What if the people best suited to transform the justice system are the ones who know what it's like to live inside of it? In prisons across the country, incarcerated organizers have long fought for policy change, but they’ve rarely had the resources to communicate with the outside world and stay up-to-date on current events. In this episode, host Maya Rupert speaks with James King, Director of Programs at the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, about how the organization is changing that through their Inside/Outside Policy Fellowship. Now in its fifth year, the program pairs incarcerated Inside Fellows with formerly incarcerated Outside Fellows to lead system reform together. In working to shape campaigns like the California Racial Justice Act, and ensuring that incarcerated fellows are fairly compensated for their work, Fellows are transforming both the system and their own lives.
This episode is created in partnership with Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies.
Learn more about the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights at ellabakercenter.org.