 · Mon, December 26, 2022
What’s the Public’s Role in Upholding a Broken Criminal Justice System?
Currently, over 7 million people are under some form of carceral supervision in the United States–from custody to bail to probation. For our final episode, 70 Million reporter Mark Betancourt moderates a conversation about the role we, the public, play in creating and sustaining the matrix of incarceration as it exists today. He’s joined by Cornell professor Peter K. Enns, author of the book Incarceration Nation: How the United States Became the Most Punitive Democracy in the World, and Insha Rahman, Vice President of advocacy and partnerships at the Vera Institute. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here .
S5 E9 · Mon, December 19, 2022
How Those Drowning in Carceral Debt Are Lining Others’ Pockets
The commercial bail bond industry is privatized, consolidated – and estimated to be worth $2.4 billion dollars. People arrested in a state like California, the most expensive place to post bail, often end up in cycles of carceral debt that derail their lives. Reporter Sonia Paul follows one woman’s story – and talks to the organizers, politicians, and experts advocating for bail reform. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here .
S5 E8 · Mon, December 12, 2022
Why Policing Our Schools Backfires
School resource officers are often called upon in middle and high schools to help with routine discipline. But for many children, especially those with disabilities, a law enforcement response to their behavior can lead to the school-to-prison pipeline. Reporter Claire McInerny tells one family’s story in Texas. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here .
S5 E7 · Mon, December 05, 2022
How Jailhouse Informants Rig the Justice System
For four decades, testimony from jailhouse informants has been the source of public scandal in criminal cases across the U.S. Research shows juries find these witnesses credible, even when they know informants benefit from their cooperation with prosecutors. The impact of this practice is hard to calculate. Reporter Rhana Natour looks at critical cases in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and California, to shed light on the issue. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here .
S5 E6 · Mon, November 28, 2022
Punished and Persecuted for Being Unhoused, Part 2
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the city of Los Angeles moved thousands of unhoused people into hotel rooms. The program, called Project Roomkey, was a temporary safety net during the national health emergency. But participants soon nicknamed it “Project No Key” because they felt more incarcerated than housed. Reporter Mark Betancourt chronicles their experience in part two of our series on how homelessness is criminalized. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here .
S5 E5 · Mon, November 21, 2022
Punished and Persecuted for Being Unhoused, Part 1
In Los Angeles, thousands of people who live outside have to navigate the insecurities caused by homelessness, the ire of housed neighbors, and the city penalizing them for their circumstances. In one park, months of efforts to remove unhoused people culminated in a showdown with police. Reporter Mark Betancourt investigates in this episode, part one of a two-part series about the criminalization of homelessness. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here .
S5 E4 · Mon, November 14, 2022
Grand Juries, the Black Box of Justice Reform?
Grand juries are supposed to safeguard against the government charging people with a crime when it lacks sufficient evidence. But because prosecutors control what happens in grand jury proceedings, they almost always get an indictment. That is, unless the accused is a police officer. Reporter Mark Betancourt explores a case of police brutality in Dallas that evaporated after going before a grand jury. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here .
S5 E3 · Mon, November 07, 2022
Highway Robbery: How a Small-town Traffic Trap Became a Legal Black Hole
In Brookside, Alabama, an eager new police chief, unsuspecting motorists, and a state-mandated loophole converged to create a nightmare for local residents—and generate piles of cash for the local government. Reporter Rhana Natour has the story. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here .
S5 E2 · Mon, October 31, 2022
How Guilty Pleas Fastrack and Derail Justice
The US Constitution guarantees a right to trial to anyone accused of a crime, but less than 3 percent of criminal defendants get a trial. Instead, they’re regularly cornered into pleading guilty, sometimes admitting to a crime they didn’t commit. Reporter Mark Betancourt retraces one innocent man’s legal ordeal to explain why this happens. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here .
S5 E1 · Mon, October 24, 2022
They’re Running for Office to Change the Criminal (Injustice) System
Weeks before the 2022 midterm elections, 70 Million creator and executive producer Juleyka Lantigua digs into the subject of criminal justice reform with three candidates from different parts of the country: Maxwell Alejandro Frost, Carolyn “Jiyoung” Park, and Durham County District Attorney, Satana DeBerry. All three spotlight inequities in policing and the courts, and call out areas in need of serious reform in the criminal justice system. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here .
