24 APR 2024 · For decades, prisoners' rights advocates have called on the State of Maryland to address its flagrant discrimination against prisoners housed in the state's sole women's prison. As The Real News has previously reported, https://therealnews.com/it-is-torture-women-in-marylands-prisons-have-nowhere-to-turn and the lack of resources and services dedicated to incarcerated women amounts to https://therealnews.com/how-maryland-discriminates-against-women-prisoners. Christina Merryman and Ameena Deramous, both former inmates in the MCIW—or the "Women's Cut"—join Rattling the Bars, explaining the conditions faced by incarcerated women in Maryland, and what advocates inside and outside the prison walls are doing to fight for justice, in the first half of this two-part panel. Studio Production: David Hebden Post-Production: Cameron Granadino https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/rattling-the-bars--4799829/support https://therealnews.com/eos-pod-subscribe https://facebook.com/therealnews https://twitter.com/therealnews https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/rattling-the-bars--4799829/support

25 MAR 2024 · The prevalence of sexual violence in the US prison system is so widespread and accepted that it's often made the butt of jokes in popular culture. Yet the reality is that countless survivors of the prison system carry the scars and traumas of sexual abuse—and for many, the perpetrators of these crimes were the very prison staff charged with their protection. Juvenile victims of the prison system are no exception. In Maryland, several adult survivors of sexual abuse as juveniles in state custody have filed a class action lawsuit demanding justice. Lawyer and former DC Council Member https://twitter.com/larubymay?lang=en joins Rattling the Bars to discuss the class action suit, and the systematic nature of sexual violence in prisons as a form of racial oppression. Studio Production: David Hebden Post-Production: Cameron Granadino https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/rattling-the-bars--4799829/support https://therealnews.com/eos-pod-subscribe https://facebook.com/therealnews https://twitter.com/therealnews https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/rattling-the-bars--4799829/support

11 MAR 2024 · From Assata Shakur to Leonard Peltier, social movements have lifted up political prisoners as revolutionary examples and fought protracted, often decades-long campaigns to secure their release. Now, a new collection from AK Press, https://www.akpress.org/rattling-the-cages.html, gathers the experience and wisdom of some 30 political prisoners in one place for the first time. Eric King and Josh Davidson, the editors of the project, join Rattling the Bars to discuss their new book and the urgency of the fight to free political prisoners. Josh Davidson is an abolitionist who is involved in numerous projects, including the https://www.certaindays.org/, which publishes the annual Freedom for Political Prisoners calendar, and the Children’s Art Project with political prisoner Oso Blanco. Josh also works in communications with the https://www.zinnedproject.org/ https://x.com/SupportEricKing?s=20 is a father, poet, author, and activist. He is a political prisoner serving a 10-year federal sentence for an act of protest over the police murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. He is scheduled to be released in 2024. He has been held in solitary confinement for years on end and has been assaulted by both guards and white supremacists. King has published three zines: Battle Tested, Antifa in Prison, and Pacing in My Cell. Studio / Post-Production: Cameron Granadino https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/rattling-the-bars--4799829/support https://therealnews.com/eos-pod-subscribe https://facebook.com/therealnews https://twitter.com/therealnews https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/rattling-the-bars--4799829/support

4 MAR 2024 · The system of mass incarceration in the US offers few second chances to prisoners, and Maryland is no exception. As The Real News has https://therealnews.com/marylands-parole-system-conditions-people-for-despair https://therealnews.com/three-former-maryland-prisoners-explain-the-states-disastrous-parole-system, the state's parole system puts incarcerated people at the mercy of an inefficient, capricious process that is unlikely to deliver a speedy release for many. Now, a new bill in the Maryland legislature could create new pathways to freedom for prisoners who've served 20 years or more behind bars. Alonzo Turner Bey and Desmond Haneef Perry of the http://mdsecondlook.com/ join Rattling the Bars to discuss the Second Look Act https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/sb0123). Additional links: - http://www.facebook.com/mdsecondlook - https://action.aclu.org/send-message/md-legislators-must-pass-second-look-act Studio / Post-Production: Cameron Granadino https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/rattling-the-bars--4799829/support https://therealnews.com/eos-pod-subscribe https://facebook.com/therealnews https://twitter.com/therealnews https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/rattling-the-bars--4799829/support

26 FEB 2024 · A group of current and former prisoners have sued the state of Alabama with the support of two unions who have signed on as co-plaintiffs, the Union of Southern Service Workers, and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. The lawsuit claims that Alabama's system of prison labor amounts to a "modern-day form of slavery" that generates massive profits for private businesses and revenues for the state by forcing incarcerated people to work for little or no pay. Jacob Morrison and Adam Keller join Rattling the Bars to discuss the lawsuit and the importance of the fight for prisoners' rights to the overall labor movement. https://twitter.com/JacobM_AL is a member of the American Federation of Government Employees, and the president of the North Alabama Labor Council. Adam Keller is a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees Local 900. Together, they host The https://www.tvlr.fm/, Alabama’s only union radio talk show. Studio / Post-Production: Cameron Granadino Help us continue producing Rattling the Bars by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer: Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-pod-rtb Sign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/nl-pod-rtb Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnews Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews

19 FEB 2024 · The US has one of the highest prisoner recidivism rates in the world: over 70% of incarcerated people who are released from prison in the US will be rearrested within five years of their release date. That is not an accident. Our system of mass incarceration sets people up to fail as they leave the prison system and try to reintegrate into society. That is why organizations like https://hopeforprisoners.org/ in Nevada are working to provide returning citizens with the resources and support they need to rebuild their lives and maintain their freedom. In this episode of Rattling the Bars, Mansa Musa speaks with https://hopeforprisoners.org/jon-ponder/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAlcyuBhBnEiwAOGZ2S6S3UGK-GAD5uqnsdeWTGSFojNEskmNhPIHVe4V2mZAV83pi9aTWpRoCPhcQAvD_BwE, founder and CEO of Hope for Prisoners, about why returning from prison is so difficult for so many, and what it takes to “empower the formerly incarcerated and their families to create a successful future.” Studio / Post-Production: Cameron Granadino Help us continue producing Rattling the Bars by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer: Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-pod-rtb Sign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/nl-pod-rtb Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnews Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews

12 FEB 2024 · The crisis of mass incarceration is about more than the conduct of police officers—it's a question of public expenditures, and how pouring taxpayer money into incarceration at the expense of other, more humanizing ventures takes a toll on society at large. As public schools and public health programs across the nation grapple with a host of preventable problems arising from underinvestment, state and local governments across the nation spend over https://www.urban.org/policy-centers/cross-center-initiatives/state-and-local-finance-initiative/state-and-local-backgrounders/criminal-justice-police-corrections-courts-expenditures#:~:text=In%202020%2C%20state%20and%20local,on%20courts%20(1.5%20percent). each year on prisons, jails, and police. Now, a new report from the Justice Policy Institute, https://therealnews.monday.com/boards/1770583893/pulses/5918139877#:~:text=https%3A//justicepolicy.org/the%2Dright%2Dinvestment%2D2%2D0/, takes a detailed look at the "downward spiral" low-income, predominately Black and Brown communities across Maryland are forced into by this imbalance in public expenditures. https://twitter.com/T_SheBrave and Ryan King of the Justice Policy Institute join Rattling the Bars for a discussion on the report's findings in Baltimore, and how an alternative model of community investment could combat poverty and crime without resorting to further policing. Studio / Post-Production: Cameron Granadino Help us continue producing Rattling the Bars by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer: Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-pod-rtb Sign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/nl-pod-rtb Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnews Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews

5 FEB 2024 · Black people have produced their own historical accounts as long as Black people have been in America. From oral tradition to the first publications of Phyllis Wheatley, to the many Black publishing houses and newspapers that blossomed after emancipation, Black people have always been the foremost chroniclers and documenters of their own stories. Now, a new collection compiles some 400 historical documents across 178 years in an unprecedented single volume. Maloyd Ben Wilson Jr., founder of the https://www.blackchroniclebook.com/, and Carla Wilson join https://therealnews.com/rattling-the-bars to discuss the new book. https://support.therealnews.com/page/FUNPQVQLWMV?amount=100 Studio / Post-Production: Cameron Granadino Help us continue producing Rattling the Bars by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer: Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-pod-rtb Sign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/nl-pod-rtb Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnews Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews

29 JAN 2024 · Last June, the state of Wisconsin placed two correctional institutions in Green Bay and Waupun on lockdown due to concerns about overcrowding and the quality of facilities. In the ensuing months, several other Wisconsin state prisons have been affected by the lockdown, and Gov. Evers has yet to present a clear plan to end it. Meanwhile, thousands of incarcerated people have been trapped in horrendous conditions. Inmates are spending 23 hours a day in their cells, without access to in-person visitation, regular programming, or even daily showers. Mark Rice, coordinator of the Wisconsin Transformational Justice Campaign at the grassroots network, https://wisdomwisconsin.org/transformational-justice#:~:text=Together%2C%20we%20work%20to%20end,been%20devastated%20by%20mass%20incarceration., joins Rattling the Bars to discuss the crisis in Wisconsin prisons and the clear solution Evers has ignored so far: to wield his authority as Governor to reduce the state's prison population. https://therealnews.com/wisconsins-prison-lockdowns-no-visitors-few-showers-and-no-end-in-sight Studio / Post-Production: Cameron Granadino Help us continue producing Rattling the Bars by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer: Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-pod-rtb Sign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/nl-pod-rtb Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnews Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews

29 JAN 2024 · The nightmarish reality of the prison industrial complex depends on a vast array of stereotypes and tropes about incarcerated people that have proliferated through our culture. From the myth of the ‘superpredator’ to other racist and anti-poor constructions of the prisoner, the real stories and lives of the human beings trapped in the prison system are obscured by a veil of assumptions propagated by the institutions and interests most invested in maintaining mass incarceration. Fred Winn, a former librarian, correctional officer, and case manager at California’s Soledad Prison has attempted to peel back this veil with the true stories of the human beings he encountered behind bars in his memoir, https://www.amazon.com/Least-These-Fred-Winn/dp/064533703X. Winn joins Rattling the Bars for a discussion on his book and the humanity that clings on in prisons in spite of constant repression. https://therealnews.com/a-prison-librarians-efforts-to-humanize-the-stories-of-incarcerated-people Studio / Post-Production: Cameron Granadino Help us continue producing Rattling the Bars by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer: Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-pod-rtb Sign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/nl-pod-rtb Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnews Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews