Unprisoned

Series produced by Eve Abrams

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Unprisoned is a Peabody-nominated radio show and podcast that tells stories at the intersection of human lives and the criminal legal system. These are the stories behind the statistics: the ways our families, neighborhoods, and notions of justice are impacted by mass incarceration. How are we serving time outside?

From New Orleans, Louisiana, known as the world's incarceration capital, Unprisoned tells stories that amplify the voices of those most directly impacted by our criminal legal system.

In Season 1 (which was nominated for a Peabody Award and received a Gabriel Award, a New Orleans Press Club Award, and the Emery a. Brownell Award), 14 mini-documentaries provide windows into the criminal legal system from different vantage points. These stories come from the perspectives of those who are forced into using this sprawling system, from their family members, allies, and neighbors, as well as from returning citizens and those who feel the ripples of mass incarceration in their day-today lives.

Season 1.5 is comprised of three profiles of three New Orleans Superheroes: a judge, a student, and a police officer.

Season 2 of Unprisoned (released July 2020) is comprised of 7 stories which interrogate the myths we hold about our criminal legal system.

Unprisoned's Lead Producer is Eve Abrams. Unprisoned's editors are Katy Reckdahl and Viki Merrick. Theme music is by Greg Schatz. Cheryl Gerber is Unprisoned's photographer. Merle Cooper and Maria Hinds created original artwork for Season 2. Hide full description

From New Orleans, Louisiana, known as the world's incarceration capital, Unprisoned tells stories that amplify the voices of those most directly impacted by our criminal legal system. In Season 1 (which was nominated for a Peabody Award and received a Gabriel Award, a New Orleans Press Club Award, and the Emery a. Brownell Award), 14 mini-documentaries provide windows into the criminal legal system from different vantage points. These stories come from the perspectives of those who are forced into using this sprawling system, from their family members, allies, and neighbors, as well as from returning citizens and those who feel the ripples of mass incarceration in their day-today lives.Season 1.5 is comprised of three profiles of three New Orleans Superheroes: a judge, a student, and a... Show full description


27 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
People who've served time are being left out of voting
From: Eve Abrams
Series: Unprisoned
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Season 1, Episode 1 Louisiana, unlike many of its Deep South neighbors, restores voting rights to citizens with felony convictions after they have...

Bought by PRX Remix


  • Added: Jul 28, 2020
  • Length: 06:15
  • Purchases: 1
For many in New Orleans, Municipal Court is the gateway to the criminal legal system
From: Eve Abrams
Series: Unprisoned
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Season 1, Episode 2 The United States has five percent of the world’s population, but over 25 percent of its prisoners. We imprison more people t...

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  • Added: Jul 28, 2020
  • Length: 09:05
  • Purchases: 1
With so many homeless caught up in the criminal legal system, New Orleans holds court at a shelter
From: Eve Abrams
Series: Unprisoned
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Season 1, Episode 3 Last episode, we learned about Louisiana's largest criminal court, New Orleans' Municipal Court. This time we follow Municipal...

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  • Added: Jul 28, 2020
  • Length: 09:06
  • Purchases: 1
If you pass through New Orleans courts, innocent or not, you still have to pay
From: Eve Abrams
Series: Unprisoned
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Season 1, Episode 4 The way our criminal justice system works, there’s a significant cost to just being accused of a crime. Innocent or not, one w...

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  • Added: Jul 28, 2020
  • Length: 07:20
  • Purchases: 1
Black families in New Orleans live in constant fear of having their young men put in jail
From: Eve Abrams
Series: Unprisoned
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Season 1 Episode 5 Louisiana is the world's incarceration capital. That means more families in Louisiana have a loved one behind bars than in any ...

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  • Added: Jul 28, 2020
  • Length: 09:21
  • Purchases: 1
This Louisiana mother waits, and paints, and strives to free her son
From: Eve Abrams
Series: Unprisoned
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Season 1, Episode 6 What do you do when a member of your family is locked up for a crime you are sure he didn’t commit? Sheila Phipps paints. She...

