Unfiltered

Legal professor Jeremy Gans teaches at Melbourne University's Law School. An accomplished author, he conducts research across all aspects of the criminal justice system, including the highly unconventional.  One of Jeremy's books details a case of juror misconduct involving the use of an Ouija board. Another details the history of the law's treatment of animals. We're talking guilty pigs and trespassing bees. Join Jeremy and I for this episode of Unfiltered as we dive into some of the more bizarre aspects of the criminal justice system.  Links: The Ouija Board Jurors: Mystery, Mischief and Misery in the Jury System Guilty Pigs: The Weird and Wonderful History of Animal Law

In the early 1990s, Mike DiVicino was convicted of a string of robberies and kidnappings in Los Angeles. He was subsequently given three consecutive life sentences. Behind bars, Mike began collecting heartfelt letters from his fellow inmates to centre at-risk youth, giving them insight into how the choices they make today can have dire consequences in the future. Mike was released in 2019 after serving 29 years. In today's Unfiltered conversation, he speaks candidly about his life and reminds us that people are redeemable. Links: Dear Joey: Letters From Prison

When an individual is released from prison, only to relapse into criminal behaviour and be sent back behind bars, it’s known as the “revolving prison door.” In Australia, it’s estimated that over 50% of incarcerated people re-offend within two years and end up back in prison. In the US, that number is estimated to be as high as 75%.  My guest today is Human Rights Activist Martin Hodgson. Martin works relentlessly, pro-bono, to get incarcerated people in Australia out of prison and away from a life of crime. In his 20-year career, not a single one of his clients has ever re-offended. Martin joins me to discuss how he helps to get his clients back on their feet - and stay on their feet. Links: https://www.instagram.com/martinghodgson https://curtainthepodcast.wordpress.com

Madeline Heather is the host of Reclaim Me, a remarkable podcast that spotlights the voices of individuals who’ve survived unimaginable crimes.  Madeline herself is a survivor. At the age of 14, she attended a sleepover at a friend’s house, which quickly turned into a nightmare. In this week’s episode of Unfiltered, Madi shares her first-hand account of waking in the middle of the night to find her friend’s father on top of her.  Madi is quick-witted and gets straight to the point. She reminds us that sometimes, when life gets heavy, we just gotta laugh to help lighten the load. Links: https://www.reclaimme.com.au https://www.patreon.com/reclaimme https://www.instagram.com/reclaimmepod

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Zodiac Killer terrorized the Bay Area of Northern California, murdering at least five people. He toyed with law enforcement officials, leaving clues about his identity in letters and cipher codes he sent to local newspapers. To this day, the case remains unsolved. Tom Voight was a kid growing up in Southern California when the Zodiac was active, and he lived in fear of the killer's next move. In 1998, Tom launched the only Zodiac Killer website recognized by law enforcement. In this episode, he shares why the case has kept him captivated all these years. Links: https://zodiackiller.com https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/zodiackillerfr https://www.youtube.com/@tomvoigt

On the 26th of January 1999, Sam Riggio’s life took an unexpected turn. A routine drive through his hometown turned into a catastrophic collision when a truck merged into his lane. Sam was left with a dislocated skull, shattered pelvis, broken ankle, ruptured spleen and stomach, lacerated liver and a punctured lung. Paralyzed from the neck down, medical staff told him he would never walk again.  Please join Sam and I for this week’s episode of Unfiltered, as he shares his miraculous story of recovery, defying all the odds to walk again.  Links: Perry Cross Spinal Research Foundation - https://www.pcsrf.org.au

For this week's episode of Unfiltered, I'm joined by Emmy Award winning crime reporter, Olivia LaVoice. Olivia hosts the Bakersfield Three podcast, which tells the story of three friends who either went missing or were murdered in the space of six weeks. Unconvinced that the cases were unrelated, the mothers of the three friends joined forces, transforming their grief and despair into action.  As the podcast shows, sometimes the only way to get justice is to fight like a mother.  Links: casefilepresents.com/the-bakersfield-three

In 2015, Netflix released a 10-part documentary series, Making A Murderer, that explores the 2005 Manitowoc area homicide of 25-year-old photographer Theresa Hallback and the convictions of Stephen Avery and Brendan Dassey. The series became a true crime cult classic, leaving a lot of viewers with an overwhelming sensation that Stephen Avery had been framed. But then, in 2023, director Shawn Rech created a response piece titled Convicting a Murderer. Today, I’m joined by Shawn Rech and Brenda Schuler, who features in the series, to discuss documentary ethics and an alternate version of the case against Stephen Avery. Links: https://www.dailywire.com/show/convicting-a-murderer

On the 19th of November 2023, I got my first response to the call-out I extend at the end of some of our episodes, asking for personal stories from listeners related to justice and transformation.  Erika Schlotthauer, a licensed psychotherapist, answered the call and is ready to share her story publicly for the first time.  Please join Erika and I for this week’s episode of Unfiltered as we plunge into the gray areas of experiences intertwined with trauma, exploring the unanswerable questions that shape our lives.

