Best Jason Criminal Legal Reform Advocates With Lived Experience Podcasts (2025)

1
Heather: What Teens Don't Know - Season 5 Episode 11 1:08:35

Play Pause

26d ago1:08:35

1:08:35

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. What happens when turning 18 transforms a teenage relationship into a serious crime? In this conversation, Jason and Amber speak with Heather who shares her gut-wrenching journey through the criminal legal system. With remarkable vulnerability, Heather reveals how a small-…

1
Fez & Vern (Jericho Circle): The Transformative Power of Circles - Season 5 Episode 10 56:15

2M ago56:15

56:15

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. In this powerful episode, Amber and Jason meet Fez, who spent 22 years in prison, and Vern, who has volunteered with the Jericho Circle for 25 years. Together, they share the transformative impact of circle work both inside prison walls and beyond. Fez's story begins with …

1
Kevin: Money + Kindness Makes All the Difference - Season 5 Episode 9 1:07:34

3M ago1:07:34

1:07:34

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. What happens when we replace shame and barriers for people in reentry with resources? Kevin Scott of Community Spring shares his story and work with direct cash assistance for justice-impacted people as part of this insightful conversation with Amplified Voices co-hosts, J…

1
Laurie: Rethinking Justice Season 5 Episode 8 57:22

4M ago57:22

57:22

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. In this episode of Amplified Voices, Amber and Jason chat with defense attorney, Laurie Jubelirer who walks us through her remarkable 37-year legal journey that began in prosecution and transformed into passionate defense advocacy. Growing up in a family of legal and publi…

1
Gus: A Powerful Community Advocate - Season 5 Episode 7 1:26:19

6M ago1:26:19

1:26:19

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Gus Marks-Hamilton shares his powerful journey from teenage arrest through incarceration to becoming an advocate for criminal justice reform with the ACLU's Smart Justice Campaign. • Growing up in a stable middle-class family with teacher parents before first encountering …

1
Joe: Finding a Better Path - Season 5- Episode 6 46:45

7M ago46:45

46:45

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Discover the story of Joe, a former high school football star, whose life took a dramatic turn, as a young man looking for purpose in unhealthy ways, Amber and Jason speak with Joe about his early influences, the choices he made, his experience with incarceration and his j…

1
Justyna: Exposing Inhumane Practices at Rikers Mental Health Unit - Season 5 Episode -5 1:00:07

11M ago1:00:07

1:00:07

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Join Amplified Voices co-hosts, Amber and Jason for a compelling conversation with Justyna, an inspiring professional dedicated to forensic psychology and social work. Justyna shares her remarkable journey from community-based treatment and social work to her time working …

1
Shawn: Creating Community, One Mom's Response to Crisis - Season 5 Episode 4 1:15:02

1y ago1:15:02

1:15:02

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. What if a single phone call could turn your entire world upside down? In this heartfelt episode of Amplified Voices, Amber and Jason are in conversation with Shawn Barrera-Leaf, whose family faced a seismic shift in August 2017. Just as Shawn was preparing for her eldest s…

1
Joe & Amy: Building Strength and Family Despite the System - Season 5 Episode 3 1:01:37

1+ y ago1:01:37

1:01:37

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. What happens when a career in law enforcement collides with unexpected personal and legal challenges? In this episode of Amplified Voices, Amber and Jason discover Joe and Amy's extraordinary journey. Joe, a former law enforcement officer, shares his story of camaraderie a…

1
Greg Mingo: Seeing the World Through More than One Pair of Eyes - Season 5 Episode 2 1:14:24

1+ y ago1:14:24

1:14:24

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Life can twist and turn in unexpected ways, as Greg Mingo, a Harlem native, profoundly understands. His story, one of resilience amidst the vibrant yet challenging streets of New York, unfolds as he shares the gravity of his choices and the socioeconomic forces that impact…

1
D's Story: Mom on the List - Season 5 Episode 1 1:22:59

1+ y ago1:22:59

1:22:59

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. When life presents us with a labyrinth of trials, it's the voices of the resilient that guide us through the darkness. D's life story, as featured on Amplified Voices, illuminates such a path, marked by a turbulent childhood and other struggles. This episode promises an in…

1
Brittany LaMarr: A Mother's Story Part 2 of 2. Season 4 Episode 8 1:05:35

2y ago1:05:35

1:05:35

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. When we think of motherhood, the images that typically come to mind are those of joy, love, and celebration. But what happens when the journey to motherhood unfolds in a place designed for punishment, not nurturing? Our guest, Brittany, exposes the stark and heartbreaking …

