Unlocking Change

Colorado Radio for Justice
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UNLOCKING CHANGE is a production of Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). It's an in-depth conversation between CRJ's system-impacted hosts and reporters with leading voices in the criminal-legal space. What is “justice”? What is “freedom”? How might these aspirations become real in our communities & across our culture? www.radioforjustice.org

Episodes

  1. Emma Mclean-Riggs, Part 2: Faith in the Collective

    11/07/2025

    Emma Mclean-Riggs, Part 2: Faith in the Collective

    It's Part 2 of a two-part conversation with Emma Mclean-Riggs, Senior Staff Attorney from the ACLU of Colorado, who sits down with Colorado Radio for Justice hosts Tiffany McCoy and Trevor Jones. Emma examines the criminalization of poverty and homelessness in Colorado communities; the ACLU's work of not just improving incarcerated people's lives inside facilities, but striving to liberate them; and an exploration of what exactly "civil liberties" themselves are. Emma highlights the value of media led by lived-experience producers, and she articulates her vision for a more just future that relies on each and every one of us. UNLOCKING CHANGE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org 00:00 Introduction - Camping bans / blanket bans in Boulder09:14 What motivates Emma?09:14 Emma's life journey into law15:08 Colorado incarceration liberatory work17:11 What are 'civil liberties'? 18:25 ACLU's history, values, intersectionality20:58 Support ACLU / Get involved23:21 Vision for future?

    29 min
  2. Emma Mclean-Riggs, Part 1: Immigration, The Constitution, & Determination

    10/03/2025

    Emma Mclean-Riggs, Part 1: Immigration, The Constitution, & Determination

    Join Colorado Radio for Justice hosts Tiffany McCoy and Trevor Jones as they dive into a critical conversation with Emma Mclean-Riggs, Senior Staff Attorney from the ACLU of Colorado. Emma discusses the alarming escalations in ICE detention expansions, unlawful deportations by the Trump Administration under the Alien Enemies Act, and the challenges faced by Venezuelan immigrants in Colorado and beyond. Mclean-Riggs shares the ACLU of Colorado's multi-faceted approach to defending civil liberties in today's shifting political climate, from litigation and policy advocacy to community organizing. And she shares what fuels her relentless fight for justice and the constitutional principles at stake: the human beings whose lives and futures are on the line. UNLOCKING CHANGE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org 00:00 Introduction 01:57 Meet Emma Mclean-Riggs and the ACLU of Colorado 03:12 ICE: A Pressing Concern 06:59 DBU v. Trump, ACLU of Colorado's Lawsuit 25:25 What Motivates & Sustains Emma in Her Work 27:15 Why Call Prisons "Cages"? 32:31 Children & Trauma from Family Separation

    38 min
  3. Kristen Nelson Part 2: Humanity & Purpose

    08/01/2025

    Kristen Nelson Part 2: Humanity & Purpose

    UNLOCKING CHANGE this month features Part 2 of a two-part conversation with Kristen Nelson, Executive Director of the Spero Justice Center, hosted by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ) hosts JoyBelle Phelan and Michael Clifton. Michael shares his journey through the Colorado Department of Corrections and the crime and sentence that brought him there, as a way of examining with the Kristen the current and future possibilities for mitigation, accountability, and sentence reductions. JoyBelle reflects on her work as a Community Corrections board member, inviting Kristen's insights on structural challenges to repairing victim impacts. Finally, our hosts invite Kristen to look into a crystal ball, to articulate possible futures for systems change. UNLOCKING CHANGE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

    30 min
  4. Kristen Nelson, Part 1: Hope Is Essential

    07/04/2025

    Kristen Nelson, Part 1: Hope Is Essential

    UNLOCKING CHANGE this month features Part 1 of a two-part conversation between Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ) hosts JoyBelle Phelan and Michael Clifton and Kristen Nelson, Executive Director of the Spero Justice Center. Kristen shares her journey from working on death penalty cases to founding Spero, whose mission is to end mass incarceration in Colorado by addressing long sentences. Michael and JoyBelle reflect on their own journeys through the prison system, and the trio reflects on the importance of hope in the ongoing fight for a more humane and just legal system. UNLOCKING CHANGE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

    26 min
  5. Christie Donner: Evolution & Authenticity

    06/06/2025

    Christie Donner: Evolution & Authenticity

    UNLOCKING CHANGE this month features Christie Donner, Executive Director of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition. CRJ hosts JoyBelle Phelan and Ryan Conarro invite Christie to dive into nothing less than the full history of mass incarceration and Colorado… and to share how she insists on hope and authenticity in her decades-long efforts to effect a more humane criminal-legal system. UNLOCKING CHANGE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

    30 min
  6. Rebecca Wallace: Until They're All Free

    05/02/2025

    Rebecca Wallace: Until They're All Free

    UNLOCKING CHANGE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). This kick-off episode features Rebecca Wallace, Policy Director of the Colorado Freedom Fund. In a conversation with CRJ hosts Tiffany McCoy and Ryan Conarro, Rebecca articulates the importance of supporting the most vulnerable in the criminal legal system; the need to address public health needs over relying on incarceration; and visions for a world in which everyone can be healthy, safe, and free. Visit https://www.coloradofreedomfund.org/ for more on Rebecca's work and her organization. www.radioforjustice.org

    30 min
  • 6 Episodes

About

UNLOCKING CHANGE is a production of Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). It's an in-depth conversation between CRJ's system-impacted hosts and reporters with leading voices in the criminal-legal space. What is “justice”? What is “freedom”? How might these aspirations become real in our communities & across our culture? www.radioforjustice.org

Information

  • Creator
    Colorado Radio for Justice
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Colorado Radio for Justice
  • Show Website
    Unlocking Change