Category: Interviews with Offenders

  • Reentry from Prison-An Offender’s Story

    csosa

    DC Public Safety Radio won the 2015 awards for best podcast and best audio from the National Association of Government Communicators.

    DC Public Safety Radio and Television won the Government Customer Service Community of Practice (Cgov) 2014 Overall Excellence and Best Use of technology Awards. See conta.cc/1qiBV74 . We also won the award for Best Teamwork for 2015. 

    DC Public Safety Television won two top awards for public affairs television in 2015 from DCTV and three additional first-place awards in 2014.

    Welcome to “DC Public Safety” – Radio and television shows, blog and transcripts on crime, criminal offenders, and the criminal justice system.

    For FY 2013 through FY 2015, we recorded 218,700 unique visitors, 633,000 visits and 1,924,300 page views (excluding robot searches).

    This is radio show 276.

    The portal site for “DC Public Safety” is http://media.csosa.gov

    Subscribe to “DC Public Safety” through iTunes.

    Current Radio Program:

    We interviewed Jeffery Porter, who was released from prison in November of 2015. He is currently under the supervision of the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) in Washington, D.C. CSOSA produces “DC Public Safety” radio and television.

    Mr. Porter tells his story about multiple contacts with the criminal justice system, and his views on incarceration and offender reentry.

    Also interviewed was Trina Stewart, Intergovernmental and Community Affairs Specialist for the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency. Trina interacted with Mr. Porter and was instrumental in arranging the interview.

    The website for the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency is http://www.csosa.gov.

    Special Announcements:

    A top priority for the Department of Justice is to invest in scientific research to ensure that the Department is both tough and smart on crime. The Office of Justice Programs’ CrimeSolutions.gov website shapes rigorous research into a central, reliable, and credible resource to inform practitioners and policy makers about what works in criminal justice.

    A new website lists and evaluates prisoner re-entry programs nationwide. Launched by the Urban Institute, the Council of State Governments, and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Prisoner Reentry Institute, the “What Works Clearinghouse” can be seen at http://nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/what_works.

    The National Reentry Resource Center is a project of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice. Please see the Center’s website at http://www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/. Please see “Federal Interagency Reentry Council Launches Website, Releases Myth-Buster Series” on the front page of the site (see announcements). CSOSA is a member of the Council. Several requesters have asked for national research on reentry.

    The Office of Justice Program’s National Institute of Justice reentry research portfolio supports the evaluation of innovative reentry programs. To access these studies and NIJ’s entire reentry research portfolio visit www.nij.gov/nij/topics/corrections/reentry/welcome.htm .

    The Office of Violence Against Women offers stalking response tips for corrections, prosecutors, judges, law enforcement, victims and victim advocates. They are posted on OVW’s website at www.ovw.usdoj.gov .

    The National Institute of Corrections Information Center is one of the largest repositories for corrections research and information in the country. See  www.nicic.gov/Library.

    Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency:

    We welcome your comments or suggestions at leonard.sipes@csosa.gov.

    The website for the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency is http://www.csosa.gov/.

    The program is hosted by Leonard Sipes. The producer is Timothy Barns.

    Comments offered on “DC Public Safety” television and radio programs are the opinions of participants and do not necessarily represent the policies of CSOSA or other government agencies.

    Share
  • Tablets and Corrections

    csosa

    DC Public Safety Radio won the 2015 awards for best podcast and best audio from the National Association of Government Communicators.

    DC Public Safety Radio and Television won the Government Customer Service Community of Practice (Cgov) 2014 Overall Excellence and Best Use of technology Awards. See conta.cc/1qiBV74  .

    DC Public Safety Television won two top awards for public affairs television in 2015 from DCTV and three additional first-place awards in 2014

    Welcome to “DC Public Safety” – Radio and television shows, blog and transcripts on crime, criminal offenders, and the criminal justice system.

    For FY 2013 through FY 2015, we recorded 218,700 unique visitors, 633,000 visits and 1,924,300 page views (excluding robot searches).

    This is radio show 269.

    The portal site for “DC Public Safety” is http://media.csosa.gov

    Subscribe to “DC Public Safety” through iTunes.

    See transcript at http://media.csosa.gov/podcast/transcripts/2016/03/tablets-corrections-transcript/

    Current Radio Program:

    Today’s program focuses on tablets in corrections. Tablets are seen by many in criminal justice to be a unique and affordable method of delivering educational, vocational and substance abuse services through recorded or live programs. They are also seen as a device for frequent communications with family and other prosocial members of society. Some in corrections cite cost and security concerns as reasons to proceed cautiously.

