All In All Out The Community and MSOE

Janos Marton and I discuss the debate between reform and abolition around the criminal legal system. (Note: This episode was recorded 2 years ago.)
Janos Marton is the Chief Advocacy Officer for Dream.Org, an organization committed to closing prison doors and opening doors of opportunity. Janos is a born and raised New Yorker who began his career as an organizer before becoming a civil rights lawyer. Since then he has spent his career fighting for racial justice and taking on corruption - as a civil rights lawyer, special counsel to the Moreland Commission to Investigate Corruption, and investigating police misconduct for the City of New York.
In 2016 he was named the first advocacy director of JustLeadershipUSA, where he managed the historic #CLOSErikers campaign. He then ran criminal justice programs across the country for the ACLU. Prior to his role at Dream Corps he was a candidate for Manhattan District Attorney, running on a bold platform to use prison as a last resort, receiving praise for groundbreaking policies that became the gold standard in the race.

What started out as an exploration of the possibilities of traveling while on paper (extended supervision) ultimately turned into a legitimate research project ending with Adam Procell and Shannon Ross traveling to the only non-profit prison in the world located in Belize.

Temporary project

Marlon has an established track record of creating effective coalitions, including passing the largest sealing expansion law in the United States and leading a voter registration campaign, which registered over 1,000 people with records to vote.

He is currently the campaign manager for the Fully Free Campaign in Illinois, which works to dismantle the laws and regulations that govern permanent punishments, which are the barriers that deny or restrict rights and opportunities for people with a record -- long after their involvement with the criminal legal system is over.

We spoke about the power of collaboration and correcting the narrative to achieve true rights restoration.

– To contact and for more info on The Community: https://sociatap.com/Thecommunity/
– For resources and events in reentry/reform/decarceration work in Wisconsin visit the Wisconsin Decarceration Platform

Guy Hamilton-Smith is a 2019 JustLeadershipUSA fellow, civil rights activist, and a writer. Most recently, he was the legal fellow at the Sex Offense Litigation and Policy Resource Center at the Mitchell Hamline School of law where his work focused on civil rights litigation and policy in the area of sex offense registries and indefinite civil commitment. He currently acts as a consultant on a number of civil and criminal cases across the nation in both state and federal courts, and is awaiting admission as an attorney in the District of Columbia. Learn more about his work at  www.guyhamiltonsmith.com.

The sex offense registry and the restrictions connected to it are promoted as making communities safer. But are they? Guy and I discuss the points and much more about this hot-button serious issue. The data and stories will shock you and the conclusions will challenge you.

More info links to get started:
- Did the Supreme Court Base a Ruling on a Myth? - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
- Sex Offenders: Recidivism, Re-Entry Policy and Facts | HuffPost Latest News

– To contact and for more info on The Community: https://sociatap.com/Thecommunity/
– For resources and events in reentry/reform/decarceration work in Wisconsin visit the Wisconsin Decarceration Platform

Artie Gonzales went from a life sentence, including 8 straight years at the infamous Pelican Bay super max, to now a member of big Hollywood productions and a rising star in the movement to correct the narrative about people with criminal records through media and entertainment. He is a wonderful testament to what system-impacted people can be and the unprecedented humanity that lies within. Follow his rise and insights on Instagram (@theartiegonzales) and Twitter (@artiegonzales23). And look out for his upcoming show Lessons from a Lifer.

- To contact and for more info on The Community: https://sociatap.com/Thecommunity/
- For resources and events in reentry/reform/decarceration work in Wisconsin visit the Wisconsin Decarceration Platform