After a short hiatus, the web radio show is back and is starting at a new time.  Makeba and I will be hosting the next show on Wednesday, June 24 at 9 p.m.  We’ll be talking to Dr. Harland Kessaris, a psychologist who specializes in reintegration into family life following a prison term.  You may remember Dr. Kessaris from an interview he did with Tiffany Garlic last year around the holidays.  We decided to bring him back to talk about what families can do to cope with the loss of a loved one to the prison system and how the family on the outside can reconnect with a loved one behind bars.  He will also talk about both family and social dynamics and what formerly incarcerated individuals can do to reintegrate into family life.

Listen live online at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/familylifebehindbars or by calling (347) 326-9981.  We definitely want this to be an audience driven discussion so we highly encourage you to call in to ask Dr. Kessaris your question.  If you would like advice or have a question during the show, simply dial (347) 326-9981, press 1 on your phone and wait to be patched in.  Keep in mind that the number is a New York number so your phone company may charge long distance fees.  If you would like a question asked during the show, please leave your question in the comment section below and I will be sure to get it answered.

UPDATE: We have added another guest for tomorrow nights show and his name is Darryl King.  King served over 20 years behind bars and was released in 1993.  He’ll be talking about his transition from the cell to society and the struggles he had to overcome.

On Monday, June 1 at 9 p.m., Makeba and I will be hosting a very special show.  We will be speaking to Mark S. La Spisa, financial advisor, President and co-founder of Vermillion Financial Advisors Inc. (VFA).  We’ll be asking La Spisa to share his financial expertise and answer the questions that matter to you most, including:

• * Financial advice for families with at least one incarcerated family member
• * Money saving tips for families with at least one incarcerated family member
• * Financial planning for families with an incarcerated family member
• * Financial tips for recently released individuals
• * Money saving tips for recently released individuals

Though La Spisa normally advises clients with wealth in excess of $1 million, he has personal experience with advising his own family.  After La Spisa’s cousin was locked up and sentenced to 10 years in prison for cocaine possession, his mother (La Spisa’s aunt) was left with no income.  Forced to deal with the reality of starting over financial, La Spisa gave her financial advice and assisted her with finding public assistance and community programs aimed at assiting low-income families.

We anticipate this show being highly informative so we strongly encourage you listen live online at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/familylifebehindbars or by calling (347) 326-9981.

If you have a question about finances or would like financial advice, simply dial (347) 326-9981, press 1 on your phone, and wait to be patched in.  Keep in mind that the number is a New York number so your phone company may charge long distance fees.

If you already have a financial related question that you would like answered, please leave it in the comments section below and we’ll be sure to address it during the show.  If you have comments, suggestions, or topics for future shows, please leave those in the comments section below too.

Monday’s show started at its new time, 9 p.m., and it proved to be a better hour.  We had more listeners and even had a caller comment.  During the show, Makeba and I spoke with Chandra Villanueva, the author of the Women’s Prison Association (WPA) new report on prison nursery programs.  While Villanueva spoke fairly in-depth about the report’s findings, if you want to check it out for yourself, click the New Report: Mothers, Infants and Imprisonment on the WPA website.

We were also joined by Tina Reynolds, founder of Women on the Rise Telling HerStory (WORTH), who spoke about her thoughts on the report and her personal experience with having a child while incarcerated.

Listen live below and as always, please leave your comments and suggestions below.

*If you would like more information about WPA, check out their site or call 646-336-6100.

Web Radio: May 11 at 9pm

Next week’s show will be starting at a new time: 9:00 p.m. We choose this time in hopes that more people will be able to listen live and call in.  This Monday, May 11th, Makeba and I will be talking to
Chandra Villanueva, a Policy Associate at the Women’s Prison Association (WPA) and author of WPA’s new report on prison nursery programs. The report, which is a comprehensive look at prison nursery centers across the country, is due out on Monday, a day after Mother’s Day.

We’ll be talking to Villanueva about the results from the report, why it matters, and what it means in terms of new policies and potential effects on the prison system.

We’ll also be joined by Tina Reynolds, founder of Women on the Rise Telling HerStory (WORTH), an
association of women who have been empowered by personal experiences to advocate for policy changes that create barriers for women and their families during and after incarceration.

Reynolds herself was formerly incarcerated and gave birth in a prison nursery. We’ll be talking to her about her experience, how WORTH has worked to change public perceptions of incarcerated or formerly incarcerated women, and what this new report means for mothers who have been imprisoned.

This will be an interesting and informative conversation so we hope that you tune in on Monday May 11th at 9:00 p.m.

You can listen online at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/familylifebehindbars or by calling (347) 326-9981. If you have a comment or question during the show (which we hope you do!), press 1 on your phone, and wait to be patched in. Keep in mind that the phone number is a New York number and your phone company will charge you for long distance calling.

As always, we welcome your comments, suggestions for guests and/or topics for future programs so please share those in the comment section below.

Photo by Nicole Bengiveno/The New York Times

Last evening, Makeba and I hosted another edition of Family Life Behind Bars radio.  I started things off by speaking to Bobby Blanchard, the Director of The Children’s Center at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility.  She spoke about the program, how it helps to sustain the relationship between the mother and child, and the obstacles presented by the prison system that both the mothers and their children face.

Next, we brought in Linda Moro, the Teen Director of the center to talk about the type of the issues that teens there face, and how the center goes about addressing them.

Johnathan Santiago, 22 talked about his personal experience with growing up with an incarcerated mother who’s serving a 25 year sentence at Bedford Hills.  Hear what he had to say about the center, how he’s been able to sustain a relationship with his mother, and how he refused to succumb to the same circumstances.

