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Amplified Voices is a podcast that lifts the voices of people and families impacted by the criminal legal system. Hosts Jason and Amber speak with real people in real communities to help them step into the power of their lived experience. Together, they explore shared humanity and real solutions for positive change.
55 Episodes
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Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. Justice shouldn’t confuse accountability with exile. That’s the heartbeat of the conversation Amber & Jason had w Dr. Reece, a survivor whose near-fatal domestic violence experience led her from theater stages to forensic psychology & into the powerful world of restorative justice circles inside prisons. Her story begins with a family divided by a decades-old case and moves through the practical realities su...
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-town teen romance led to an arrest warrant, interrogation by police, and eventually a plea deal resulting in four years in prison and ten years o...
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 a childhood lacking affection and stability, which paved his path to juvenile detention at 15 and later a 22-29 year sentence. When he first ente...
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, Jason and Amber. Kevin's story begins in the chaos of childhood trauma – a family member struggling with addiction, a kidnapping, and his own earl...
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 public service professionals—with a father who served as senator for 32 years and a grandfather who was a judge—Jubelirer entered the legal profession...
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 the legal system at age 16 • Finding structure and purpose through employment at Blockbuster Video after his initial arrest • Experiencing the de...
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 journey to accountability and repair. From the exuberance of youth to the stark reality of prison life, Joe reveals how he grappled with inc...
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 at Rikers. From her academic experiences at John Jay College and Hunter College to her first job in an outpatient program, her passion for helpi...
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 son's wedding, she received the shocking news that her youngest son, an aspiring doctor, had been arrested on a serious charge. Listen as Sha...
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 and disillusionment within the justice system. He opens up about his middle-class upbringing in Michigan, his educational and athletic pursuits, an...
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 impacted his life. Our latest episode invites you into an intimate conversation with Mingo, revealing the stark realities youth face, navigating through...
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 intimate exploration into the human spirit's capacity for endurance, highlighting D's poignant experiences with personal sacrifice, infertilit...
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 realities of becoming a mother in prison. We journey with her through the heartache of pregnancy behind bars, the profound isolation, and the hars...
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. Brittany, a Connecticut native, candidly unveils the trials and tribulations of her life, starting with the early exposure to her father's addict...
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 grappling with a global pandemic, Cierra reconnects and marries Jeffrey, an old friend who has been falsely convicted of a crime and incarcerate...
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. We learn about her journey, from her challenging upbringing to her involvement in the sex trade and her initial encounters with the criminal leg...
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 mainstream, are people with these convictions often excluded from reform and relief efforts? In this episode of Amplified Voices, Jason and Amber speak w...
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 incarceration. Visiting an incarcerated loved one is a process riddled with indignities and challenges. In our conversation with Theresa, we explore the em...
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 oppression there is. Despite encountering significant obstacles and trauma, LaResse has committed herself to breaking down the abuse to prison p...
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 overcome many of the obstacles he faces as a parent, caregiver, professional and community member forced to register in the state of Flor...
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Thank you, Justyna, Jason and Amber.
Another great podcast. Thank you guys for this, and thank you, Kristen. Another podcast that hit home for me.
Just started listening to your podcast. Love what you guys are doing and love this Kean lady. Dealing with this type of offense with my son. Haven't gotten to the registry yet. Wish a lot more people had her heart and mentality.