Trailer · Mon, October 17, 2022
Our Final Season Launches October 24!
Looking back over five seasons, we’re so thankful to you, our listeners, for believing in this work, for sharing the episodes, and for including our reporting in your own work. Season 5 builds on the legacy of this Peabody Award-nominated podcast with fresh in-depth reporting and our characteristic rich narrative storytelling. This time we start with a thesis: the entire criminal justice system is rigged, top to bottom. Each episode goes deep into how local, regional, state and federal players tilt the scales of justice to benefit the powerful and suppress the powerless. Find more information—including transcripts and resource guides—and catch up on our past four seasons here .
S4 E10 · Mon, November 15, 2021
When a State Treats Drug Addiction Like a Health Issue, Not a Crime
A year ago, Oregon became the first state to decriminalize drug possession. The goal is to reverse some of the negative impacts of the War on Drugs by approaching drug use from a health-centered basis. We visit an addiction and recovery center in Portland that’s gearing up for what they hope will be an influx of people seeking treatment. Reported by Cecilia Brown. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here .
S4 E9 · Mon, November 08, 2021
When “Bail Reform” Isn't
Texas conservative lawmakers and bail reform advocates have long debated what bail reform can look like for those who cannot afford to bail themselves out of jail. Journalist Andrea Henderson looks closely at a new bail law some activists consider a setback. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here .
S4 E8 · Mon, November 01, 2021
Taking Mental Health Crises Out of Police Hands
Police encounters during a mental health crisis have a greater chance of turning deadly if you're Black. New response mechanisms bypass law enforcement and result in helpful interventions. Reporter Jeneé Darden looks at how folks in Northern California are trying to reimagine crisis response services. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript on our website here .
S4 E7 · Mon, October 25, 2021
Forget Reform, They Want Abolition
Many organizers in St. Louis have given up on reforming the criminal legal system. Now, they’re working to abolish it. And they’re starting with the closure of one notorious jail. To reach their goal, they’ve decided to get involved in electoral politics. Reporter Chad Davis takes a look at what happens when you go from agitating from the outside to working with those in power. Co-reported with Carolina Hidalgo. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here .
S4 E6 · Mon, October 18, 2021
An Effort to Hold Prosecutors Accountable
A legal matrix that incentivizes criminal convictions can motivate unethical prosecutors to bend or break the rules. In New York, a group of law professors is trying to curb that by pushing the system to discipline its own. Reported by Nina Sparling. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here .
S4 E5 · Mon, October 11, 2021
We Went Back to See How These Reforms Worked
We wanted to see what has happened since we first reported on mental health interventions for arrestees in Miami, how the "bond angels" save lives in New Orleans, and what the digital police surveillance network called Project Greenlight has meant for Detroit. Reported by Danny Rivero, Eve Abrams and Sonia Paul. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here .
S4 E4 · Mon, October 04, 2021
Why COVID-19 Goes from Jails to Communities
This special roundtable of experts looks at how policing and incarceration practices are impacting COVID-19 rates in BIPOC communities around the country. Because being jailed means an increased risk of getting COVID-19, those released might unknowingly bring the virus home, putting their loved ones and communities at risk. Our editor, Jen Chien, moderates the conversation with Nicole Lewis, senior editor of the jurisprudence section at Slate Magazine, Eric Reinhart, medical anthropologist, psychoanalyst and resident physician at Northwestern University, and Alicia Virani, former public defender and current professor at UCLA School of Law. Produced by Lisa Bartfai. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here .
S4 E3 · Mon, September 27, 2021
How Black Women Are Rightfully “Taking Seats at the Table”
Nearly one in two Black women in the US have a loved one who has been impacted by our carceral system. Many become de facto civilian experts as a result. Some rise to lead as outside catalysts for change. And now, scores of Black women are joining the ranks—as officers of the court, police, judges—to manage and advance a system that has had such an outsized impact on their lives. Reported by Pamela Kirkland. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here .