    To examine these issues, we interviewed Randy Kearse and Chenault.

    Randy Kearse is founder of Reentry Strategies, a multimedia company that creates innovative content to help incarcerated and formerly incarcerated men and women successfully transition from prison, back to their family, community, and society. He’s executive producer of the film series, Beyond Prison Probation and Parole. His website is at http://www.randykearse.co/reentry-strategist/.

    Chenault Taylor is the Director of Public Relations at Edovo, a Chicago-based social enterprise. Edovo is committed to improving outcomes for those in jail and prison during incarceration, and after release, through secure tablet technology that enables self-driven, incentive-based education and rehabilitation. The website for Edovo is https://edovo.com/.

    Special Announcements:

    A top priority for the Department of Justice is to invest in scientific research to ensure that the Department is both tough and smart on crime. The Office of Justice Programs’ CrimeSolutions.gov website shapes rigorous research into a central, reliable, and credible resource to inform practitioners and policy makers about what works in criminal justice.

    A new website lists and evaluates prisoner re-entry programs nationwide. Launched by the Urban Institute, the Council of State Governments, and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Prisoner Reentry Institute, the “What Works Clearinghouse” can be seen at http://nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/what_works.

    The National Reentry Resource Center is a project of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice. Please see the Center’s website at http://www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/. Please see “Federal Interagency Reentry Council Launches Website, Releases Myth-Buster Series” on the front page of the site (see announcements). CSOSA is a member of the Council. Several requesters have asked for national research on reentry.

    The Office of Justice Program’s National Institute of Justice reentry research portfolio supports the evaluation of innovative reentry programs. To access these studies and NIJ’s entire reentry research portfolio visit www.nij.gov/nij/topics/corrections/reentry/welcome.htm .

    The Office of Violence Against Women offers stalking response tips for corrections, prosecutors, judges, law enforcement, victims and victim advocates. They are posted on OVW’s website at www.ovw.usdoj.gov .

    The National Institute of Corrections Information Center is one of the largest repositories for corrections research and information in the country. See  www.nicic.gov/Library.

    Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency:

    We welcome your comments or suggestions at leonard.sipes@csosa.gov.

    The website for the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency is http://www.csosa.gov/.

    The program is hosted by Leonard Sipes. The producer is Timothy Barns.

    Comments offered on “DC Public Safety” television and radio programs are the opinions of participants and do not necessarily represent the policies of CSOSA or other government agencies.

    Share
  • The Amazing Life of Sidney Davis

    csosa

    DC Public Safety Radio won the 2015 awards for best podcast and best audio from the National Association of Government Communicators.

    DC Public Safety Radio and Television won the Government Customer Service Community of Practice (Cgov) 2014 Overall Excellence and Best Use of technology Awards. See conta.cc/1qiBV74  .

    DC Public Safety Television won three top awards for public affairs television in 2014 from CTV and DCTV.

    Welcome to “DC Public Safety” – Radio and television shows, blog and transcripts on crime, criminal offenders, and the criminal justice system.

    For FY 2013 through FY 2015, we recorded 218,700 unique visitors, 633,000 visits and 1,924,300 page views (excluding robot searches).

    This is radio show 261.

    The portal site for “DC Public Safety” is http://media.csosa.gov

    Subscribe to “DC Public Safety” through iTunes.

    See transcript at http://media.csosa.gov/podcast/transcripts/2016/03/amazing-life-sidney-davis/

    Current Radio Program:

    Sidney Davis is a former offender who is now a leader within the reentry and larger community in Washington, D.C. He is employed as a bus driver; he is running for election as president for his local transit union.

    Sidney’s transformation has been chronicled by a variety of media sources,  including the Washington Post.  Columnist Courtland Milloy in 2013 wrote: “While riding a Metrobus recently, I watched the driver help a blind man find a seat, then help him off the bus, wave oncoming traffic to a halt and escort him — arm in arm — to the other side of the street.

    It was a common courtesy made remarkable because the driver was Sidney Davis, whom I’d first met in 1981 when he was an inmate at the Lorton Correctional Complex. He was nine years into a 20-years-to-life sentence for murder.

    “God granted me freedom so I could help others,” said Davis, 66, after returning to the bus.

    Once considered “incorrigible,” Davis had held the Lorton record for the most time spent in solitary confinement. Then, to the disbelief of many, he declared himself a “born-again Christian” and started an annual prison prayer breakfast and other self-help programs for inmates, ” see https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/ex-convict-and-metro-bus-driver-sidney-davis-looks-to-give-something-back-to-dc-community/2013/03/05/6d2567ac-85ea-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394_story.html.

