Criminal Justice Conversations with David Onek - Podcast

Laura Faer, the Education Rights Director for the Public Counsel Law Center, talks with host David Onek about the movement to reform California’s broken school discipline process.

Actress Sonja Sohn, known for her role on the HBO series The Wire, talks with host David Onek about her work as co-founder of Rewired for Change, a nonprofit supporting at-risk youth in Baltimore. She also discusses how her personal life has shaped her commitment to ending children’s exposure to violence, the power of leveraging celebrity to fuel social change and much more.

Nancy Mullane, author of Life After Murder: Five Men in Search of Redemption, discusses the stories of five men at San Quentin prison convicted of murder and then released on parole, how she built trust with these men, the Governor’s unique role in California’s parole process, the extremely low recidivism rates for paroled murderers, and more.

Paul Ekman, UCSF Professor Emeritus of Psychology, discusses how his research on facial expressions and emotions can improve public safety, the criticism he has received from colleagues for working with law enforcement, his discussions with the Dalai Lama about forgiveness and responsibility, the pros and cons of having his work portrayed on the TV show “Lie to Me,” and more.

Santa Cruz Chief Probation Officer Scott MacDonald discusses reducing racial disparities in the juvenile justice system, partnering with the community, using data to drive decision-making, sustaining reforms through leadership transitions, and more.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Wendy Lindley discusses her innovative Combat Veterans court, overcoming the initial resistance of other judges to collaborative courts, providing “one-stop” services at the courthouse, and how collaborative courts can make us safer.

Joyce Hicks, Executive Director of the San Francisco Office of Citizen Complaints (OCC), discusses San Francisco’s strong police oversight model, the OCC’s innovative mediation program, working with police unions, the investigative and auditor models of police oversight, and more. 

Connie Rice, Co-Director of the Advancement Project, discusses how she got involved in gang prevention work, her efforts to reform the Los Angeles Police Department through both lawsuits and collaboration, her partnership with former LAPD Chief Bill Bratton, an innovative life skills program in LA’s jails, and more. 

San Francisco Chief Adult Probation Officer Wendy Still discusses the importance of building partnerships with city agencies and community-based organizations, San Francisco’s plans to increase services as part of criminal justice realignment, the unique needs of female offenders, opportunities for women in the criminal justice field, and more.

Stanford Law Professor Joan Petersilia discusses the realignment of California’s criminal justice system, realignment’s impact on county jails, the need for comprehensive realignment research and analysis, and the importance of researcher-practitioner partnerships.

Greg Berman, Director of the Center for Court Innovation, discusses the creation of the Midtown Community Court, the importance of tailoring reform efforts to the needs of the communities involved, the different ways that criminal justice reforms can fail, procedural justice, and more.

Javier Stauring, Co-Director of the Office of Restorative Justice of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, discusses his experience ministering to incarcerated youth and their families, the pros and cons of closing California’s Division of Juvenile Justice, the power of restorative justice, his efforts to end life without parole for juveniles, and more.

Gena Castro Rodriguez, Executive Director of the Youth Justice Institute, discusses the unique needs of girls in the juvenile justice system, using her direct service experience to inform policy debates, partnering effectively with probation departments, using data to improve programming, and more.

Alameda County Chief Probation Officer David Muhammad discusses California's criminal justice realignment, his efforts to reform Washington, DC's juvenile justice system, the importance of building community partnerships, how he went from being a youth on probation in Oakland to the Chief Probation Officer, and more.

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeffrey Rosen discusses creating a Conviction Integrity Unit to investigate past cases with alleged misconduct and provide training to prevent future misconduct, his new policy on medical marijuana dispensaries, the importance of transparency in officer-involved shooting investigations, and more.