S4 E2 · Mon, September 20, 2021
Curing “Petty, Everyday Injustice” in Cook County
The saying goes that “justice delayed is justice denied.” One part of Illinois’ judicial system has had an outsized role in delaying justice for decades: the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court. Home to Chicago, Cook County’s court system is massive, with more than a dozen courthouses generating millions of records. And in the records disarray, residents were mired in years-long delays that cost them time and opportunities. Reported by Mark Betancourt. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here .
S4 E1 · Mon, September 13, 2021
Where Juvenile Detention Looks More Like Teens Hanging Out
There’s a place in rural St. Johns, Arizona, where teens who have encounters with officers of the law can play pool, make music, and get mentored instead of going to jail. It’s called The Loft, and it’s the brainchild of a judge who wanted to save the county hundreds of millions of dollars and divert young people towards the support many were not getting at home. Reported by Ruxandra Guidi. Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here .
Trailer · Mon, August 30, 2021
Season 4 Launches September 13!
Peabody Award-nominated podcast 70 Million is coming back for our fourth season! Join us for more in-depth reporting and rich narrative storytelling from communities impacted by the carceral complex. We'll bring you updates from previous seasons and new dispatches from the frontlines of criminal legal system reform. First episode launches September 13, 2021. Find more information—including transcripts and resource guides—and catch up on our past three seasons here .
S3 E10 · Mon, November 16, 2020
Where the COVID-19 Pandemic Might Finally Ignite Change in the Bail Bonds System
When jails across the country began releasing thousands of people amid the COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year, and mass demonstrations against police brutality brought millions out of their homes, criminal reform advocates wondered if they'd finally see significant and lasting reform. Journalist Renata Sago reports on two Florida jails that are having very different responses to the possibility of change. Sign up for our newsletter today.
Bonus · Fri, November 13, 2020
TRAILER: Future Hindsight!
Our friends at Future Hindsight just launched Season 12! Future Hindsight is a weekly podcast that aims to spark civic engagement through in-depth conversations with citizen changemakers. Season 12 is full of thought-provoking, visionary and practical ideas that help us reimagine our future in a post pandemic and post Trump world. It covers everything from needing to be civically engaged all the time––which is to say in between elections––to education, policing our communities, and having the courage to think big when it comes to rebuilding our economy. Every episode of Future Hindsight explores how each one of us has the power to shape our society and fulfill our shared civic responsibility. + Subscribe to Future Hindsight on Apple Podcast + Visit Future Hindsight's website.
S3 E9 · Mon, November 09, 2020
Where Housing, Not Jails, Is the Answer to Homelessness
In California, so-called quality of life laws criminalize panhandling, living in cars, and blocking sidewalks. Reporter Sarah McClure chronicles how arresting homeless individuals entangles them in a cycle of poverty and incarceration—and how three groups are breaking the cycle. This episode talks about some troubling details, which involve gun violence. Some listeners may find it disturbing. Sign up for our newsletter today.
S3 E8 · Mon, November 02, 2020
On Tribal Land, Banishment, Rehabilitation and Re-entry Add Up to Justice
In Alaska, rising violent crime and substance abuse across the state have also increased incarceration rates among Native Americans. Making use of their legal sovereignty, some Alaska Native leaders issue “blue tickets,” documents that sentence offenders to legal expulsion. Journalist Emily Schwing reports on the consequences and cultural impact of banishment from Toksook Bay. Special thanks to Vanessa Lincoln for simultaneous interpretation and transcription for this episode. Sign up for our newsletter today.
S3 E7 · Mon, October 26, 2020
Where Hep C Remains Untreated for Those in Custody
Sean Wesley knew he had Hepatitis C when he started serving his prison sentence in Louisiana, and spent years trying to get treatment. Despite an innovative arrangement between a drug manufacturer and the state's Department of Corrections, he was transferred from facility to facility, and even finished his sentence, without ever receiving proper care. Reporter Xander Adams looks into why. Sign up for our newsletter today.
