PODCAST

Just Justice

jessicahenryjustice

A podcast about crime, justice, and second chances.

true crime social sciences

All Episodes

47:39

S3E8: "You Don't Have to Be Prison," with Dr. Daphne...

Just Justice ·

2025/12/09

Dr. Daphne Bryden joins this episode of Just Justice to explore trauma, transformation, and life after long-term incarceration. Drawing on over two decades of clinical and research experience, Dr. Brydon examines how people sentenced to life as children survive and grow in prison, and how they reclaim their identities and intimacy upon their release. She also tackles complex ideas about what a trauma-informed approach to justice could look like. A must-listen for anyone interested in justice,

50:32

S3:E7 Ending State Killing, with Abe Bonowitz from...

Just Justice ·

2025/11/25

In this episode of Just Justice, host Jessica Henry sits down with Abe Bonowitz, co-founder and executive director of Death Penalty Action and one of the most persistent voices in the movement to end capital punishment in the United States. Abe shares how he went from a young man who once said he’d “pull the switch” himself to a lifelong abolitionist, and what decades of work on the front lines have taught him about justice, accountability, and the value of every human life. They discuss the

44:56

S3EP6: Where Hope Lives: Jennifer Soble and the...

Just Justice ·

2025/11/11

Jennifer Soble, founder and Executive Director of the Illinois Prison Project, is re-imagining justice around a simple but radical belief: people can change. In this episode of Just Justice, Jennifer and host Jessica Henry explore how hope becomes action, and how that hope has brought hundreds of people home. Through compelling stories of freedom and reform, we hear how the Illinois Prison Project fights for second chances through parole, compassionate release, re-sentencing, and clemency. It’s a

42:54

S3EP5: Meet David Carrillo, the First Incarcerated...

Just Justice ·

2025/10/28

David Carrillo was serving a life without parole sentence when he realized he needed to radically change his thinking, and the way he was living behind bars. From a prison cell, he began a journey of education, reflection, and transformation that led him to become the first incarcerated college professor in the country. In this inspiring episode, we talk about what it means to imagine a life of purpose in a place built for punishment, how education became David’s pathway to hope, and what his story

42:23

S3E4: Sixteen Years in Prison For A Crime He Didn't...

Just Justice ·

2025/10/14

At just 17, Jeffrey Deskovic was coerced into a false confession and wrongly convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, despite DNA evidence that proved his innocence. After 16 years behind bars, he was finally exonerated. Now an attorney and founder of the Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation, Jeff joins Just Justice to share his powerful story and his mission to free the wrongfully convicted. It’s a powerful conversation about resilience, truth, and the urgent need for justice reform to protect the innocent.

35:32

S3EP3: The Cost of Integrity, with former U.S. Pardon...

Just Justice ·

2025/09/30

When former U.S. Pardon Attorney Liz Oyer refused to recommend a pardon for actor Mel Gibson, the Trump administration fired her just three hours later. Now, Liz is telling her story. Liz has become a leading voice for justice, transparency, and integrity in the criminal legal system. On this episode of Just Justice, we dive into the politics of federal pardons under the Trump administration, and talk about what it takes to stand up for what's right, even when the personal cost is

48:10

S3EP2: Aliza Kaplan: Second Chance Lawyering

Just Justice ·

2025/09/16

Law professor Aliza Kaplan joins Just Justice to share the human side of “second-chance lawyering." Aliza details the chllanging legal work that happens after a conviction, where post-conviction advocacy, parole, clemency, and re-sentencing can truly change lives. Aliza traces her journey from co-founding the New England Innocence Project to helping reshape criminal justice policy in Oregon, and shares stories of people who came home ready to thrive. If you’re curious about reforms that actually

49:11

S3EP1: What if Justice Meant Healing Instead of...

Just Justice ·

2025/09/02

On this episode of Just Justice, Amanda Carrasco, author of the new memoir Becoming the Brave One, shares how her experiences with sexual abuse and homicide shaped her path toward healing, and how restorative justice became a powerful framework for accountability, resilience, and hope. This conversation highlights the strength it takes to tell your story and the possibilities of justice rooted in repair rather than prison.To learn more about Amanda Carrasco and to order her new memoir, Becoming

52:02

Second Chances and Reentry, with Andrew Hundley,...

Just Justice ·

2025/07/22

At just 15 years old, Andrew Hundley was sentenced to life without parole. Nearly two decades later, he became the first juvenile lifer in Louisiana released after the Supreme Court ruled such sentences unconstitutional. In this powerful episode of Just Justice, Andrew shares his extraordinary journey from incarceration to non-profit leader. Now the co-founder and executive director of the Louisiana Parole Project, Andrew is helping rewrite the narrative for over 600 formerly incarcerated

44:56

We Can't Afford It, with Zoë Towns, Executive...

Just Justice ·

2025/07/08

Ever wonder what mass incarceration really costs us—not just in terms of dollars, but in lost opportunities, strained families, and long-term economic impact? Spoiler: it’s a lot more than you think. In this episode, I sit down with Zoë Towns, Executive Director of FWD.us, to unpack the eye-opening findings from their report We Can’t Afford It: Mass Incarceration and the Family Tax. We break down the staggering financial burden of the prison system and explore what a better, more equitable future

42:36

S1EP23: "Children are Children," with Michael Pinard,...

