Hotlines

CRJ host Herbert Alexander and Remerg Executive Director Darren Smith welcome guest Darrell Dimler, Outreach and Program Coordinator at STEP Denver. Dimler shares how he came to STEP after years of substance use and felony probation, then outlines his outreach work connecting people to treatment centers, probation offices, shelters, and other community resources while helping residents secure IDs,...

HOTLINES this week continues a 2-part conversation with Andy Magel, founder of the Denver ESE Collective. "ESE" stands for Employment Social Enterprise, and now Magel dives deeper as he talks with CRJ producer Ryan Conarro and Darren Smith, Executive Director of Remerg: how does ESE intersect with reentry from prison or detention? How can employers be ready to support an ESE model? If I’m looking...

Meet Andy Magel, founder of the Denver ESE Collective. "ESE" stands for Employment Social Enterprise, and in this episode of Hotlines, the first of a 2-part conversation, Magel sits down in the CRJ studio with producer Ryan Conarro and Darren Smith from Remerg to explain what an ESE is: a business where creating and supporting jobs for people facing barriers is the primary mission, blending enterp...

HOTLINES this week continues a 2-part conversation with the Community Economic Defense Project of Colorado. CEDP staffers Christina Garcia and Genie Ruiz take a deeper dive into the range of services the organization offers, including their mobile “Just Bus” and nuanced counseling and support for housing issues and eviction navigation. The CEDP team is hosted by CRJ producer Herbert Alexander and...

Meet Christina Garcia and Genie Ruiz from the Community Economic Defense Project. In this first of a 2-part conversation, Garcia and Ruiz share a snapshot of the services CEDP provides, including their focus on advocacy for people who lack - or who are trying to hold on to - stable housing, and supporting economic equity more broadly in Colorado. They look back at their organization’s roots in the...

This is a rebroadcast of Hotlines originally recorded in January 2026. This episode of Hotlines Revisited features James Repenning, the founder and CEO of R&R Head Labs in Denver. R&R Head Labs is a purpose-driven barbershop employing justice-impacted expert barbers who are uniquely skilled in cutting all hair types and textures. James takes us inside the organization and its origin story,...

HOTLINES this week continues a 2-part convo about “THE GO GUIDE: Getting On After Getting Out,” Colorado’s digital and print resource for all things about the prison and reentry experience. Pam Clifton from Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition pilots the publication, and she’s the guest of this episode, hosted by CRJ’s Trevor Jones and Darren Smith, Executive Director of Remerg. In this epis...

It's part 1 of a two-part conversation with Pam Clifton at the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition in Denver. Clifton is the author "The Go Guide: Getting On After Getting Out - A Reentry Guide for Colorado." What is this resource? Where can system-impacted people and their loved ones find a copy? What are some of the highlights in the latest edition CCJRC released this year? And what are s...

Hosts Herbert Alexander and Bob Eisenman sit down with Remerg - the organization that typically co-hosts this show. This time, CRJ turns the tables to get an update on what’s new at Remerg, from Executive Director Darren Smith, Director of Advancement Jeff Wise, and Director of Programs Allen Browning. They discuss their recent findings about some of the specific gaps facing people returning from...

Colorado Radio for Justice host Trevor Jones takes the mic for Hotlines, joined by Remerg Executive Director Darren Smith. They visit the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition to sit down with Pam Clifton, CCJRC’s Manager of Constituent Services and auther of the book "Tell Them You Love Them: A Resource Guide for Incarcerated Parents in Colorado." Clifton shares how the book blends real stor...

This episode of Hotlines Revisited features Chris Meeks, the Founder of Hope Homes. Chris talks about his lived experience, and how that propelled him into the work that he now does up and down the Front Range. This is a rebroadcast of Hotlines originally recorded in December of 2025. Hotlines is a production of Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org Sites & resources mentio...

Jennifer Waines, Operations Manager for the Denver chapter of Dress for Success, joins CRJ’s Seth Ready and Allen Browning from Remerg, CRJ’s partner on the show, for a conversation about the work her organization does to help women thrive, including those leaving prison. From landing the job to earning the promotion, growing leadership skills, building networks, launching businesses, and creating...

