In Defense of Flogging w/ Peter Moskos

The title says it all. According to today's guest, former police officer Peter Moskos, the convicted should have a choice of whether to serve prison time or undergo a brutal caning. 

You can get the episode here, or if you haven't iTunes, then here. 

And check out Professor Moskos's works here. 

Community Corrections w/ Edward Latessa

In our second episode on alternatives to incarceration we sit down with Professor Edward Latessa and discuss everything from the ever controversial halfway houses to the ever absurd bootcamps.

You can download the episode here, or if you haven't itunes, then here. 

Probation and Parole w/ Megan Sacks

Given American prisons' overcrowding and expense, judges have increasingly looked for alternatives to incarceration. Probation, or releasing convicts in lieu of serving prison time, has proven especially popular. Professor Megan Sacks, a former probation officer, fills us in on the pluses and perils of probation, the utter failure(s) of parole, and her own work on the front lines.

Listen to the episode here, or if you haven't iTunes, here. 

The Politicization of Punishment w/ Jonathan Simon

In our final episode on mass incarceration in the United States, we speak to Jonathan Simon, among the most influential sociologists currently breathing. According to Professor Simon, all three branches of federal and state government, not to mention us voters, are ultimately responsible for the nation's repressive and wasteful prison system.

You can find the episode here, or if you haven't iTunes, then here.

Also check out Professor Simon's latest work, Governing Through Crime: How the War on Crime Transformed American Democracy and Created a Culture of Fear, here. 

Mass Incarceration w/ Ernest Drucker

The United States, despite its plummeting crime rate, continues to imprison people en masse. According to today's guest, the nation's incarceratory zeal constitutes a literal epidemic, comparable to the AIDS outbreak or the rising rates of obesity. How did we get here? How do we get out? Listen up and find out!

You can download the episode on iTunes here, or, if you haven't iTunes, here.

And make sure to check out Professor Drucker's book, A Plague of Prisons: The Epidemiology of Mass Incarceration in America. 

The Death Penalty w/ David Garland

The United States is the only industrialized Western nation that executes its own citizens. Why is this? Is this a good or a bad thing? In today's episode we explore these questions with Professor David Garland, perhaps the leading expert on capital punishment in the United States.

You can check out the episode on iTunes here, or, if you haven't iTunes, then here. 

Also check out Professor Garland's excellent book on the death penalty, Peculiar Institution: America's Death Penalty in an Age of Abolition, here. And if that isn't enough, why not read Justice John Paul Stevens's review of it? 

Selective Incapacitation w/ Kate Auerhahn

American criminal justice has long concerned itself with finding the most dangerous criminals and separating them from society. The problem with this, according to today's guest, is determining exactly who the most dangerous criminals are. What do Charles Manson and a fellow incarcerated for life for stealing a pizza pie have in common? Listen up and find out!

Listen here on iTunes or, if you do not have iTunes, here. 

Restorative Justice w/ Kim Cook

In the past few years, the idea of restorative justice has gained traction as an alternative theory of punishment. This simple idea involves having offenders and victims meet face to face, and the latter then explaining how he or she has been injured by the former. While opponents of restorative justice have labeled it hopelessly naive, today's guest, Professor Kim Cook, believes restorative justice may be an antidote to needless incarceration.

Listen up here or, if you haven't iTunes here. 

What Hell is Like w/ Edward Fudge

In the second part of our two-part series on Hell, we discuss the different views of what Hell is like. According to Protestant Pastor Edward Fudge, the Bible points in a single direction. Whether you agree, disagree, or don't really have an opinion either way, Pastor Fudge provides excellent insight into how the ultimate punishment is understood by many people today.

You can listen to the podcast here, or here if you do not have iTunes.

You can purchase Pastor Fudge's book, The Fire That Consumes, here.  

Hell's Origins w/ Alan Bernstein

In today's episode we tackle the ultimate punishment of all, none other than Hell. Hell scholar Alan Bernstein discusses how the concept of eternal punishment has varied and evolved throughout European and Middle Eastern history. Our subject may be Hell, but this episode is Heaven to listen to.

You can listen to the episode on iTunes here, or, if you haven't iTunes, here.

Pick up Alan Bernstein's major work, The Formation of Hell, here.