1
Brittany LaMarr: A Recovery Story, Part 1 of 2. Season 4 Episode 7 43:32

2y ago43:32

43:32

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Ever asked yourself, "What's the real cost of addiction?" In this first part of a two-episode conversation on Amplified Voices, special guest Brittany LaMarr helps us tackle this complex question head-on as she shares her compelling journey through addiction and recovery. …

1
Cierra Cobb: On A Mission for Justice Season 4 - Episode 6 1:06:40

2y ago1:06:40

1:06:40

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. In this episode of Amplified Voices, Amber & Jason talk with Cierra Cobb, a paralegal, activist, and advocate for incarcerated people and their families. From her heart of resilience and strength, Cierra takes us on a poignant journey of survival and action. In a world gra…

1
C. Dreams - What We Accept for Others, We Must Accept for Ourselves - Season 4 Episode 5 1:03:18

2y ago1:03:18

1:03:18

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. On this episode of Amplified Voices, Amber and Jason speak with C, a woman who has lived through the unimaginable - losing her mother at a young age, getting thrust into the foster system, and grappling with overdiagnosis and overmedication, displacement, and disconnection…

1
Emily Horowitz: Breaking the Stigma: From Rage to Reason Season 4 -Episode 4 1:06:49

2+ y ago1:06:49

1:06:49

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. How does society treat people based on their criminal conviction history and how can we better understand the unique experiences of people who are convicted of sexual offenses? Why, in an age where second chances and demands to reduce mass incarceration have become mainstr…

1
Theresa - Fighting for Parole Justice in NY - Season 4 - Episode 3 1:10:52

2+ y ago1:10:52

1:10:52

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. How does the criminal legal system impact the lives of those involved and their families? Why is Parole Justice so important? Join Jason and Amber on this episode of Amplified Voices as we hear Theresa's powerful story of perseverance during her husband's lengthy incarcera…

1
LaResse Harvey - Surviving & Thriving -Season 4 Episode 2 1:03:14

2+ y ago1:03:14

1:03:14

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. In this episode of Amplified Voices, Jason & Amber speak with LaReese Harvey, a Connecticut native and walking testament to the power of perseverance. As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and a formerly incarcerated black woman, she's faced some of the greatest oppressi…

1
Chris - Keep Moving Forward - Season 4 - Episode 1 1:19:17

2+ y ago1:19:17

1:19:17

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Amplified Voices is back! In this episode, Amber and Jason met with Chris who shares the impact that a conviction, incarceration and registration has had on his plans to serve his country and to lead a good life. Chris shares his challenges and successes as he works to ove…

1
Juanita and Sincere Follow-up – Don’t Ever Give Up – Season 3 Episode 5 51:30

3y ago51:30

51:30

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. In this episode of Amplified Voices, Amber and Jason follow up with Juanita and Sincere following Sincere’s release from prison. Sincere went to prison as a young man and has grown up behind bars, spending 24 years incarcerated in Virginia. In this episode, we get to hear …

1
Richard Kemick - Natural Life Season 3 Episode 4 43:55

3y ago43:55

43:55

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. In this episode, Amplified Voices goes global with Jason and Amber's first international guest, Richard Kemick from Canada. During the podcast, Richard shares his experience interacting with his cousin, Christian who is serving a life sentence without the possibility of pa…

1
Melissa Tanis - The Past Doesn't Change But People Absolutely Do - Season 3 Episode 3 47:43

3+ y ago47:43

47:43

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. In this episode of Amplified Voices, Amber and Jason speak with Melissa Tanis, a ferocious advocate for parole justice, compassionate release, and children of incarcerated parents. Melissa shares her story of having her father incarcerated when she was five years old and t…

1
Ray Boyd - Revisiting the Protect Act / A Life in Six Boxes - Season 3 Episode 2 58:14

3+ y ago58:14

58:14

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Ray Boyd was incarcerated in 1992, facing a 50 year sentence. He ultimately spent close to 30 years in prison in Connecticut before being released. Ray experienced Covid 19 while incarcerated and reentry during the pandemic. Ray shares his story with Amber and Jason. Ray, …

1
Nicole - The Impacts of Parental Incarceration & Registration on Children - Season 3 - Episode 1 42:52

3+ y ago42:52

42:52

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. In the opening episode of Season 3, Amber and Jason speak with Nicole, a sixteen-year-old girl who authentically shares the experience of having her life turned upside-down at age twelve when her father was arrested, incarcerated and eventually placed on a public registry.…

