Beyond Prisons
In this episode we talk about mental and physical healthcare in Washington’s prisons. We speak with Tony Tyson, Queen J, and Darnell Jones, all incarcerated voices in our state, who talk to us about accessing care in prison, and also what they or the people around them have done to get or create care. Content warning: this episode includes first-hand accounts of medical neglect and suicidality in prison. In-Care-Ceration was written and produced by Leah Montange and Meredith Ruff.
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In this episode we explore ways that people are working to build a more caring and care-full world, and to address the harms of our carceral systems whether they are prisons, jails, or hospitals. Some of the people we talk to are interested in engaging with Washington State to change systems, and others are more interested in finding ways to do care otherwise, outside of state systems. This episode features the words of Scout Smedley, SYP, Cindi Fisher, Joshua Wallace, Lauara Van Tosh, Chris Carney, Shaun Glaze, and LeTania Severe, as well as Patreece Spence. We’d like to dedicate this...
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In this episode, we take on the topic of civil commitment and experience. We address hospitalization, the emergency room, and the perspectives of people who work in the system and who receive treatment. We address ways that civil commitment resembles incarceration. We speak to SYP and Laura Van Tosh, and feature the words of Cindi Fisher – all people whose lives and advocacy have intersected with the civil commitment system. This episode contains descriptions of civil commitment and emergency rooms, including discussions of suicidality. Music by Scout Smedley and editing by Nest Audio...
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In this episode we talk about mental health in jails – what mental health care looks like in jails, how people with disabilities navigate and experience jail, and how activists and organizers have addressed the mental health crisis in urban jails in Washington. We speak with Jordan Landry, Tony Tyson, Leslie McCallum, KL Shannon and Patreece Spence. Content warning: this episode includes first-hand accounts of police violence, unhealthy jail conditions, and suicidal ideation. In-Care-Ceration was written and produced by Leah Montange and Meredith Ruff.
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In episode one, we introduce this series’ central questions: what do the mental health system and the criminal legal system have to do with one another? More to the point, how is improving care in Washington contributing to the expansion of jails, prisons and other spaces of confinement? We frame the whole series by outlining ways that care and incarceration are entangled with one another in Washington State. This episode features the voices of Chris Carney (Carney Gillespie) as well as Shaun Glaze (Black Brilliance Research) and LeTania Severe (Black Brilliance Research and Seattle...
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In this episode, we take on forensic commitment, the psychiatric commitment of those who are facing criminal charges but are legally considered not competent to stand trial We unpack how the jail and state hospital systems are connected with each other through forensic commitment, and how there is a surplus of people in the jails who are awaiting space for beds to open up in the state hospital system. This has created pressure for an expansion of forensic commitment space in the state hospital system, something that abolitionists and reformers have addressed. We speak with Chris...
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In-care-ceration is a documentary podcast about how Washington’s so-called mental health system is entangled with the carceral system. How do people in need of mental health care end up losing their freedom, whether in a hospital, jail, or prison? How do these institutions care for people? Do they care for people at all? Are community calls for a more caring system having their intended impact? We especially tune in to how improving care is a guise for expanding confinement and coercion. The podcast episodes feature voices from...
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For this episode I sat down with Garrett Felber to talk about their new book, A Continuous Struggle: The Revolutionary Life of Martin Sostre. The book is described by Dr. Orisanmi Burton, author of Tip of the Spear, as “A rigorous examination of Sostre's revolutionary life that offers vital lessons for those seeking to carry on the struggle.” I began our conversation by asking Garret about what motivated them to write the book in the first place. We then focus our discussion on what they learned about Sostre throughout the process. Garrett’s clear writing and insightful...
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In this episode I sat down with the amazing Jennifer Viets for a conversation about her work as a restorative justice practitioner in Chicago. We begin by talking about Jennifer’s experience with being a grandmother including pushing back against societal expectations, how her work shifted from being individually focused to more community oriented, and we explore some of the lessons she’s learned from being a circle keeper about being in right-relationship with others. Jennifer Viets(she/her/hers) has worked as a Restorative Justice Practitioner for the past 15 years....
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Welcome to episode three of “Over the Wall: The Abolitionist Hour with Critical Resistance.” For listeners new to Beyond Prisons or our collaboration with Critical Resistance, this is a new, regular series that premiered in September of 2023. Hosted by members of Critical Resistance’s The Abolitionist Editorial Collective, “Over the Wall” discusses articles and key interventions made by Critical Resistance’s cross-wall, bilingual newspaper, The Abolitionist. This special episode focuses on both issues of the newspaper that Critical Resistance (CR) published in 2024:...
info_outlineApril marks 6 years of Beyond Prisons! Thank you so much to everyone who has listened to the show and supported us over the years.
In this episode, Kim and Brian reflect on their work and their lives over the past several years. They discuss everything from their favorite episodes to how they work together, how doing the podcast influenced their lives, and what has brought them joy outside of the show.
Episode Resources & Notes
Check out Kim’s art at her website: https://www.kimwilsonart.net/
You can see Victoria’s bakery at https://siblings.me/ and on Instagram
Our recent audiobook recommendations:
Kim
When Life Gives You Mangos by Kereen Getten
Furia by Yamile Saied Mendez
High Spirits by Camille Gomera-Tavarez
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Wild Seed by Octavia Butler
Brian
Palo Alto by Malcolm Harris
The Many-Headed Hydra by Peter Linebaugh
Dancing in the Streets by Barbara Ehrenreich
The Dawning of the Apocalypse by Gerald Horne
Credits
Created and hosted by Kim Wilson and Brian Sonenstein
Website & volunteers managed by Victoria Nam
Support Beyond Prisons
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