S3 E6 · Mon, October 19, 2020
No Longer Waiting for Top-Down Reform
Over the past few years, voters across the U.S.have elected prosecutors who promised to implement much-needed criminal justice reforms, from decriminalizing marijuana to ending cash bail. Journalist Ruxandra Guidi revisits her reporting on the election of a new prosecutor in Houston two years ago, and chronicles how activists, relatives of incarcerated people, and local residents are changing strategies and pushing for reform. Sign up for our newsletter today.
Bonus · Thu, October 15, 2020
TRAILER: Say Their Name!
From DCP Entertainment, "Say Their Name" is a documentary series that focuses on the assault and killing of unarmed Black people by police and in ‘Stand Your Ground’ states. It highlights incidents throughout the United States, memorializing these individuals through the words of the people that knew them best and helping us understand the aftermath for their families and communities, long after the headlines and hashtags have moved on. +Subscribe to Say Their Name on Apple Podcasts. +Visit the Say Their Name website to learn more about their crowdfunding campaign and the Say Their Name Memorial Fund.
S3 E5 · Mon, October 12, 2020
A Special Court Keeping Native Americans Out of Jail
Kirsten made her way out of jail and addiction with the help of a special court on the Penobscot Nation reservation in Maine. There, culture and justice work together to bypass traditional punitive measures for more restorative ones. Reporter Lisa Bartfai visits the Healing to Wellness Court to see how it all works. Sign up for our newsletter today.
S3 E4 · Mon, October 05, 2020
How the Asylum Process Became Another Carceral Matrix
The Trump administration has issued numerous policies to systematically dismantle asylum as a legal right. They're also locking up asylum seekers for months or years, until they either win their case, are returned to their home countries, or self deport. Reporters Valeria Fernández and Jude Joffe-Block follow two asylum seekers as they endure detention, legal cases, and family separation in the US, where they sought refuge. Thank you to Maria and Ansly for sharing their stories with us. This episode discusses troubling details, involving violence. Some listeners may find it disturbing. Sign up for our newsletter today.
S3 E3 · Mon, September 28, 2020
Why Detroit Might Be the True Test of Whether More Cameras Make Cities Safer
Reporter Sonia Paul takes us to Detroit, where 80% of residents are Black, and examines the tools, models and methods changing the nature of policing in the city — from the rise of live-streamed surveillance to facial recognition technology. She investigates their impact on residents, and implications for overpoliced communities of color across the country. Sign up for our newsletter today.
S3 E2 · Mon, September 21, 2020
Voting from Jail Is a Right, and Now a Reality in Chicago
A year ago, Illinois passed a law requiring all jails to ensure that pre-trial detainees have an opportunity to vote. Chicago’s Cook County Jail was turned into a polling place during the 2019 primaries. Sheriff Tom Dart is an enthusiastic supporter of the program. And advocates like Amani Sawari are working to ensure voters in custody are informed and prepared to vote in the upcoming election. Pamela Kirkland reports. Sign up for our newsletter today.
S3 E1 · Mon, September 14, 2020
COVID-19 Makes Deciding Who Gets Out of Jail Urgent
James Howard III was arrested this spring and sent to Chicago’s Cook County Jail a few weeks into the state's coronavirus lockdown. Crowded, unsanitary, and with little means of social distancing, the single-site jail experienced a rapid outbreak of COVID-19. Mark Betancourt reports on the unprecedented steps officials took to control the outbreak, and the urgent attempts of families to keep their loved ones safe. Sign up for our newsletter today.
Bonus · Thu, September 03, 2020
TRAILER: Driving The Green Book!
We produced something beautiful for Macmillan Podcasts!! Introducing Driving the Green Book, a ten-part documentary series premiering September 15. Follow award-winning BBC broadcaster Alvin Hall as he retraces many of the locations featured in the historic travel guide. From Detroit to New Orleans, Hall takes us on an immersive audio journey, collecting powerful, personal testimony about how Black Americans used the Green Book to travel with dignity during the height of segregation. New episodes every Tuesday. Subscribe today! + Subscribe to Driving the Green Book on Apple Podcasts. + Visit the Driving the Green Book website to explore the Apple maps guides to the show, music playlists, transcripts and more.
Trailer · Mon, August 31, 2020
Season 3 Starts Sept. 14!
We're back! Now as an award-winning and Peabody Award nominated podcast. Thank you for listening and sharing us. For two years we've documented criminal justice reform—one jail and one story at a time. In season 3, we travel the country exploring how our changing reality is impacting those in custody and the policies that keep them there. We're going to dig deeper, from the spread of COVID-19 in jails, to police depending on private companies that offer new surveillance and facial recognition technology, to efforts at making voting from jail feasible. Visit 70MillionPod.com for annotated transcripts, tool kits, and more resources. Editors: Phyllis Fletcher and Laura Flynn Lead Producer and Sound Designer: Cedric Wilson Host: Mitzi Miller Production Assistant: Emma Forbes Managing Producer: Virginia Lora Lead Fact-checker: Sarah McClure Contributor Fact-checker: Ryan Katz Staff Writer: Laura Tillman Photo Editor: Michelle Baker Marketing Lead: Leslie Datsis Creator & Executive Producer: Juleyka Lantigua-Williams 70 Million is made possible by a grant from the Safety and Justice Challenge at The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
S2 E10 · Mon, September 16, 2019
Two Rural Counties Take Diverting Paths to Jail Reform
Drug felony charges have more than doubled in Colorado as the state faces an opioid crisis. Jail admissions are on the rise in some counties. While diversion efforts are proving effective in others. But jails have also become “the dumping ground” for people with mental illness who are arrested. We visit one county that wants to use it’s jail less and one county that just built a state-of-the-art one to see how the two approaches are working out. Please take our Listener Survey to tell us what you think about 70 Million and help us shape the future of the show!
S2 E9 · Mon, September 09, 2019
Where Texting Brings People to Court
After someone is arrested, there are multiple court-ordered actions after they make bail. Often, missing any of these--especially court appearances--complicates their situation and increases their punishment. Reporter Jenny Casas goes to Palm Beach, Florida, where something as simple as texting has made a significant difference in people’s lives.
S2 E8 · Mon, September 02, 2019
A Pregnancy That Changed Texas Law, Part 2
If you haven’t already listened to Part 1 of this story, we suggest you do that first. In 2013, the Texas Jail Project gets a call from Bonnie Wyndham -- a mother whose daughter, Cat, is pregnant behind bars and not getting the medical care TJP has been fighting to guarantee. In this episode, we hear Cat’s story. Plus, nearly 15 years after their chance meeting in the Victoria County Jail helped launch the TJP, our reporter Rowan Moore Gerety brings Shandra Williams and founder Diane Wilson together.
S2 E7 · Mon, August 26, 2019
A Pregnancy That Changed Texas Law, Part 1
Shandra Williams had experienced five miscarriages by the time she and her husband Dawayne became pregnant with their son. Then she was arrested. Reporter Rowan Moore Gerety travels to Victoria, Texas, where Williams’ harrowing story of being pregnant behind bars unknowingly launched a reform movement.
S2 E6 · Mon, August 19, 2019
Comedian Felonious Munk Stands Up for Reform
Comedian Felonious Munk was among the 13,000 formerly incarcerated people whose voting rights Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe restored in 2018. 70 Million creator Juleyka Lantigua-Williams talks with Munk about the years he spent in prison, the shock of losing his freedom, and his crusade for sensible justice reform.
S2 E5 · Mon, August 12, 2019
An Open and Shut Case, Reopened
At 17, Mark Denny was wrongfully convicted of a rape and robbery in Brooklyn. It took nearly 30 years for that conviction to be overturned -- and it might never have happened without help from the same office that prosecuted him. Reporter Sabine Jansen tells the story of the Brooklyn Conviction Review Unit, the DAs who re-investigate their colleagues’ work, and the collaboration that finally set an innocent man free.
S2 E4 · Mon, August 05, 2019
The Work of Closing a Notorious Jail
Five years after Michael Brown’s death at the hands of a police officer galvanized criminal justice reform activists in St. Louis, they're gaining serious momentum to shut down the city's notorious Workhouse jail. Reporter Carolina Hidalgo spent time with the Close the Workhouse campaign and Arch City Defenders, their supporters, and detractors. UPDATE: July 2020: The St. Louis Board of Aldermen unanimously voted to pass a bill which provides for the closure of the Workhouse by the end of 2020. The bill defunds and closes the Workhouse, and it puts the money saved toward community services in neighborhoods impacted by years of disinvestment and incarceration.