1
Amplifying Voices into 2022 - Season 2 Wrap-Up 28:09

4y ago28:09

28:09

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. As the year came to a close, Amplified Voices hosts, Jason and Amber took some time to reflect on everything that 2021 threw at the world. In this candid conversation, they walk listeners through the year; covering podcast production, behind-the-scenes information, persona…

1
Nick Dubin - Season 2 Episode 12 - Autism Spectrum Disorder & The Criminal Legal System 48:28

4y ago48:28

48:28

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. In this episode of Amplified Voices, Amber and Jason sat down with autism advocate, Nick Dubin to discuss his personal experiences involving his early life, autism diagnosis and ultimately his encounter with the criminal legal system. Nick also spoke of his desire and work…

1
Marty Weiss - Life is Complicated- Season 2 Episode 10 41:40

4y ago41:40

41:40

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Amber and Jason spoke with Marty and took a deep dive into Marty's life before he took actions that landed him in the criminal legal system. Marty shares the bullying and sexual assaults he endured as a young gay man and how this shaped his response to the world. You can h…

1
Mark- They Didn't Even Use the Word - Season 2, Episode 9 45:52

4y ago45:52

45:52

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. In this episode of Amplified Voices, Amber and Jason speak with Mark who authentically shares the shock, pain and sense of brokenness that he and his close relatives felt when they discovered sexual harm had occurred within their family. This incident abruptly plunged his …

1
Morgan Godvin - Incarceration Is Not The Answer To Our Drug Crisis - Season 2 Episode 8 49:53

4y ago49:53

49:53

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. In this episode, Jason and Amber speak with Morgan Godvin, a freelance writer, scholar and advocate who spent time behind bars after she sold her best friend heroin and he died of an overdose. In a matter of days, Morgan found herself grappling with the death of her friend…

1
A Call To Action: CT's Protect Act - Special Episode 40:15

4y ago40:15

40:15

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. In this special episode, Amber & Jason welcome Stop Solitary CT activist and lead organizer, Barbara Fair, back to the show to discuss Governor Lamont's recent veto of SB 1059, known as the Protect Act. The act, meant to uphold and protect the safety of individuals living …

1
Kathy Flaherty - Systems Overlap Season 2, Episode 7 52:42

4+ y ago52:42

52:42

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. In this episode, Jason and Amber catch up with attorney Kathy Flaherty, a fierce advocate for disability rights. During the conversation, Kathy explores the parallels between the criminal justice and mental health systems, and explains how advocates in both spaces can work…

1
Anderson Curtis - Believe in Your Own Possibilities - Season 2 Episode 6 49:33

4+ y ago49:33

49:33

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. This Amplified Voices conversation with Amber & Jason follows the journey of Anderson Curtis, Senior Field Organizer for Smart Justice with the ACLU of Connecticut. Anderson shares his story, full of examples of both failure and success, as well as emphasizing the people a…

1
Barbara Fair - Stop Solitary CT - Season 2 Episode 5 1:01:16

4+ y ago1:01:16

1:01:16

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Barbara Fair is a licensed clinical social worker and social justice activist with Stop Solitary Connecticut who has worked tirelessly for decades to improve prison conditions, bring awareness to the impact incarceration has on children and families, and demand accountabil…

1
Juanita Belton - Becoming Sincere Behind Bars - Season 2 Episode 4 57:10

4+ y ago57:10

57:10

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Juanita shares the story of her friend, Sincere, who was sentenced to 45 years for an incident that happened when he was 18. Then known as Darnell, he signed an Alford plea deal for first degree murder, arson, and use of a firearm. Sincere has grown up behind bars. Juanita…

1
Carol Nesteikis - We Must See the Gray - Season 2 Episode 3 56:37

4+ y ago56:37

56:37

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. In this episode, Amber & Jason meet Carol, the mother of an intellectually disabled son and a passionate advocate for reform. She shares how her family was thrust into the world of courtrooms, plea bargains, ankle monitors and public registration after a situation that occ…

1
Richard Bronson -Wall Street to Prison to Commissary Club Entrepreneur- Season 2 Episode 2 1:04:57

4+ y ago1:04:57

1:04:57

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Amber and Jason talk with Richard about his experience with Wall Street as part of the Wolf of Wall Street firm. In the conversation, Richard takes us on his journey from prison and all of the collateral consequences to reentry up through his entrepreneurial efforts focuse…

1
Stefanie - Survivor, Attorney, and Prison Abolitionist - Season 2 Episode 1 1:03:30

4+ y ago1:03:30

1:03:30

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Join Amber and Jason as they launch their second season of Amplified Voices with a guest you won't want to miss: Attorney Stefanie Mundhenk. In this episode, Stefanie talks about how her life was altered by an incident at Baylor University. Her journey takes us from Texas …

1
Reflection: Proximity & Storytelling Matter - Episode 17 35:08

5y ago35:08

35:08

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. In a rare peek behind the scenes, Amplified Voices hosts, Jason and Amber round out their first season by reflecting on how the podcast has evolved - exploring how proximity and storytelling have been able to make an impact on the many people who have participated, listene…

1
Thomas Owen Baker - From Policing to Academia - Episode 16 59:26

5y ago59:26

59:26

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Join Jason and Amber for a different perspective, as they speak with Thomas Owen Baker, a veteran and former police officer who shares how his involvement in policing affected him, leading to his strong desire to convert his experiences into something of social value . He …

1
Deb Martinez - Shared Survival - Episode 15 57:56

5y ago57:56

57:56

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Deb Martinez's brother is currently incarcerated in Connecticut. In this episode, Deb shares her experience as an advocate for her brother as well as for other incarcerated individuals and their families. She also talks about when she was the victim of a sexual assault as …

1
Tiheba Bain - First Love Yourself - Episode 14 40:39

5y ago40:39

40:39

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. In this episode of Amplified Voices, Jason and Amber speak with Tiheba Bain, a mother, student, activist and advocate for formerly incarcerated women and girls. Tiheba shares her experiences: being raised by her grandmother in Brooklyn, a difficult struggle with addiction,…

1
Nancy - Out of the Darkness - Episode 13 58:35

5y ago58:35

58:35

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. In this episode of Amplified Voices, Amber and Jason speak with Nancy - a business owner, wife, mother, student and advocate from Iowa. Nancy authentically shares how her family was affected by addiction, incarceration, special probation conditions, mandated treatment, pub…

1
Tricia - The Impacts On The Family Are The Same - Episode 12 46:53

5y ago46:53

46:53

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. In this episode of Amplified Voices, Jason and Amber speak with Tricia, mother of four and wife of a man who was convicted of a white collar crime and subsequently incarcerated. Tricia bravely shares her experiences, including how she and her children were affected through…

1
Andrew - Hope Cannot Be Surrendered - Episode 11 49:00

5y ago49:00

49:00

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. In this episode of Amplified Voices, Amber and Jason speak with Andrew, a pastor from Connecticut who has been impacted by the criminal legal system, both as a family member and as the victim of a crime. Andrew speaks about how the crime and the system has affected his fam…

1
Daryl McGraw - Power of the Five Year Plan - Episode 10 55:48

5y ago55:48

55:48

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Daryl is well-known in criminal justice reform circles in Connecticut. Come hear his story of how he turned his life around and gave back to the community through reentry and addiction recovery services. On the evening we're posting this episode, he's being inducted into C…

1
Tammy - I’m More Than The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done -Episode 9 44:49

5y ago44:49

44:49

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Tammy shares her journey from being a young mother to serving in the military and being the victim of military sexual trauma. After becoming a teacher, committing an offense and being impacted by the criminal legal system, she learns to cope with the collateral consequence…

1
Adnan Khan - Creating Possibilities in the Face of a Life Sentence - Episode 8 57:31

5y ago57:31

57:31

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Join Amber and Jason as they have a candid conversation with Adnan Kahn, a man who describes himself as "going from an 8 year-old little league baseball player, to an 18 year-old with a life sentence." During the conversation, Adnan shares his childhood experiences and the…

1
Andre - Decades of Collateral Consequences - Episode 7 45:09

5y ago45:09

45:09

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Andre is a pastor, former attorney, and advocate. In this episode, Amber and Jason talk with Andre about his involvement in the criminal legal system, how he has healed, and the negative impacts that he and his family have experienced as a result for decades. Support the s…

1
David Garlock - I Am Human - Episode 6 1:03:07

5y ago1:03:07

1:03:07

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Hear David's meaningful story of forgiveness, rehabilitation, spirituality and redemption. In this candid conversation, David talks with Amber and Jason about his difficult childhood where he endured physical, mental, and sexual abuse prior to taking the life of his abuser…

1
Kristen - Our Family Wanted Healing - Episode 5 54:51

5y ago54:51

54:51

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Jason speaks with Kristen, a mother, wife and outspoken advocate from Michigan. Kristen bravely shares her family’s story of harm, both within her family and as a result of the criminal legal process that denied them the healing that they earnestly sought. Themes explored …