Amplified Voices

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. The first time Shauna Jones shares her story publicly, she starts in a place most people never imagine: being born into custody and growing up inside a life shaped by state systems. We talk about Arizona’s history, what power looks like behind prison walls, and how public narratives can erase consent and blame survivo...

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. One decision at 19 can echo for decades, especially when the criminal legal system is built to keep consequences rolling long after a sentence ends. In this episode of Amplified Voices , Jason and Amber sit down with Alex Brown to trace that full arc: a childhood in Connecticut, a late ADHD diagnosis, a college path t...

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. A teen tries to outrun pain, finds cocaine, and goes from a kid coming of age, to a daily user in a matter of weeks. Then come the crimes, the fear, the SWAT arrest, and a sentence so extreme it reshapes his entire identity: 32 years of prison time at 18 years old. In this episode of Amplified Voices , Jason and guest...

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 Bessie Elmore who shares how a single phone call shattered the illusion of normal and sent her family into a world of warrants, headlines, courtrooms, and prisons. Everything seemed to move too fast for the truth to catch up. What followed wasn’t a miracl...

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response. In episode of Amplified Voices , Amber and Jason chat with Joshua Hoe about incarceration, reentry and renewal. During the course of the conversation we get a front-row seat to accountability, reentry built on constraints: registry rules that make simple walks risky, five-hour weekday windows on parole, and landlords...

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 s...

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, in...

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 stabili...

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...

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 ser...

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 stru...

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...

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 Jo...

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...

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 sys...

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 in...

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 s...

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 j...

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,...

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 re...

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 challe...

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 e...

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...

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 si...

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 pa...