Trailer Take 2

"Just Justice" is a podcast that challenges the traditional idea of justice in the criminal legal system. It explores the concept of second chances for people who have been convicted of crimes. The host, Jessica Henry, shares the story of Bobby Bostick, who was sentenced to 241 years for an armed robbery but was eventually given a second chance after changes in the law. The podcast will also discuss the perspectives of victims, their families, prosecutors, defense lawyers, judges, philosophers, psychologists, and even currently incarcerated individuals who have transformed themselves. The goal is to examine the possibility of change and transformation and question our assumptions about the justice system. Our name is Jessica Henry. Welcome to Just Justice. When you think of justice, I'll bet some of you think of solving crimes, finding the bad guys, or gals, and locking them up forever. You've probably heard that's what justice means. But what if I told you that justice doesn't mean forever punishment? What if there's a better way? In Season 1 of Just Justice, we'll be unpacking those ideas. The idea of the quote-unquote bad guy, of what victims want and need, and the whole idea behind long prison sentences. And we'll be looking at second chances for people who've been convicted of all different crimes, from non-violent drug crimes to murder, and everything in between. Take Bobby Bostick. At age 16, he was sentenced to 241 years for an armed robbery in Missouri where no one was seriously injured. While he was in prison, he got his GED, completed every program available to him, and wrote multiple books. He even wrote letters of apology to his victims. The judge who sentenced him changed her mind about his harsh punishment. But it took a change in Missouri state law for Bobby Bostick to get a second chance. After over 25 years in prison, he finally got out in 2022. Today, he devotes himself to making his community a better place. He got a second chance, and he took it. Without that change in law, without that second chance, he'd still be locked up. Would that have been justice? And what about all the people just like Bobby Bostick, who have transformed themselves but who don't have a legal way out? Shouldn't they get an opportunity to show they deserve a second chance? In each episode of Just Justice, we'll peel back the layers and challenge your assumptions about what you feel and why you feel that way about the criminal legal system. Do you believe that people can fundamentally change? Do you believe change even matters when we're talking about people who committed crimes of violence? What would it take for you to give someone a second chance? We'll tackle these questions and so much more. In Just Justice, we'll talk to formerly incarcerated people who were given those second chances, and also to people who were harmed by crime, to victims and their families, and see how they feel about second chances for people who offend. You might be surprised by what you hear. I'm going to rerecord that paragraph. In Just Justice, we'll talk to the formerly incarcerated people who were given those second chances, and also to people who've been harmed by crime, to victims and their families, and we'll see how they feel about second chances for people who offend. You might be surprised by what you hear. We'll look at the people who are thinking through second chances, prosecutors, defense lawyers, judges. We'll explore the ideas of change and transformation with philosophers and psychologists. We'll even talk to people who are still in prison, who have fundamentally changed and who pose virtually no threat to public safety, who are desperately seeking their own second chances. I'm Jessica Henry, and I'll be your host. After years as a public defender and a professor of justice studies, I'm excited to find ways to put justice back into our criminal legal system. Join me for season one as we talk about second chances. See you at Just Justice. Look for us wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.