Voices Unlocked
by More Than Our Crimes
Latest episode
A Former Supermax Prisoner Shows How Civic Power Can Reach Behind Bars
A Former Supermax Prisoner Shows How Civic Power Can Reach Behind Bars
About this podcast
We share unvarnished stories from inside America's federal prison system to touch hearts and change minds.
Episodes
- A Former Supermax Prisoner Shows How Civic Power Can Reach Behind Bars · 30 min · Season 4 Episode 2The DC jail has something most cities don’t: its own elected neighborhood commissioner. That means the people living inside a jail can have a formal liaison to city government…
- When Security Trumps Care: What Prison Medicine Gets Wrong · 34 min · Season 4 Episode 1The alarms we hear in this conversation aren’t sirens—they’re missed test results, canceled consults, and doors that won’t open after midnight. We pull back the curtain on…
- Reclaiming 'DC Blacks' And Rethinking Youth Justice · 28 min · Season 3 Episode 5We share how Eyone Williams is reclaiming the name "DC Blacks" and trace how his support network grew from social posts into real connections. We go on to challenge a new push to…
- Creative Resistance: How Art Sustains Humanity Behind Bars · 29 min · Season 3 Episode 4Take a journey behind prison walls where artistic expression becomes both sanctuary and act of resistance. In this captivating conversation, artist Kobi Mowatt shares his…
- The Power of Hope: How Second Look Laws Change Lives · 29 min · Season 3 Episode 3What happens when a person with a life sentence is suddenly offered the possibility of freedom? Rob Barton entered prison at just 16 with a 30-year-to-life sentence, facing a…
- Is Resistance Worth the Price? Stories of Backlash and Hope · 11 min · Season 3 Episode 2Three prison journalists and activists share how they have countered retaliation for exposing corruption and inhumane conditions inside America's federal detention facilities…
- Reentry: Searching for a Place to Call Home · 29 min · Season 3 Episode 1Housing is at the heart of successful reentry when returning home from prison. Join Voices Unlocked as we expose the human stories behind the reality that returning citizens are…
- Halfway to Nowhere: Navigating Reentry Challenges and Red Tape · 39 min · Season 2 Episode 8What if the pathway to freedom after incarceration was assisted with opportunities rather than riddled with obstacles? Join us as we peel back the layers of the halfway house…
- Political Engagement from Within Prison Walls · 37 min · Season 2 Episode 7Civic engagement is essential to a healthy democracy. The traditional form of civic engagement is voting -- a right enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, but taken away from most…
- Finding Purpose in Prison: the Search for Meaning · 24 min · Season 2 Episode 6Have you ever pondered the purpose of your life? That's a difficult question to answer for anyone, but in prison it's a challenge to answer. In this thought-provoking episode of…
- Visiting Hours: Hugs and Heartaches · 52 min · Season 2 Episode 4A simple hug can make a world of difference for someone behind bars. Join us as we sit down with Gene Downing, a former prisoner-turned-advocate, and Robert Barton, co-founder of…
- Bonding Behind Bars: Parenting from Prison · 26 min · Season 2 Episode 3Imagine being separated from your children by thousands of miles and concrete walls -- for years and even decades. This is the reality that our guests, Robert Davis and Ron Hill…
- Lockdown! Part 2 · 10 min · Season 2 Episode 2In the second part of this podcast series about prison lockdowns, we hear from our guests behind bars WHY the federal Bureau of Prisons uses this tactic so much. Watch to see the…
- Lockdown! Making 'Solitary' the Norm (Part 1) · 19 min · Season 2 Episode 1You've probably heard of solitary confinement in the "hole," and know the mental toll that comes with it. But did you know that "lockdowns" are confining people to their cells…
- The Grim Grub of the Incarcerated · 19 min · Season 2 Episode 1When you sit down to your next meal, be thankful for the small joy that good food offers. People in prison long for that same pleasantry. Join Pam Bailey and Irving Brockman as…
- Holidays Behind Bars · 31 min · Season 1 Episode 5Have you ever wondered what holidays feel like behind bars? We unlock this topic via an insightful discussion with our guest cohost, Ray Dodd, a formerly incarcerated paralegal…
- The Ripple Effect: Trauma, Crime and Second Chances · 41 min · Season 1 Episode 4Have you ever wondered how childhood trauma influences criminal behavior or wrestled with the decision to forgive? Join us for a riveting episode of Voices Unlocked, in which we…
- Inflation! Even Pennies Count in Prison · 25 min · Season 1 Episode 3Have you ever pondered how inflation affects those far removed from the free market? Join us as we explore the hidden impact of inflation on incarcerated individuals, as shared…
- Prisoners' Fragile Lifelines to the Outside World · 15 min · Season 1 Episode 2The official end of the COVID pandemic means there may be a return to paid phone calls for federal prisoners and their families. In this episode, DC resident incarcerated in a…
- Feeling Voiceless · 28 min · Season 1 Episode 1In this first episode of Voices Unlocked, co-hosts Pam Bailey and Shaka Long interview Rob Barton, incarcerated in a high-security federal penitentiary in Florida. "There are…