    The radio program provides an overview as to the transformation of Sidney Davis.

    Special Announcements:

    A top priority for the Department of Justice is to invest in scientific research to ensure that the Department is both tough and smart on crime. The Office of Justice Programs’ CrimeSolutions.gov website shapes rigorous research into a central, reliable, and credible resource to inform practitioners and policy makers about what works in criminal justice.

    A new website lists and evaluates prisoner re-entry programs nationwide. Launched by the Urban Institute, the Council of State Governments, and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Prisoner Reentry Institute, the “What Works Clearinghouse” can be seen at http://nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/what_works.

    The National Reentry Resource Center is a project of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice. Please see the Center’s website at http://www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/. Please see “Federal Interagency Reentry Council Launches Website, Releases Myth-Buster Series” on the front page of the site (see announcements). CSOSA is a member of the Council. Several requesters have asked for national research on reentry.

    The Office of Justice Program’s National Institute of Justice reentry research portfolio supports the evaluation of innovative reentry programs. To access these studies and NIJ’s entire reentry research portfolio visit www.nij.gov/nij/topics/corrections/reentry/welcome.htm .

    The Office of Violence Against Women offers stalking response tips for corrections, prosecutors, judges, law enforcement, victims and victim advocates. They are posted on OVW’s website at www.ovw.usdoj.gov .

    The National Institute of Corrections Information Center is one of the largest repositories for corrections research and information in the country. See  www.nicic.gov/Library.

    Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency:

    We welcome your comments or suggestions at leonard.sipes@csosa.gov.

    The website for the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency is http://www.csosa.gov/.

    The program is hosted by Leonard Sipes. The producer is Timothy Barns.

    Comments offered on “DC Public Safety” television and radio programs are the opinions of participants and do not necessarily represent the policies of CSOSA or other government agencies.

     

    Share
  • Prison Reentry From A Former Offender’s Perspective

    csosa

    DC Public Safety Radio won the 2015 awards for best podcast and best audio from the National Association of Government Communicators.

    DC Public Safety Radio and Television won the Government Customer Service Community of Practice (Cgov) 2014 Overall Excellence and Best Use of technology Awards. See conta.cc/1qiBV74  .

    DC Public Safety Television won three top awards for public affairs television in 2014 from CTV and DCTV.

    Welcome to “DC Public Safety” – Radio and television shows, blog and transcripts on crime, criminal offenders, and the criminal justice system.

    We received 230,000 visits in 2014.

    Page views range from 653,000 to 1.4 million a year.

    This is radio show 260.

    The portal site for “DC Public Safety” is http://media.csosa.gov

    Subscribe to “DC Public Safety” through iTunes.

    See transcript at http://media.csosa.gov/podcast/transcripts/2016/03/prison-reentry-former-offenders-perspective-lamont-carey/

    Current Radio Program:

    Lamont Carey is not only the CEO/President of LaCarey  Enterprises, he is an internationally known spoken-word artist, motivational speaker, and author.  He has directed stage plays and film projects, as well as, cast artists on shows, such as; HBO’s THE WIRE, Def Poetry Jam and more.

    Lamont is a former offender who served time in prison who uses his past experience to help people in the criminal justice system. He speaks eloquently  and passionately about change within the justice system.

    Read more about Lamont at http://media.wix.com/ugd/162e8b_599584fc7cc947689d483ce2bed0035a.pdf. His website is http://www.lacareyenterprises.com/.

    Special Announcements:

    A top priority for the Department of Justice is to invest in scientific research to ensure that the Department is both tough and smart on crime. The Office of Justice Programs’ CrimeSolutions.gov website shapes rigorous research into a central, reliable, and credible resource to inform practitioners and policy makers about what works in criminal justice.

    A new website lists and evaluates prisoner re-entry programs nationwide. Launched by the Urban Institute, the Council of State Governments, and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Prisoner Reentry Institute, the “What Works Clearinghouse” can be seen at http://nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/what_works.

    The National Reentry Resource Center is a project of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice. Please see the Center’s website at http://www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/. Please see “Federal Interagency Reentry Council Launches Website, Releases Myth-Buster Series” on the front page of the site (see announcements). CSOSA is a member of the Council. Several requesters have asked for national research on reentry.

    The Office of Justice Program’s National Institute of Justice reentry research portfolio supports the evaluation of innovative reentry programs. To access these studies and NIJ’s entire reentry research portfolio visit www.nij.gov/nij/topics/corrections/reentry/welcome.htm .

