The Problem with Punishment

The Problem with Punishment and IPV

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is still far too common. It's important to end IPV, on that many of us agree. So is punishing people who hurt their intimate partners going to end IPV? What can we do instead? For our final episode of Season One, we discuss with a number of women working in the movement: Judith Clark at the Survivors Justice Project, Kassiel Gonzalez at VIP Mujeres, Purvi Shah and Darlene Torres.

The Problem with Punishment and Immigration

We recorded and edited this episode in spring and summer 2025, during a horrifying effort to punish immigrants. There are ICE raids in Home Depot parking lots. Masked ICE agents are grabbing people who are attending their immigration hearings. Anti-immigrant rhetoric, which has been growing over decades, is reaching a brutal new turning point. We find ourselves asking, what more can we do to keep our communities and neighbors safe? And why are we still trying to punish our way there? In this episode, we speak with Donald Anthonyson, a New Yorker who has spent decades advocating for immigrant rights. We also speak with Yasmine Farhang of the Immigrant Defense Project, Joshua Epstein at Queens Defenders and Rosa Cohen-Cruz from Bronx Defenders. They share insight into the particulars of immigration law right here in New York. How does it impacts each of us? And what we can all do in this moment to protect each other? Full transcript and links at https://www.beyondpunishment.org/problem-with-punishment/ep9-immigration [https://www.beyondpunishment.org/problem-with-punishment/ep9-immigration]

The Problem with Punishing Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a place of both power and vulnerability. For much of human experience, power and decision-making when it came to pregnancy was in the hands of women. It was an issue of health and healing. But no more. These days, we're substituting legal intrusions for health care. Between the racist War on Drugs and the Dobbs decision, there are a lot of things pregnant people can be punished for. In this episode, we speak with Karen Thompson of Pregnancy Justice and jasmine Sankofa of Movement for Family Power about their work. You might remember jasmine from episode 4, the Problem with Punishing Parents. And let's hear from a doctor! We hear a clinical perspective from Dr. Mishka Terplan, an OB-GYN. And Nadia Ben-Youssef, a member of the Justice Beyond Punishment Collaborative, joins us and shares part of her pregnancy story. Full transcript and useful links at https://www.beyondpunishment.org/problem-with-punishment/ep8-pregnancy [https://www.beyondpunishment.org/problem-with-punishment/ep8-pregnancy]

The Problem with Punishment and Homicide

Homicide is a horrifying act of harm. It's an action with permanent consequences. Our stories of homicide almost always define justice as punishment instead of healing. But punishment doesn't bring back the dead. It doesn’t promote healing for families who lose loved ones. And often punishment creates cycles of violence instead of interrupting them. Our host Kathleen lost her brother to homicide when he was 20 years old. For this episode, Kathleen sits down with three amazing humans. Stanley (Jamel) Bellamy, Roslyn Smith, and Rev. Dr. Sharon White-Harrigan have all done decades of work to interrupt harm in their communities. They have all also served time for homicide and spent years reckoning with the impact of their actions.  Together they talk about the limits of punishment for preventing future harm and helping people heal. We also speak with Erika Sasson, an attorney and respected restorative justice practitioner. Erica has facilitated "direct dialogs" between people who have committed homicides and the loved ones of their victims. Full transcript and useful links at https://www.beyondpunishment.org/problem-with-punishment/ep7-homicide [https://www.beyondpunishment.org/problem-with-punishment/ep7-homicide]

The Problem with Punishment and Housing

Shelter is one of our most basic needs - and an international human right. Yet millions of Americans are denied their right to housing. This includes tens of thousands of New Yorkers who have been incarcerated. This makes it even more difficult for them to start anew upon release.  In this episode, we speak with Ashanti, a young woman who experienced incarceration and housing insecurity. Reverend Dr. Sharon White-Harrigan shares her story of looking for housing. Zoni Rockoff, an attorney at Neighborhood Defenders Service, shares the barriers faced by clients she works with. And we always want to talk about what works better. So we speak with Angela Scott-Sheppard. She's the Associate Vice President of Congregate Housing at Fortune Society. Fortune Society runs one of the largest re-entry housing programs in NYC, and shows us there's a better way - and it’s not more punishment.  Full transcript and useful links at https://www.beyondpunishment.org/problem-with-punishment/ep6-housing [https://www.beyondpunishment.org/problem-with-punishment/ep6-housing]