The 98% - Life After Prison

Send us Fan Mail Formerly incarcerated people face a number of barriers as they try to rebuild their lives after prison.  One big one is employment.  In this episode, we learn about one company that's made a commitment to providing a second chance and find out what can happen when justice-involved people are given an opportunity. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a po...

Send us Fan Mail Over the past 20 years, North Carolina’s Legislature has increased court and criminal fees by 400 percent.   A good percentage of that money is disbursed to the state’s General Fund, not allocated to the courts, which remain grossly underfunded.  In this episode, we learn how court-imposed fees lock people in a cycle of debt and can lead to additional monetary sanctions, driver’s...

Send us Fan Mail With so much focus on the mass incarceration of men, we often overlook the fact  the number of incarcerated women stands almost seven times higher today than it did in 1980.   Bianca Harris has watched the rise since she began her career in corrections in 1993.  After more than 20 years at North Carolina's largest women’s prison, she has a lot to say about how incarcerated wo...

Send us Fan Mail Edward Scott believes having difficult conversations with his loved ones is part of what it takes to be strong person and a good father.   He invited us to listen in to the conversation he had with his grown son Terrell about what it was like to grow up without him because he was incarcerated.   In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast about the many is...

Send us Fan Mail On a Mission With a Purpose is a series of interviews conducted by April Barber Scales.   Felishia McPherson describes how the lack of cultural understanding she experienced with mental health therapists in prison sent her on a mission to become a mental health counselor herself.  Today she is Licensed counselor and a Peer Support Specialist specializing in Reentry and Domestic Vi...

Send us Fan Mail With a shortage of mental health services in this country, prisons and jails have become a dumping ground for people with mental illness including people with conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.  Too often these conditions go untreated and people are released back into the community with no support. Learn how Fit Wellness takes a holistic approach to treating forme...

Send us Fan Mail Incarcerated with more than two life sentences, Joe Perry thought he was condemned to die behind bars.  But once he found a sliver of hope, he decided he would become a man worthy of his freedom.  It took many more years but Joe is now a free man living and working in Durham.  This is his story.   In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast about the many...

Send us Fan Mail On a Mission With a Purpose is a series of interviews conducted by April Barber Scales.  Cierra Cobb has started two new initiatives to advocate for justice involved people.  One addresses mental health while the other prepares returning citizens for the job market.   In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast about the many issues people face when transi...

Send us Fan Mail It's common knowledge that healthcare in prison is usually substandard at best.   And, until recently,  most people getting out of prison have had no access to insurance or healthcare.  Since 2017,  NC FIT - Formerly In Transitions - has been working to change that by connecting formerly incarcerated individuals who have a chronic disease with a primary care provider and a co...

Send us Fan Mail In 2013, Deb Cunningham and Maria Ikenberry began Ear Eyes Nose and Paws, a therapy dog  program  that trains service dogs for people with mobility and medical issues.   Today,  incarcerated men do the bulk of the training, transforming their  sense of self from someone who's done harm to someone who serves others. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a...

Send us Fan Mail When  Rachel Mascarenas's partner was arrested and sent to federal prison, her children were just 3 and 5 years old.  In this podcast, we learn why it's said that when someone goes to prison their family goes with them and the societal consequences of that sad reality. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast about the many issues people face...

Send us Fan Mail Mike Thumm reflects on his twenty years as a  Superintendent/ Warden of Orange Correctional Center in Hillsborough North Carolina.  He shares the challenges and rewards of running a minimum security prison and recalls a time before changes in sentencing laws led to mass incarceration. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast about the many issues people...

Send us Fan Mail The war on drugs has successfully filled our prisons and jails.  But as the opioid epidemic shows, criminalizing drug use has failed to address the enormous problem of addiction in this country.   Tune into this episode to hear personal stories about the intersection between addiction and incarceration.    In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast about...

Send us Fan Mail North Carolina's Local Reentry Councils  were established in 2018 to reduce the barriers to reentry by providing case managers and a network of needed services to help people transition from prison.    Currently, there are  reentry councils in 20 of North Carolina's 100 counties.    Orange County has one of the oldest and strongest reentry councils in the state.   In 202...

Send us Fan Mail North Carolina's Reentry Councils  were established to reduce the barriers to reentry by providing case managers and a network of needed services to help people transition from prison.  Currently, there are reentry councils in 20 of North Carolina's 100 counties.   Durham has one of the strongest, best resourced  LRCs in the state.  In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber...

Send us Fan Mail Benevolence Farm offers women a roof over their head and a chance to adapt to life after prison all while earning a living wage. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast about the many issues people face when transitioning from prison. Van Wyk is a longtime video producer and criminal justice advocate.  April Barber received a life sentence when she was...

Send us Fan Mail Co-host April Barber was incarcerated when she was 15-years-old.   In this episode, we learn about the crime that sent her to prison for life.   We'll also  meet the advocates who fought to win her freedom and have supported her since her release.  In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast about the many issues people face when transitioning from pr...

Send us Fan Mail Between the two of them Tommy Green and William Elmore spent some 37 years behind bars.  Once released, they both decided they wanted to do something to help their fellow inmates navigate the difficult task of reintegrating back into the community.  Today, Green and Elmore run a transition house in Hillsborough, North Carolina where they work with residents to give them the emotio...

Send us Fan Mail Bessie Elmore’s life was turned upside down in 1992 when her son William was sentenced to life in prison.  Working through her anger, she threw herself into making the best of a bad situation.   She got a job working with domestic violence victims.  She became certified facilitator with Nami, the National Alliance of Mental Illness.  She started a support group for people who had...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we learn about April's transition back into society after spending nearly 32 years in prison.   Anthony Willis, who, like April, had his sentence commuted by the governor also reflects life since his release.    Finally, Antoine Blake, who was sent to prison when he was just 14-years-old,  shares what he's learned from his many years in and out of prison...

Send us Fan Mail This podcast is dedicated to the 98% of people incarcerated in North Carolina who will eventually be released from prison back into their communities, often with few, if any resources. Through the voices of people in transition and those who support them, we explore hurdles and life long barriers many justice-involved people confront whether getting a drivers license, finding hous...