Jaws of Justice Radio

Secret courts… Freezing courtrooms… Video judges… sounds like the plot to a bad movie set in a third world country. Would it surprise you to know this is happening in the United States of America? In the year 2020? Host David Bell is joined by attorney Rekha Sharma-Crawford and they take a look inside the […]

Jaws of Justice programmer Elisa Breitenbach speaks to Major Greg Volker Commander of the Kansas City Police Department Violent Crimes Division, Ann Murphy from Youth RISE and Jennifer Heinemann from Operation Breakthrough.  The show will be a discussion about the murder problem we are facing in Kansas City. As a community we must find ways […]

In 2012, St. Louis voters chose to eliminate the state review board appointed by the Missouri Governor to oversee their police department and moved control of the police directly to the city.  The system used for Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) governance is a Missouri Governor-appointed Board of Police Commissioners, too.  Kansas City is still […]

We will replay – "A Conversation with Nancy Leazer – How We Can Use Our Prisons As More Than Warehouses". Nancy Leazer was the last Director of the old Kansas City Jail, The Farm, before they moved to the Jackson County jail. When the Municipal Correctional Institution was closed in 2009 and all the inmates moved to the county jail, a lot more than the jobs of the employees were lost. The leadersh...

A group of prisoners at the South-Central Correctional Center in Licking MO have started a program called Resistance Against Prison Pipelines, also known as RAPP.  On 2/17, Jaws of Justice Radio aired recorded interviews with two of them, Ozzie Collins and Derrick Peace.  On February 24th, we will play Keith Brown El’s interview with the […]

A group of prisoners at the South-Central Correctional Center in Licking MO have started a program called Resistance Against Prison Pipelines, also known as RAPP.  On 2/17, host Keith Brown El will air his recorded interview with two of them, Ozzie Collins and Derrick Peace.  They are all three interested in reducing high incarceration rates, […]

On Monday, 2/10, at 9 AM, host Elisa Breitenbach is back for a discussion with Teresa Woody, Litigation Director, and Christina Ostmeyer, Communications and Digital Advocacy Director of Kansas Appleseed.  Kansas Appleseed is a nonprofit network of 17 Centers across the U.S. and Mexico, dedicated to advancing justice and opportunities that help low-income people and […]

For the first part of the hour, we will replay from our 1/6/20 show.  Host Keith Brown El talks with Edward Pennington, Jeffery Scott and Willie Copeland, three men who were recently released from prison.  They’ll talk about their prison experiences and discuss the transition back into society. On the second part of Jaws of […]

On today’s show, Host Latahra Smith interviews Keith Carnes, an inmate in Missouri who says he did not commit the crime for which he is serving time.   Latahra has studied Carnes’ case, read transcripts of depositions and trial testimony, interviewed experts and sought out witnesses in Kansas City’s toughest neighborhoods. Smith believes that Carnes is […]

James Shelby, aka Qadhafi, has been incarcerated in Missouri for over 22 years. While inside, Qadhafi was active with the NAACP prison branches and he helped to found the Missouri chapter of IWW’s Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee (IWOC). Since his release five months ago, Qadhafi has continued to be a leader in the struggle. He […]

Host Teresa Wilke will talk with Victoria Ferguson about the social action group she has organized, Justice 4 Inmate’s.  Their goal is to hopefully bring change, reform and accountability with respect to issues caused by the housing of inmates in the state of Missouri.  They are a voluntary and open group.  On January 23th, they […]

New Douglas County KS Criminal Justice Coordinator, Mike Brouwer, brings a wealth of experience in criminal justice and behavioral health to Douglas County KS, where Lawrence is located.  He will be our guest and talk with host, Teresa Wilke, about what has been learned since their large jail was built in 1999.   In response to […]

2019 Legal Year In Review – Our Lawyers Break It Down The end of the year traditionally brings our panel of lawyers, Craig Lubow, David Bell and Robin Martinez together to talk about the Supreme Court rulings, new laws, legislative actions and cases that will have a lasting effect on our lives. Tune in and […]

The Dayroom Club – An Award Winning Play By Patty Prewitt; and A Plea For Clemency Today we reair The Day Room Club by Patty Prewitt, a play that gives you a look into the day to day routine at the Women’s Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia, MO also gives us a lesson […]

Why They Come and American Prisons in Honduras In the first half of our program, we will replay “Why They Come and American Prisons in Honduras” from 7/29/19 Jaws of Justice Radio.  Host Margot Patterson gets a first hand view of what is happening in Honduras from Judy Ancel and Karen Spring.  Karen Spring, a […]

Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense And Their Be SMART Gun Safety Program Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America launched the Be SMART campaign to raise awareness that responsible gun storage – storing guns locked, unloaded and separate from ammunition – can save children’s lives. Be SMART emphasizes that it’s an adult responsibility […]

Clark-Fox Family Foundation on Mass Incarceration Host Pat Bartholome interviews Samantha Stangl, Programs Manager for the Clark-Fox Family Foundation.  The Clark-Fox Family Foundation was founded in St. Louis in 2004 by husband and wife team Maxine Clark and Bob Fox.  The Clark-Fox Family Foundation supports the growth and prosperity of the St. Louis metropolitan region […]

Death Penalty Update Gregory Joseph, Program Director at National Coalition Against the Death Penalty, joins host Craig Lubow to discuss trends in the death penalty. This will include new moratoriums, Trump’s attempt to resume the death penalty at the federal level, and exonerations. Bipartisan attempts to repeal the death penalty in some states. One phone […]

Who Was Angie Schroer and Why Did Indepence Police Say She Committed Suicide? Today’s broadcast is two parts of the story of Angie Schroer. In the first half host Jeff Humfeld talks to Angie’s Mother, Jackie Schroer about her daughter, as a child and on up to adulthood until she was killed, as well as […]

Finding Amy McGowan……Unethical Amy McGowan has retired from the Douglass County Prosecutor’s office under pressure from the claims of prosecutorial misconduct. The ruling that set Ricky Kidd free has given those who want to hold Amy McGowan accountable for her long history of unethical behaviour the language they needed to get the Office of Chief […]

The Fines and Fees Justice Center The Fines and Fees Justice Center (FFJC), located in New York City, seeks to catalyze a movement to eliminate the fines and fees that distort justice. Their goal is to eliminate fees in the justice system and to ensure that fines are equitably imposed and enforced. The FFJC’s national […]

Empower Missouri Annual Conference Takes On Hunger The highlighted issue for the Empower Missouri 2019 Conference is food insecurity and evidence-based public policy solutions to hunger. The conference will be held 10am to 4:30pm, Saturday, November 9th in the Holiday Inn Executive Center, 2200 Interstate 70 Dr SW, Columbia, MO 65203. The conference is $35 […]

The Willow Domestic Violence Center The Willow Domestic Violence Center dedicates itself to restoring the health and safety of people who have experienced domestic violence or human trafficking by providing safety, education, and advocacy. All of their services are free of charge, confidential, and available to all survivors of domestic abuse and human trafficking who […]

Ricky Kidd Talks With Fellow Exoneree Laquanda “Faye” Jacobs Lamonte Mcintyre, LaQuanda Jacobs and Ricky Kidd Unfortunately Ms Jacobs was not able to join us for this broadcast but we will have her on at a later date. Instead host David Bell spoke to Ricky Kidd about his case and the legal issues and unethical […]

The Other Collateral Consequences; Subconscious Effects of Incarceration The impact of the criminal justice system on employment, housing and voting is well known. But what about the other collateral consequences? The ones that implant themselves in our subconscious and continue to shape how we view persons in the system and how they view themselves for […]