Here’s a staggering reality: The United States, with only about 5% of the world's population, holds 25% of the world's prisoners. This raises a critical question: Does the US prison system perpetuate the oppressive legacy of slavery? In hopes of some perspective, I’m joined by James Nelson, an abolitionist who, at just 19 years old, was sentenced to life in prison for a murder he didn't commit. Now a free man, James shares his insights on why abolition is not just a vision but a viable path forward. Links: Dignity and Power Now

Did you know that Venezuela is experiencing what has been described as the worst economic and humanitarian crisis ever recorded in Latin America? A combination of political turmoil, inflation, soaring crime rates and food shortages has left more than 7.71 million Venezuelans displaced since 2014. Today, documentary filmmaker Bruna Curcio provides insight into the crisis from a ground-level perspective.  Links: Production: https://www.brunacurcio.com Projeto Reghid: https://gcrf-reghid.com Film: https://www.youtube.com/@brunacurciofilmes

Today’s Unfiltered guest is Carrie Bell, a woman whose story of transformation begins in Pasadena, California. After Carrie’s parents separated when she was five years old, she turned to the streets in search of a family. This eventually led her down a path she never intended to follow, one that involved dealing drugs and committing crimes - anything to keep herself afloat. It got to a point where Carrie was spending the majority of her time in jail, never home for longer than a six-month stretch.  But against all odds, Carrie completely turned her life around. Tune in to see how.  Links: www.urban-alchemy.us

On the 21st of August 1971, George Jackson, founder of the Black Guerrilla Family prison gang, was assassinated by a prison guard. Three guards and two other inmates were also killed. No one knows exactly what occurred that day, but six inmates were indicted for various crimes, including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, kidnap, possession of firearms, and escape. Those inmates came to be known as the San Quentin Six.     Trial lawyer Richard Zitrin’s first-ever client was Johnny Spain, one of the San Quentin Six defendants. Richard joins me for this episode of Unfiltered to share his perspective on the case and the events that occurred on that fateful day. Links:   Trial Lawyer: A Life Representing People Against Power

Pyromania is an impulse control disorder which causes individuals to start fires deliberately. Unlike arsonists, pyromaniacs don’t light fires for personal or financial gain. They do so to release tension or gain pleasure. Reunald Jones III claims to have started more than 300 fires throughout Los Angeles County between 1986 and 1990. He was arrested on February 5th, 1990, and sentenced to 14 years in prison.  Here, Reunald speaks candidly about his motives behind starting the fires and explains how, back in the ’80s, his criminal mind turned him into a self-proclaimed menace to society.

When Paul Joseph Fronczak was 10 years old, he discovered a family secret: In 1964, when Paul was just one day old, he was kidnapped from the Chicago hospital where he’d been born. Paul’s abduction led to the largest manhunt Chicago had ever seen. One year later, an abandoned child was found outside a New Jersey department store and ultimately identified as “Baby Fronczak”. Paul was reunited with his parents and soon had a baby brother.  Then, In 2012, Paul took a DNA test and made a shocking discovery. He was not the real Paul Fronczak, and the story he’d been told about his identity was wrong. In an instant, he became what is known as an "unidentified living person." Over the past decade, Paul has been digging for answers, seeking his true identity, and connecting the dots to find the whole truth.  Links: fronczakfiles.com facebook.com/WhoIsPaulFronczak? instagram.com/fronczakfiles The Foundling: The True Story of a Kidnapping, a Family Secret, and My Search for the Real Me  True Identity: Cracking the Oldest Kidnapping Cold Case and Finding My Missing Twin 

What does it mean to be a man today? And what do we want it to look like tomorrow? These are the types of questions asked by Tomorrow Man, a social enterprise that facilitates workshops across Australia for men of all ages. The organization's mission is to reinvent masculinity by disrupting outdated stereotypes and building emotional muscle.  Ryder Jack, the principal facilitator of Tomorrow Man, shares his experience and thoughts about reinventing a healthier version of masculinity to live by. Links: tomorrowman.com.au tomorrowwoman.com.au instagram.com/tomorrowman_au facebook.com/tomorrowmanaustralia

J. Sakiya Sandifer, an entrepreneur, designer, and best-selling author. Over his nearly 30 year career, Sakiya has worked with Coca-Cola, Bally Total Fitness, Lil Wayne, and most notably, his longtime friend Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. Sakiya’s primary focus now is his own lifestyle brand XSSORTMENTS, a hyper-curated collection of elevated basics for every mood. Recorded from the comfort of his home, in our sit-down conversation, Sakiya generously shares some of his creative, insightful and humorous philosophies and anecdotes that have created his path to success. Links: https://www.xssortments.com

“Monsters” are the people who commit the most heinous of acts. So what happens when that monster is your father? How do you process it?  When I was 16, the head of our family, Ralph O’Brien, took his own life, leaving us to sort through his trail of lies, financial wreckage and our own grief. Four years later, we discovered he had sexually abused our eldest brother. Today, I sat with my youngest brother, Matthew, to discuss the monster who was our father.  This one goes deep.

Rob Jua is a music executive and record producer from Brownsville, Brooklyn. Rob’s personal journey navigating the music industry is a truly inspirational tale. From his time at Quad Studios and Roc-a-Fella Records, to discovering his business executive calling and starting his own record label, one thing’s for sure - Rob never quits on himself! Join us as Rob shares the highs and lows of his illustrious career in an ever-changing industry. Links: instagram.com/rob.jua disruptivelabel.com

You may have come across American actress Jan Broberg’s story in the television series A Friend of the Family. The show details Jan’s childhood experience of being groomed and kidnapped by a close family friend, who was also a convicted child sex offender. Jan’s story is shocking, to say the least. But to see her now, standing in her power as a woman who has healed from her traumatic childhood is inspiring beyond words. Please join Jan and I for a deep, and at times emotional chat, about how we are transforming our narratives of abuse in the hopes that other survivors feel propelled to transform their own. Links: https://linktr.ee/janbroberg