S2 E3 · Mon, July 29, 2019
How Bail Shackles Women of Color
Tamiki Banks’ life was turned upside down when her husband was arrested, leaving her the sole breadwinner and caregiver to their twins. More than two years later, she’s still struggling, and he’s still in custody, even though he hasn’t been convicted of any crime. From Atlanta, Pamela Kirkland reports on the heavy burden women of color like Tamiki bear when a loved one is jailed.
S2 E2 · Mon, July 22, 2019
When Disability Requires a Different Approach
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities, known as I/DD, are overrepresented behind bars. One reason is that police officers, lawyers, and correctional staff don’t always know how to meet their needs. Reporter Cheryl Green brings us to Oregon, where case managers translate their needs for a system that’s not set up to accommodate them -- and where the proper diagnosis is the difference between incarceration and freedom.
S2 E1 · Mon, July 15, 2019
Marching Toward Reform in New Orleans
For years, to fund itself New Orleans’ criminal legal system has relied on bail, fines and fees levied on the city’s poorest. But there are signs of change in the horizon, with a groundswell of community action and two landmark federal rulings in the last year. Reporter Eve Abrams takes us inside some of the big shifts happening in the Big Easy.
Trailer · Mon, July 08, 2019
Now a Peabody Award Nominee!!
As of this week, our second season is a Peabody Awards nominee!! Reporters who take a closer look at communities and programs trying bold solutions to solve big problems in criminal justice. (70 Million is made possible by a grant from the Safety and Justice Challenge at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.) Reporters who take a closer look at communities and programs trying bold solutions to solve big problems in criminal justice. Hear stories about cash bail reform, overturning wrongful convictions, and more from folks who make up the 70 million US adults with a criminal record and whose lives touch our own. (70 Million is made possible by a grant from the Safety and Justice Challenge at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.)
S1 E10 · Mon, October 29, 2018
Are Some of the Formerly Incarcerated Owed Reparations?
To close out season one, we invited two legal experts, Christina Swarns, President and Attorney-in-Charge of the Office of the Appellate Defender in New York and Scott Hechinger, Senior Staff Attorney & Dir. of Policy at the Brooklyn Defender Services, to look at what it would mean for the United States to provide financial reparations for individuals who have spent most of their lives behind bars. Moderated by 70 Million’s creator and executive producer, Juleyka Lantigua-Williams, the discussion considers current and plausible pathways to bring reparations, restitution, and other types of restorative justice to the formerly incarcerated.
S1 E9 · Mon, October 22, 2018
How New Orleans Could Set a New Course for Bail Reform
New Orleans could become the battleground for bail reform. The city has one of the highest per capita incarceration rates in the world. And most people are there because they can’t pay their bail. The current arrangement with the local bail industry gives the impression that judges there could have a financial conflict of interest when setting bail. In this episode, Sonia Paul digs into how an ongoing lawsuit, pretrial consequences of bail, and poverty, bias, and algorithms come into play.
S1 E8 · Mon, October 15, 2018
In Miami, Jailing Fewer, Treating More
This episode is a special collaboration with Miami’s WLRN radio station, whose reporters Nadege Green and Daniel Rivero report on the county’s Criminal Mental Health Project which has been instrumental in diverting mentally ill people away from jail. They meet the judge to started the program and see how counselors, peer specialists, and officers are focusing on treatment and services rather than arrests. Like in much of the country, jails in Miami-Dade County double as de facto mental health facilities for people with mental health issues cycling through the criminal justice system. But Miami-Dade’s Criminal Mental Health Project has taken the lead in addressing the needs of this population. Now it is a national model for how to tackle the interplay between mental illness and criminal justice, while driving down recidivism and jailing rates in the process. This episode is a special collaboration with Miami’s WLRN radio station, whose reporters Nadege Green and Daniel Rivero meet the judge who started the program and see how counselors, peer specialists, and officers are focusing on treatment and services rather than arrests.
