Ailsa Chang from NPR hosted Lawrence Bartley, a formerly incarcerated journalist and the Host and Executive Producer of a new series called "Inside Story. The project is in partnership with Vice News and The Marshall Project.
Bartley was incarcerated at just 17 years old and served 27 years in prison for multiple convictions, including murder. This experience motivated him to report on the criminal justice system and gave him the idea to create a weekly show, airing inside prisons and jails in 48 states.
The series encourages people to think critically about the way society treats people who are incarcerated, and it provides hope by featuring formerly incarcerated people who have gone on to lead productive lives.
Correctional facilities cannot exert editorial control over the content of the series. However, some have tried to block it from airing. Bartley hopes that people in power will look at the content of the series and make changes to their facilities if needed.
Check out the NPR interview with Lawrence Bartley. It's well worth an 8-minute listen:
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