Search Results for: barbara creel

Friday, August 21, 2015 – Women in the Prison System

The incarceration rate in the United States has risen dramatically in recent decades and the number of women in state and federal prisons is also on the rise. Although men outnumber women in the U.S. prison system, the number of female inmates in recent years has increased at a higher rate than male inmates, according to The Sentencing Project. What issues do Native women face in prison? The Sentencing Project also reports that women serving time in state prisons are more likely to have children than men in state prisons. How does a mother’s incarceration affect a young person? What about Native communities that have women serving time behind bars?

 

Thursday, June 25, 2015 – Life After Prison

Getting out of jail or prison seems like a joyous occasion. Sometimes families gather for some real, home cooked food, hugs, and stories. Some people have no one on the outside waiting and others head to halfway houses. Whether an individual has been behind bars for two years or 20, prison takes its toll and has lasting effects. What do inmates face as they re-enter society? What are some issues that inmates face years later? This is the fourth episode of our prison series.

Guests:

Winona Stevens (Ho-Chunk) – Washington State Department of Corrections Native American religious program manager

“Real Talk Native” James Cross (White Earth Annishinabee and Lower Sioux Mdewakanton) – motivational speaker, re-entry coordinator American Indian Prison Project Working Group

Carlos Rivera (Pomo) – executive director of White Bison

 

Thursday, June 18, 2015 – Loved Ones on the Outside

There are currently over 2 million people incarcerated in the US. But how many more wives, children, fathers and friends are waiting outside? How does incarceration affect the loved ones of prisoners? There can be financial burdens such as a mother or father supporting the whole family on one income. Emotions can also be difficult to manage. Family members may experience grief, anger and other emotional effects when there’s an empty space at the dinner table. How does the incarceration of a parent affect children? What support is available for families as they deal with the incarceration of a loved one? Today’s show is part three of our series on Native Americans in the prison system.

Guests:

Amanda Teller (Navajo) – Loved one

Marletta Pacheco (Rose Bud Sioux Tribe) – founders of the South Dakota Prisoner Support Group

Dr. Jody Becker-Green – Washington Department of Corrections program administrator

 

Thursday, June 11, 2015 – Juvenile Justice in Native America

In 2013, the Indian Law and Order Commission released a report titled “A Roadmap For Making Native America Safer.” One chapter in the report examined how the juvenile justice system is failing Native American youth. Native American youth who find themselves in trouble with the law face a jurisdictional maze in a system that is not created to address juveniles. Some tribes have built their own juvenile detention centers, in order to keep incarcerated youth in the community, but is building more jails the best solution? Is incarceration really the answer to help young people whose crimes may be a result of systemic and long-term trauma? In part two of our series on the prison system, we examine the juvenile justice system in Native America.

Guests:
Addie Rolnick – associate professor of law at the University of Nevada Las Vegas

Kathleen Bliss (Cherokee Nation) – partner at Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith

Mike Guilfoyle (Seneca) – Native American Juvenile Justice Specialist

 

Thursday, June 4, 2015 – Sentencing Disparities in Native America

The rate of Native Americans in federal prison has increased by 27 percent in the last five years, according to reporting from the Wall Street Journal. Because of the special relationship tribes have with the federal government, many crimes committed on Indian Reservations are subject to federal sentencing guidelines. This can create a dramatic difference in the sentences for the same crimes that are handed down to Native Americans. The United States Sentencing Commission created a Tribal Issues Advisory Group to look at the issue of federal sentencing in Indian Country. In this first installment of our 4-part series on prison issues in Native America, we discuss the disparities Native Americans face in federal sentencing. How does this issue impact you or your community? What is needed to create a more equitable sentencing system for Native Americans?

Guests:

Heather Dawn Thompson (Cheyenne River Sioux) – Attorney at Greenburg Traurig

Barbara Creel (Pueblo of Jemez) – professor of law at the University of New Mexico