A Former Supermax Prisoner Shows How Civic Power Can Reach Behind Bars

A Former Supermax Prisoner Shows How Civic Power Can Reach Behind Bars

The DC jail has something most cities don’t: its own elected neighborhood commissioner. That means the people living inside a jail can have a formal liaison to city government, and our guest Harold Cunningham is doing exactly that as the ANC commissioner for the jail. We talk about what it looks like when incarcerated residents organize, document problems, and push concerns about conditions and legislation straight to the DC Council.  Harold’s credibility comes from a life most of us can barely imagine. He spent decades incarcerated, including years in ADX Supermax solitary confinement, where isolation and dehumanization are built into the design. We get into how mental health care breaks down in extreme custody, how a class action lawsuit can force accountability, and why it matters that someone who survived that system is now focused on civic leadership instead of just survival.  We also dig into voting rights in Washington, DC, including the Restore the Vote Act, and what changes when incarcerated people can cast a ballot. We share what it’s like to register voters inside the jail, why so many people start from distrust and apathy, and how education on local issues, candidate platforms, and ranked choice voting can turn “my voice doesn’t matter” into real civic engagement. We close on the bigger goal: building durable political power around reentry housing, jobs for returning citizens, sentencing reform, and ending solitary confinement practices.  If this conversation challenges how you think about democracy, share it with someone who needs to hear it, then subscribe and leave a review so more people can find Voices Unlocked. Follow this podcast so you'll be informed when new episodes are uploaded (twice a month). Meanwhile, read more stories and learn how you can contribute to reform; visit MoreThanOurCrimes [https://morethanourcrimes.org/].

When Security Trumps Care: What Prison Medicine Gets Wrong

The alarms we hear in this conversation aren’t sirens—they’re missed test results, canceled consults, and doors that won’t open after midnight. We pull back the curtain on federal prison healthcare through first‑hand accounts of delayed diagnoses, security protocols that override treatment, and the grinding bureaucracy that turns a simple appointment into a six‑month wait. You’ll hear how a man’s PSA rose from seven to twenty‑four while no one explained what it meant, why biopsies and MRIs require multiple layers of approval and armed escorts, and how even federal medical centers can become places where crises are contained rather than health restored. We talk candidly about culture: custody officers as first responders deciding whether someone is “faking it,” nurses and PAs carrying physician‑level load without the authority to cut through red tape, and lockdowns that freeze sick call when care is needed most. We unpack the staffing crisis—one doctor stretched across multiple facilities, transport teams that don’t materialize, and consults routinely booked half a year out. Through stories of infections ignored, bones healing crooked, and a pillbox that became a labyrinth, we show how policies meant to prevent escapes end up preventing medicine. This isn’t just a catalog of failures; it’s a map to change. We highlight the pressure points that work—direct outreach to the right Bureau of Prisons contacts, documentation that frames delays as liability risks, and legal strategies that move people to treatment faster. We also outline practical reforms: guaranteed access to lab results, medical triage led by clinicians rather than custody, protected staffing for healthcare roles, and performance metrics tied to medically indicated timelines. If you care about public safety, you should care about the care people receive inside; the health that returns home is shaped by what happens behind those walls. Subscribe to stay with us as we amplify voices from inside, share this with someone who thinks delays are harmless, and leave a review with the one reform you’d prioritize first. Your feedback helps push this conversation—and real change—forward. Follow this podcast so you'll be informed when new episodes are uploaded (twice a month). Meanwhile, read more stories and learn how you can contribute to reform; visit MoreThanOurCrimes [https://morethanourcrimes.org/].

Reclaiming 'DC Blacks' And Rethinking Youth Justice

We share how Eyone Williams is reclaiming the name "DC Blacks" and trace how his support network grew from social posts into real connections. We go on to challenge a new push to try DC kids as adults and remove judicial discretion for people under 24. Our stories show how adult prisons teach violence to children and why prevention and second chances work. We explore: • The DC-to-federal prison pipeline. • The early indoctrination of youth on juvenile blocks and in jail. • The myths of the super predator narrative in the media. • Why teens’ impulsivity and environment matter for accountability. • The healing offered by violence interruption, credible messengers and second-look sentencing Follow this podcast so you'll be informed when new episodes are uploaded (twice a month). Meanwhile, read more stories and learn how you can contribute to reform; visit MoreThanOurCrimes [https://morethanourcrimes.org/].