Hotlines is a production of Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org Sites & resources mentioned in this episode include: Remerg – www.remerg.com Channel Mom - https://channelmom.org/

On this episode of Hotlines, Jeff Wise joins Seth Ready and Darren Smith in the studio to talk about Remerg… Past, present, and future! Jeff talks about how his lived expertise has guided his role with Remerg. Hotlines is a production of Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org Sites & resources mentioned in this episode include: Remerg – www.remerg.com

On this episode of Hotlines, meet the new Director of Programs at Remerg, Allen Browning. Allen joins Remerg Director, Darren Smith and CRJs, Seth Ready in the studio to explain what exactly brought him into this work, and what the future looks like for Remerg. Hotlines is a production of Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org Sites & resources mentioned in this episode incl...

Meet Darren Smith, the incoming Executive Director of Remerg. Listen along as Ryan Conarro and Seth Ready from Colorado Radio for Justice invite Darren to share a bit of his own story, as well as his vision for the future of Remerg, Colorado's reentry resource hub. Hotlines is a production of Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org Sites & resources mentioned in this episode...

BONUS — Join Seth and Carol for the extended cut of this week's Hotlines. In this bittersweet episode, Carol Peeples joins Seth Ready and Ryan Conarro in the CRJ studio to look back on the journey of Hotlines thus far. As Carol takes her next step into retirement, the team reminisces on the development of Remerg, the growth of reentry resources in the Colorado area, and how the production of Hotli...

In this bittersweet episode, Carol Peeples joins Seth Ready and Ryan Conarro in the CRJ studio to look back on the journey of Hotlines thus far. As Carol takes her next step into retirement, the team reminisces on the development of Remerg, the growth of reentry resources in the Colorado area, and how the production of Hotlines came to be. Tune in to hear about what's next for Remerg, and join us...

Experience freedom at LiveDifferent Recovery in a Recovery Community. LiveDifferent Recovery is an all pathways recovery program that provides a safe space for healing, connection, and self-discovery. Recovery Groups are held Friday evenings at CrossPurpose from 6:15pm - 8:15pm. In this episode, Jazmyn Gray, CrossPurpose graduate turned staff, explains the ins and outs of LiveDifferent Recovery. H...

In this episode of Hotlines, hosted by Remerg Executive Director Carol Peeples and CRJ's Ryan Conarro, we meet Heather Beck and Christian Nesbitt from The Gathering Place (TGP) in Denver. TGP provides low-barrier, trauma-informed care to women, gender-diverse people, and children facing homelessness and instability. They address root causes of poverty, marginalization, and oppression, offering com...

Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) offers individuals returning home from incarceration the ongoing support necessary to build career capital and financial stability. They believe that everyone, regardless of their past, deserves the chance to work toward a stronger future for themselves, their families, and their communities. As the largest reentry employment provider in the country, CEO i...

This week Stephanie Hewitt, Director of Community Partners and Engagement from CrossPurpose, joins Seth Ready and Carol Peeples in the CRJ studio. CrossPurpose is a Denver-based non-profit organization working to abolish relational, economic, and spiritual poverty through career and community development. Hotlines is hosted by CRJ’s Seth Ready and Remerg Executive Director Carol Peeples, and is a...

Stacy Putka and Jason Hogan from Breakthrough join CRJ in studio to share how they empower individuals in the criminal legal system to achieve their highest potential through in-prison education, community reintegration, and professional development, breaking barriers and building skills for lifelong transformation. Hotlines is hosted by CRJ’s Seth Ready and Remerg Executive Director Carol Peeples...

Dry Bones Directors Matt Wallace and Robbie Goldman join us this week in the CRJ studio. Dry Bones is a long-standing community of support among Denver’s unhoused teens and young adults. They have the simple but radical belief that companionship itself can be profoundly transformative. So alongside helping to meet emotional, spiritual, and physical needs, their true work is practicing the way of J...

R&R Head Labs is a purpose-driven barbershop employing justice-impacted expert barbers who are uniquely skilled in cutting all hair types and textures. Hotlines is hosted by CRJ’s Seth Ready and Remerg Executive Director Carol Peeples, and is a production of Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org Sites & resources mentioned in this episode include: R&R Head Labs – ht...