You Might Go to Prison with Justin Brooks

Quantum Revolution with Karen Curry Parker

“We’ve been doling out the same punishment for a thousand years.

This concept of prisons… everything else in our society seems to evolve into a better way to do things. But we're doing the same thing we were doing a thousand years ago.

So how can it possibly be the best way to approach things?”

­ - Justin Brooks, today’s guest and author of the new book You Might Go to Prison, Even Though You’re Innocent

Our guests often remind us that we're no longer in a place where we can simply sit and discuss the changes we need to make. We are in dire need of a revolution. In this episode, Justin Brooks, the director and co-founder of the California Innocence Project and author of the new book You Might Go to Prison, Even Though You're Innocent, shares with us deep Insights into a judicial system that is dysfunctional, subjective, racist, and classist.

Did you know that you can be wrongfully convicted if you look like someone else? If you have a bad lawyer? If you're not good at answering questions? If you live in the city or in the country? Or if someone you're close to gets murdered? These are just a handful of reasons why innocent people are often convicted and sent to prison.

Join us as we discuss why innocent people go to jail, what happens to innocent people in jail, and creative ways to disrupt and rebuild our outdated judicial system.

Links

Justin Brooks

Justin Brook's new book, You Might Go to Prison, Even Though You're Innocent: https://www.amazon.com/Might-Prison-Though-Youre-Innocent/dp/0520386833/

The California Innocence Project: https://californiainnocenceproject.org/

Quantum Revolution

For more information and for full transcripts (starting with season 6), please go to our website at https://quantumrevolutionpodcast.com/.

Timestamps:

(0:00-2:35) Introduction to this episode, “You Might Go to Prison with Justin Brooks”, with Karen Curry Parker.

(2:35-3:57) Welcoming Justin Brooks.

(3:57-6:59) What is The California Innocence Project?

(6:59-8:04) How many innocent people has Justin Brooks help exonerate?

(8:04-12:20) What kind of evidence does it take to prove someone is innocent and what does it take to get the innocent person out of prison?

(12:20-14:24) Is our system biased? Is justice blind or are we blind to innocence?

(14:24-19:09) How do we fulfill the intention of the judicial system?

(19:09-21:47) Many of the people in the criminal justice system are there because they are suffering the long-term symptoms of having been abused or injured psychologically during childhood.

(21:47-24:11) Justin’s ability to not succumb to despair with the powerful and difficult work he does every day.

(24:11-26:29) What is Justin’s vision of the criminal justice system in a perfect world?

(26:29-27:35) Thank you from Karen Curry Parker and Justin Brooks.

(27:35-29:31 Outro to this episode, “You Might Go to Prison with Justin Brooks”, with Karen Curry Parker. (29:31-30:13) Outro to the Quantum Revolution Podcast.