Creative Resistance: How Art Sustains Humanity Behind Bars

Take a journey behind prison walls where artistic expression becomes both sanctuary and act of resistance. In this captivating conversation, artist Kobi Mowatt shares his remarkable story of creating powerful visual art during his 29-year federal prison sentence, revealing how creativity preserved his humanity in an environment designed to suppress it. Kobi's artistic journey began long before incarceration but flourished within confinement where he developed a distinctive style using pastels—a medium chosen specifically because it allowed him to create in his cell rather than designated hobby areas with limited access. "I just disappear from what's going on in the place," Kobi explains, describing how art transported him beyond his physical reality. "Sometimes it'd be five, six hours I'm gone. I'm not even here, I'm inside the painting." More than mere distraction, Kobi's artwork became political commentary and historical documentation. His piece "A Beautiful Rising" reimagined the George Floyd protests with bold imagery challenging systemic oppression, while other works connected struggles in Gaza with global resistance movements. These expressions of solidarity and critique reveal how art functions as resistance—and why prison officials actively work to suppress it through censorship and cell raids. Perhaps most revealing is how society devalues these creative contributions once labeled as "prison art." As Kobi notes, "I didn't want my art to be labeled prison art. I just wanted it to be art." This powerful observation cuts to the heart of how we dismiss human potential behind bars. Co-host Rob Barton puts it plainly: "I'm not exceptional or a unicorn, I'm actually the norm... a lot of the people we advocate for just made mistakes in their life and deserve second chances." Their conversation unveils the extraordinary talent and humanity flourishing despite—or perhaps because of—the harshest circumstances, challenging us to see beyond the label of "prisoner" to the artists, thinkers, and whole persons waiting to be recognized. Follow this podcast so you'll be informed when new episodes are uploaded (twice a month). Meanwhile, read more stories and learn how you can contribute to reform; visit MoreThanOurCrimes [https://morethanourcrimes.org/].

The Power of Hope: How Second Look Laws Change Lives

What happens when a person with a life sentence is suddenly offered the possibility of freedom? Rob Barton entered prison at just 16 with a 30-year-to-life sentence, facing a future he could barely comprehend. Now free after nearly three decades behind bars, he takes us on a revealing journey through the psychology of incarceration and the transformative power of hope. "When you're in a mansion, you live like you're in a mansion, but when you're in the woods, you adapt to the woods," Rob explains, capturing the essence of how prison forces adaptation. Without prospects for freedom, people naturally acclimate to their environment in ways that can work against rehabilitation. The mind-bending reality of prison life creates a parallel culture with its own norms – what Rob calls "bidding" – developing routines that make endless time bearable. The game-changer was DC's Second Look Law, allowing those who entered prison young to petition for release based on rehabilitation after serving 15 years. This legislation created something precious that had been missing: hope. Rob reveals how this hope transformed not just his outlook but the entire prison culture, inspiring people to pursue education and programming they'd previously ignored. Through powerful personal stories and conversations with others still behind bars, Rob exposes the broken promises of the federal parole system, which routinely denies release even when people meet all requirements. The contrast with second-look laws is striking – of approximately 150 people released under DC's law, fewer than a handful have reoffended. Today, Rob describes himself as having transitioned from being "a product of to a creator of" his reality – embodying the core message that people are truly more than their worst mistakes. His story offers compelling evidence that rehabilitation is possible and that society benefits when we provide meaningful pathways to redemption, regardless of the original crime. Join us for this eye-opening conversation that challenges conventional thinking about punishment, rehabilitation, and who deserves a second chance. Subscribe now to support our work advocating for those still behind bars. Follow this podcast so you'll be informed when new episodes are uploaded (twice a month). Meanwhile, read more stories and learn how you can contribute to reform; visit MoreThanOurCrimes [https://morethanourcrimes.org/].