Just Justice ·

2025/06/24

Michael Pinard has devoted his entire career to advocating for children and fighting against the racial biases that often accompany their mistreatment in our legal systems. A former public defender turned law professor, Michael's work focuses on the intersection between race and the civil, criminal and juvenile justice systems. Michael is the faculty director of the Gibson-Banks Center for Race and the Law and director of the Clinical Law Program at the University of Maryland School of Law. He also

44:45

S1EP22: Phillip Alvin Jones, In Prison but "Already...

Just Justice ·

2025/06/10

Phillip Alvin Jones is incarcerated in a Washington prison, where he is serving two life sentences plus twenty years for a crime he committed many years ago in Maryland. Although he has been in prison for over thirty years, he has used his time to be an agent of change, both inside and outside the walls. Phillip hosts the podcast, The Wall: Behind and Beyond, and runs his own company, Phillip A. Jones, LLC., which seeks to transform our justice system by working towards a future where justice and

50:30

S1EP21 Bryan Widenhouse: Advocate, Artist and JLWOP...

Just Justice ·

2025/05/27

S1EP21 Bryan Widenhouse: Advocate, Artist and JLWOP SurvivorBryan Widenhouse received a life without parole sentence when he was only 17 years old. During his 31 year incarceration, some of which was spent at the notorious Angola prison, Bryan chose to serve others as a path toward accountability and redemption. When a change in law allowed Bryan to be released, he seized the opportunity to continue serving others. Bryan now works as a State Legislative Affairs Manager for FAMM, challenging

50:32

S1E20: Meet Ruth Greenberg, the Massachusetts Mama of...

Just Justice ·

2025/05/13

Ruth Greenberg has been called the Massachusetts mama of medical parole. As a trail blazer and a defense lawyer, Ruth has devoted her extensive career to fighting on behalf of the poor and the incarcerated. On this episode of Just Justice, Ruth tells us about her leading role in the push for compassionate release in Massachusetts, and shares stories about the successful fight against life without parole for people under the age of 21 in her state.To learn more about Ruth and her work: POV: Governor

41:23

S1E19: A Matter of Life, with Dr. Ashley Nellis,...

Just Justice ·

2025/04/29

This week on Just Justice, we’re taking a hard look at life sentences in America—a country where one in six incarcerated people is serving life behind bars. That’s nearly 200,000 individuals, making the U.S. one of the most punitive nations in the world. Host Jessica Henry sits down with Dr. Ashley Nellis, a leading sentencing expert and soon-to-be Assistant Professor at American University’s School of Public Affairs. Together, we unpack the findings of Ashley's latest "lifer census"—who’s serving

56:16

S1E18: Restorative Justice: A Smart Alternative to...

Just Justice ·

2025/04/15

Danielle Sered is the founder and director of Common Justice, the first alternatives-to-incarceration and victim-service program in the United States. Danielle is also a violent crime survivor and author of the award-winning book, Until We Reckon: Violence, Mass Incarceration, and a Road to Repair. In this episode of Just Justice, Danielle talks about the power of restorative justice to help survivors heal from violent crime, what crime survivors say they want and need, and her view that prison is

51:33

S1EP17: The Cruel World of Compassionate Release,...

Just Justice ·

2025/04/01

What happens to people in prison who face terminal illnesses? Or develop dementia? Or who are just very old? Must they die alone in prison? Or should they be released to spend their final days at home? How do we make that happen? In this episode of Just Justice, Mary Price, General Counsel of FAMM, walks us through the complex and often cruel world of compassionate release. FAMM has led the fight for better and more effective compassionate release policies for the elderly and infirm, and Mary has

38:34

S1EP16: The False Promise of Criminal Legal Reform,...

Just Justice ·

2025/03/18

Eve Hanan wrote a law review article called Terror and Tenderness in Criminal Law that blew my mind. She makes the argument that opportunities for leniency in the criminal legal system -- parole, clemency, compassionate release -- seduce us into believing the system is just and merciful, when in reality, the system is far too harsh for far too many. She even takes on the idea of hope and suggests that hope is a distraction from the challenges of our system and the path toward real and meaningful

45:04

S1EP15: Prosecution Conviction Integrity Units (CIUs)...

Just Justice ·

2025/03/04

This week on Just Justice we talk with Marissa Bluestine, Assistant Director of the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. Marissa is a former innocence lawyer and one of the nation's leading experts on Conviction Integrity Units (CIUs). CIUs are specialized units within prosecutor offices that review convictions with strong claims of actual innocence. Marissa guides us through the work of CIUs to identify wrongful convictions and

48:54

S1EP14: Unpacking the Pardon Process with Law...

Just Justice ·

2025/02/18

This week on Just Justice we peel back the curtain on the inner workings of the federal clemency process with law professor Rachel Barkow, a nationally-recognized expert in the field. Professor Barkow walks us through the stunningly complex and inefficient pardon application process, rates Presidents Obama, Biden and first-term Trump in their pardon efforts, and speculates about what we might expect from a second-term Trump administration. To learn more about Professor Rachel Barkow: Go to

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Just Justice

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