Please share your thoughts, comments, and suggestions in the comments section below.

Terrence Stevens, In Arms Reach

Makeba was out so I hosted the show last night solo.  I kicked things off with the Program Director of In Arms Reach, Sharieff Clayton.  He was released two years ago after serving 15 years behind bars.

Not only did he talk about the program, a non-profit organization that serves children of incarcerated parents, but he shared what it was like to be locked up, watching his kids grow into teenagers before being release.  He spoke candidly about the difficulty of building a relationship with his own kids, as well as the animosity and abandonment that many of the children he works with feels when their parent is behind bars.

Terrence Stevens, the Founder and Executive Director of In Arms Reach followed.  He talked about his own experience with being locked up while bound to a wheelchair, and how he came to found the program.

Stevens and Clayton offered advice to kids dealing with issues stemming from their parents being locked up, as well as how to keep from falling into the cycle of incarceration.

Listen now to hear what you missed!  As always, please share your thoughts about the show in the comments section.  Feel free to offer suggestions for future shows as well.

Terrence Stevens

We took a short break but now we’re back with the third installment of the Family Life Behind Bars radio show.  On Monday, April 20, Makeba and I will be talking to Terrence Stevens, the Executive Director of In Arms Reach, Inc., a non-profit art, music, prison visitation and educational mentoring organization that serves youth ages 7 to 18 whose parents are or were formerly incarcerated.  We’ll also be speaking to a staff member from the organization.

Stevens, who was confined to a wheelchair as a teenager and is paralyzed from the neck down, suffers from muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder that gradually weakens the body’s muscles.  In 1993, Stevens was convicted of possessing 5.5 ounces of cocaine and was sentenced to 15 years to life under the Rockefeller Drug Laws.

Stevens was granted clemency by former Gov. George Pataki after serving 8 years of his sentence behind bars and bound to a wheelchair.  Since then, Stevens, also known as “T-Wheels,”  has committed his life to fighting the Rockefeller Drug Laws and working with children of incarcerated parents.  We’ll be talking to Stevens about his amazing story of resilience and triumph, as well as his quest to fight the Rockefeller Drug Laws in light of its recent repeal.

We’ll also be talking with Stevens about how he’s been able to employ artists like Saigon, Trey Songz, Fat Joe and John Forte to help deliver his message.

Be sure to tune in on Monday and call up to comment or ask a question during the show.  Just dial (347) 326-9981, press 1 on your phone, and wait to be patched in.  Keep in mind that the phone number is a New York number and your phone company will charge you for long distance calling.

You can also listen to the show over the internet at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/familylifebehindbars.

As always, we hope you listen live!  We also welcome your suggestions for guests and topics for future programs so please share those in the comment section below.

Makeba and I will be hosting the second web radio show on Monday, March 30 at 6:30 p.m. EST.  Our first guest is Caitlin Dunklee, a representative from the “Drop the Rock” campaign. Dunklee works with The Correctional Association of New York, an independent, non-profit organization that works to make laws in New York State more fair, efficient and humane.

We’ll be asking Dunklee about the “Drop the Rock” campaign, the recent protests to press the NY state lawmakers to repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws, and what we can expect from the criminal justice system going forward. 

We’ll also be speaking to a formerly incarcerated person sentenced under the Rockefeller Drug Laws.

We expect a dynamic discussion so please flood the lines with your comments and questions about this issue.  Please listen live on your phones or over the Internet. To listen to the show on your phone, dial (347) 326-9981. When you have a question, just press 1 on your phone. Keep in mind that the phone number is a New York number and your phone company will charge you for long distance calling.

If you are not in the area and don’t want to call long distance, you can listen to the show at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/familylifebehindbars.

We hope you tune in!  And as always, we welcome your suggestions for guests and topics for future programs. Please share those in the comments section below.

Family Life Behind Bars just completed its second year of publication. I hope that you have found the stories of individual lives, the columns and the tips useful in dealing with the separation you are facing from a loved one who is incarcerated.

The project was fortunate to receive technical and editorial support from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and funding from J-Lab’s New Voices grant (which is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation). Much of what you see on the site could not have been produced without this support.

The New Voices grant allowed me to purchase equipment that I use in the media training workshops for community members who have been affected by incarceration and to pay the community columnists for their work.

The grant came with a challenge, however. I must raise $5,000 from the public in order to receive the final $5,000 installment from the Knight Foundation.

So I ask you for your generous support. Your donation is tax-deductable.

I must admit that I am not a fundraiser. I am happiest publishing the stories that so many families and individuals have been kind enough to share with us on the site and working with my students who are dedicated to accurately reporting pieces that might help clarify issues around incarceration. But I must also be a fundraiser to be able to continue publishing Family Life Behind Bars.

I know times are tough for everyone because of the free falling economy. But if you have found this site useful and relevant, please consider making a tax-deductible donation. No amount is too small!

Donating is easy and takes just a few minutes. Please click on the “Donation” right now. You do not need a Paypal account to make a donation.

Thank you for your support.

Sandeep Junnarkar
Founder & Editorial Director
Family Life Behind Bars

Makeba and I kicked off the inaugural web radio show yesterday. Our guest was Sharon B. Content, the founder and CEO of Children of Promise, NYC. 

During the show I talked to Makeba about her own experience growing up with an incarcerated mother and her involvement with Lives in Focus.  We also discussed the misconceptions that some people have of children with incarcerated parents.

Content offered her own expertise, discussing the role of her organization and ways of breaking the cycle of incarceration.  Listen to the show below to hear what you missed.  We welcome feedback and suggestions for future shows so please leave a comment below.