    The Office of Violence Against Women offers stalking response tips for corrections, prosecutors, judges, law enforcement, victims and victim advocates. They are posted on OVW’s website at www.ovw.usdoj.gov .

    The National Institute of Corrections Information Center is one of the largest repositories for corrections research and information in the country. See  www.nicic.gov/Library.

    Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency:

    We welcome your comments or suggestions at leonard.sipes@csosa.gov.

    The website for the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency is http://www.csosa.gov/.

    The program is hosted by Leonard Sipes. The producer is Timothy Barns.

    Comments offered on “DC Public Safety” television and radio programs are the opinions of participants and do not necessarily represent the policies of CSOSA or other government agencies.

     

    Share
  • Reentry From a Former Offender’s Perspective-Randy Kearse

    csosa

    DC Public Safety Radio won the 2015 awards for best podcast and best audio from the National Association of Government Communicators.

    DC Public Safety Radio and Television won the Government Customer Service Community of Practice (Cgov) 2014 Overall Excellence and Best Use of technology Awards. See conta.cc/1qiBV74  .

    DC Public Safety Television won three top awards for public affairs television in 2014 from CTV and DCTV.

    Welcome to “DC Public Safety” – Radio and television shows, blog and transcripts on crime, criminal offenders, and the criminal justice system.

    We received 230,000 visits in 2014.

    Page views range from 653,000 to 1.4 million a year.

    This is radio show 256.

    The portal site for “DC Public Safety” is http://media.csosa.gov

    Subscribe to “DC Public Safety” through iTunes.

    See transcript at http://media.csosa.gov/podcast/transcripts/2016/06/reentry-former-offenders-perspective/

    Current Radio Program:

    After 33 years under some form of  correctional supervision (jail, prison, parole, or probation ) former offender Randy Kearse addresses prison reentry from his unique perspective. Kearse is the author of multiple books, a public speaker and a self-proclaimed reentry strategist. He is finally free of any correctional obligations as of August 10, 2015; the release date for this podcast. He was interviewed via Skype from Brooklyn, NY.

    From his website addressing his new book, “The Changin Your Game Plan Strategy is an innovative reading, rethinking, and readiness approach to successful prison reentry. It is not based on prison reentry theory or based on a set of thoughtless ideas developed by a nameless official tucked away in a comfortable office somewhere, who doesn’t have a clue what the day to day struggles are for someone who is not only getting out of prison physically, but, someone who has to breakout of the mental prison he or she has been living in (for some almost half their life). This powerful, yet practical approach to change, doing time and preparing for the future is based on the critically acclaimed book, Chnagin’ Your Game Plan: How I used incarceration a stepping stone to SUCCESS….. After spending close to 30 years incarcerated in some shape, fashion or form, Mr. Kearse has created a blueprint for anyone serious about never returning to prison.”

    Randy’s website is at http://www.reentrystrategies.com/.

    Special Announcements:

    A top priority for the Department of Justice is to invest in scientific research to ensure that the Department is both tough and smart on crime. The Office of Justice Programs’ CrimeSolutions.gov website shapes rigorous research into a central, reliable, and credible resource to inform practitioners and policy makers about what works in criminal justice.

    A new website lists and evaluates prisoner re-entry programs nationwide. Launched by the Urban Institute, the Council of State Governments, and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Prisoner Reentry Institute, the “What Works Clearinghouse” can be seen at http://nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/what_works.

    The National Reentry Resource Center is a project of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice. Please see the Center’s website at http://www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/. Please see “Federal Interagency Reentry Council Launches Website, Releases Myth-Buster Series” on the front page of the site (see announcements). CSOSA is a member of the Council. Several requesters have asked for national research on reentry.

    The Office of Justice Program’s National Institute of Justice reentry research portfolio supports the evaluation of innovative reentry programs. To access these studies and NIJ’s entire reentry research portfolio visit www.nij.gov/nij/topics/corrections/reentry/welcome.htm .

    The Office of Violence Against Women offers stalking response tips for corrections, prosecutors, judges, law enforcement, victims and victim advocates. They are posted on OVW’s website at www.ovw.usdoj.gov .

    The National Institute of Corrections Information Center is one of the largest repositories for corrections research and information in the country. See  www.nicic.gov/Library.

    Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency:

    We welcome your comments or suggestions at leonard.sipes@csosa.gov.

    The website for the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency is http://www.csosa.gov/.

    The program is hosted by Leonard Sipes. The producer is Timothy Barns.

    Comments offered on “DC Public Safety” television and radio programs are the opinions of participants and do not necessarily represent the policies of CSOSA or other government agencies.

    Share