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#JailToJobsPod

Jail to Jobs
Jail to Jobs
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  • Trailer

    Trailer

    Sep 25, 2022 • 00:07:11

    The Jail to Jobs podcast shines a light on the real people behind the facts and figures of incarceration, reentry, and economic mobility in America. Check out our trailer for a snapshot of what’s to come.

  • Vivian

    Vivian

    Sep 26, 2022 • 00:45:22

    Before Reverend Vivian D. Nixon became the leader of a NYC nonprofit and a writer in residence at Columbia University, she spent 3.5 years in New York's Albion Correctional Facility. In this episode, Nixon reflects on her time in prison, her professional rise after release, and her take as a…

  • Josh

    Josh

    Sep 27, 2022 • 00:40:54

    Josh Pritchett didn’t always have the best role models. Growing up, he started dealing drugs, got into fights, and even stole cars. But after spending time in the juvenile justice system, he decided to turn his life around. He went to business school, developed a network, and climbed the corporate…

  • Ronald

    Ronald

    Sep 28, 2022 • 00:48:25

    When Ronald Day was growing up in the 1970s and 80s, drugs were pervasive in the South Bronx. At just 15, he accepted an offer to deal drugs in his neighborhood. Things soon escalated and Ronald ended up in prison, where he was sentenced to 15 to 45 years. But…

  • Ruben

    Ruben

    Sep 29, 2022 • 00:45:27

    Ruben Gaona never planned on getting into drug trafficking. After he was discharged from the Navy though, the El Paso-native had to hustle to support his family, and he went down a road that led to incarceration. After seven years in a federal prison, Ruben was determined to make a…

  • Brandee

    Brandee

    Sep 30, 2022 • 00:45:17

    After a difficult childhood that included sexual abuse and deep struggles with self-worth, Brandee Izquierdo traveled a difficult path that led her to unhealthy relationships, addiction, and prison. But while locked up, she became passionate about supporting her fellow incarcerated women, especially other mothers. Upon release, she put herself on…

What Is the Jail to Jobs Podcast?

“We cannot make progress in creating a more just society, healthier communities, if we allow ourselves to be disconnected from the people who are most vulnerable — from the poor, the neglected, the incarcerated, the condemned.” – Bryan Stevenson
 
For the past two decades there has been work done to reform the criminal justice system on both sides of the aisle.
 
More than a decade ago, George Bush signed legislation to combat recidivism. Obama added his own programs, working to help educate folks who’ve spent time in the correctional system. Trump signed important criminal justice reform legislation.
 
The baton has been handed off to Biden who agrees, “we need [criminal justice reform] from top to bottom.”
 
Even with all that, it’s clear the system still isn’t working. No other wealthy country puts as many people behind bars — and it’s just gotten worse. The share of Americans in prison has more than tripled since 198. At this moment, there are more than 2 million Americans behind bars – and they are disproportionately black and brown people.
 
Meanwhile, it’s costing the nation hundreds of billions of dollars — at an average cost of more than $30 thousand dollars per individual taxpayer.
 
There’s a problem.
 
Last year, I [Monica] did this fellowship at the University of Virginia. It allowed me to focus one one aspect of this massive problem: employability after prison.
 
I became fascinated with this idea that education and jobs help keep recidivism rates down… and yet it’s so hard for formerly imprisoned folks to GET jobs. So it’s sort of like, arrested once… doomed to be stuck in a system rigged against you.
 
After all, isn’t there a moral imperative of employability? If you can’t get hired, somehow how are you expected to stay out of prison? We all have to survive.
 
Meanwhile, there are job opportunities. During COVID, millions of Americans have left the civilian workforce, leaving a massive void. Wages have gone up 50 percent, and yet jobs remain filled.
 
Seems like there could be some cross-over right? So with thousands of incarcerated folks leaving the correctional system and entering the workforce… why is it still so hard to get jobs? What are these barriers? Are they fixable?
 
The Jail to Jobs podcast aims to shed light on those barriers, give voice to folks you don’t usually hear from. In each episode, I’ll talk to a different person who’s found themselves behind bars and struggled to get a job themselves, and reintegrate into society.
 
To Learn More About Monica Logothetis’ Work In This Area, Check Out Her Op-Ed and TEDxTalk Here. 

About

Monica Gray Logothetis Host/Executive Producer

Monica is an education entrepreneur who’s interested in creative ways to close career opportunity gaps in America.

Her current research explores how community colleges can be catalysts for national criminal justice reform by connecting reentering individuals to workforce training opportunities and quality jobs. The Jail to Jobs podcast aims to tell the stories of the people she’s met while conducting this research. Her goal is to amplify the voices and experiences of those who’ve dealt first-hand with America’s justice system, giving policy and industry decision makers more context around her findings and more insight into the human element behind Jail to Jobs.

Monica also serves as co-founder of the edtech nonprofit DreamWakers, which connects diverse and dynamic career role models to 30,000+ 4th-12th grade students in under-resourced rural and urban communities across 40+ states.

Her work has been recognized in outlets such as Bloomberg, Education Next, Edutopia, Forbes, The New York Times, Vogue, and The Washington Post, and she has been named a Toyota ‘Mother of Invention,’ a Glamour ‘Hero Among Us,’ and a L’Oréal Paris ‘Woman of Worth.’

In a volunteer capacity, Monica serves on the advisory boards of Harlem Academy and Social Innovation at the University of Virginia.

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Cooper McKim

Senior Producer

Cooper has reported for NPR stations in Wyoming, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and South Carolina. He’s reported breaking news segments and features for several national NPR news programs. He’s also received eight awards for coverage including the Blackjewel bankruptcy and a National Murrow for Best Use of Sound. He’s an avid jazz piano player, backpacker, and podcast listener.

Olivia Aldridge

Producer

Olivia is a writer and podcast producer based in Austin, Texas. She has reported on recovery from hurricanes and natural disasters in South Carolina, stories of people experiencing homelessness in Washington, D.C., the development of Tesla’s largest-ever gigafactory outside Austin, and many other subjects. Her work has appeared on NPR and in The New York Times.

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