S1 E7 · Mon, October 08, 2018
Undocumented Immigrants Are Tethered to ICE, and Private Companies, by Ankle Monitors
A handful of companies are making millions off ankle monitors strapped to undocumented immigrants in ICE custody. The makers pitch the monitors as an alternative to being jailed, but are they simply another form of bondage? Reporter Ryan Katz looks at what life is life while wearing one of these monitors. He untangles the complicated web of ICE, immigration bail agent companies, and the attorneys fighting them.
S1 E6 · Mon, October 01, 2018
In One State, an Opioid Crisis Led Police to Start an Angel Program
In Massachusetts, Gloucester PD started an "angel program" to help people in the grip of opioid addiction get help. Instead of arresting people for opioid-related crimes, police directed them to treatment programs and resources. The angel program eventually grew into PAARI, the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative. It’s now a national program. Reporter Maria Murriel visits the original program to see how it all works.
S1 E5 · Mon, September 24, 2018
One State Is Disrupting the Pipeline from Foster Care to Jail
By age 17, over half of young people in foster care have already been convicted of a crime or spent a night in jail. After they age out, a quarter will go to jail or get in trouble with the law within the first two years. California is determined to keep foster youth out of jail. Reporter Liza Veale profiles two young people who are making their way out of the system, and talks with policy makers and social service workers trying to redirect the foster-care-to-prison pipeline.
S1 E4 · Mon, September 17, 2018
Putting Women Already in Jail First
Oklahoma locks up women and girls at a higher rate than anywhere else in the US. Black mothers bear the burden of this crisis, which can curtail accessing public benefits and lower the chances of keeping their children. But a promising new public defender's office in Tulsa have found a way to change some women’s fates. Reporter Nissa Rhee goes inside a women’s jail for our story.
S1 E3 · Mon, September 10, 2018
Reform Activists and a New DA Find Common Ground
Activists in Houston were galvanized by events in Ferguson in 2014 following the death of Michael Brown. First, they took to the streets in protest. Then they started organizing. Not long after, they found a kindred spirit in the most unlikely person: a candidate for the DA office. Reporter Ruxandra Guidi chronicles how activists and reformers are succeeding in cutting the jail population, diverting drug arrests, and increasing accountability for local police.
S1 E2 · Mon, September 03, 2018
Veterans Courts Give Soldiers a Way Back
For veterans, run-ins with the law don’t always have to mean jail time. Thanks to Veterans Court in Boston, which helps in finding treatment for PTSD, getting sober, and finding work. Reporter Heidi Shin talks to an Iraq and Afghanistan vet about his struggles with alcohol and PTSD, and his experience through the Veterans Court program. Heidi also talks to the judges, outreach specialists, and counselors about diverting veterans away from the prison pipeline.
S1 E1 · Mon, August 27, 2018
Locals Divided Between Diversion and Border Security
In Pima County, where Tucson is located, formerly incarcerated individuals and local government officials have joined efforts to send fewer people to jail. Meanwhile, a federal program designed to stop drug and human trafficking at the border is also sending people to jail for months over traffic violations and minor drug offenses. Reporter Jesse Alejandro Cottrell explores just how complicated it can be to reform a local criminal justice system.
Trailer · Fri, August 17, 2018
70 Million S1 Trailer
70 million Americans older than 18 have a criminal record. 70 Million documents how residents and communities are taking up the challenge of reforms, one jail--and story--at a time. We’ll travel around the country to learn about local efforts in diversion, bail reform, recidivism, and specialty courts--all with the goal of lessening the impact of jails on communities. (This podcast is made possible by a grant from the Safety and Justice Challenge at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.) Host: Mitzi Miller Editor: Jen Chien Sound Designer: Luis Gil Associate Producer: Oluwakemi Aladesuyi Marketing Specialist: Kate Krosschell Resource Guide Writer: Amy Alexander Design Director: Kenia D. Serrette Creator & Executive Producer: Juleyka Lantigua-Williams
Bonus · Fri, May 18, 2018
70 Million Podcast Teaser
Starting August 27, follow along as the reporters on 70 Million travel around the country to chronicle how communities are taking the challenge of criminal justice reform into their own hands, one jail at a time.
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