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  • Added: Jul 28, 2020
  • Length: 09:20
  • Purchases: 1
A New Orleans rabbi and her congregants are starting new conversations about mass incarceration
From: Eve Abrams
Series: Unprisoned
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Season 1, Episode 7 Congregants at a New Orleans synagogue study and educate themselves about mass incarceration and form bonds with formerly inca...

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  • Added: Jul 28, 2020
  • Length: 08:16
  • Purchases: 1
Jahi Salaam, A Young New Orleans Poet, Raps About Prison, School And Poverty
From: Eve Abrams
Series: Unprisoned
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Season 1, Episode 8 Jahi Salaam is an 18-year-old rapper and a poet from New Orleans. His first name, Jahi, means dignity in Swahili. His last nam...

  • Added: Jul 28, 2020
  • Length: 09:26
These young New Orleans dancers want the police to know they are not a threat
From: Eve Abrams
Series: Unprisoned
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Season 1 Episode 9 A dance troupe of young, Black, male teens express their fear and anxiety about police and how the police might potentially vie...

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  • Added: Jul 29, 2020
  • Length: 09:14
  • Purchases: 1
Security and Discipline in New Orleans Charter Schools Make Many Students Feel Unsafe
From: Eve Abrams
Series: Unprisoned
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Season 1, Episode 10 Asha Lane, a senior at one of New Orleans' high schools (all of which are charter schools) investigates why security and disc...

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  • Added: Jul 29, 2020
  • Length: 09:26
  • Purchases: 1
What does "adult" mean in the eyes of the law? In Louisiana, many work to change the answer.
From: Eve Abrams
Series: Unprisoned
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Season 1, Episode 11 The legal system operates very differently for juveniles and for adults. Yet the age at which a person is considered an adult...

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  • Added: Jul 29, 2020
  • Length: 09:20
  • Purchases: 1
As New Orleans Incarcerates More People, More Children Have a Parent Behind Bars
From: Eve Abrams
Series: Unprisoned
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Season 1, Episode 12 Over the last forty years, as incarceration has surged across the nation, so has the number of children with a family member...

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  • Added: Jul 29, 2020
  • Length: 09:20
  • Purchases: 1
A Family Rallies Around Their Brother As He Leaves Prison Yet Again
From: Eve Abrams
Series: Unprisoned
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Season 1, Episode 13 In nearly every state, prison populations have exploded -- in large part, because of drug laws and the people, like Manny Hil...

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  • Added: Jul 29, 2020
  • Length: 09:20
  • Purchases: 1
How are the record number of people returning from Louisiana prisons making their way in the world?
From: Eve Abrams
Series: Unprisoned
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Season 1, Episode 14 Here’s what it’s like when you’re released from prison. You’re given a $20 debit card and a bus ride home. You need housing, ...

  • Added: Jul 29, 2020
  • Length: 09:21
Defying the Odds, This Young Woman Recovers From a Childhood Police Trauma
From: Eve Abrams
Series: Unprisoned
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Season 1.5, Episode 1 Being mistreated by the police, or seeing a family member mistreated by the police is traumatic, and it can cause lasting pr...

Bought by KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio


  • Added: Jul 29, 2020
  • Length: 10:59
  • Purchases: 1
Pioneering Female Police Officer Repaired Bonds Through Talent Shows
From: Eve Abrams
Series: Unprisoned
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Season 1.5, Episode 2 In 1968, Yvonne Bechet became one of the first female police officers in New Orleans. She was also the first African America...

Bought by KBUT Crested Butte, Colo.


  • Added: Jul 29, 2020
  • Length: 11:41
  • Purchases: 1
This "Bad Child" Became a Judge With a Passion for Justice, Poetry, and Decency
From: Eve Abrams
Series: Unprisoned
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Season 1.5, Episode 3 Retried Judge Calvin Johnson was a lot of firsts, including the first elected African American judge in New Orleans. Johnso...

  • Added: Jul 29, 2020
  • Length: 11:51
The Myth Justice is Blind to Money, Part 1: The People
From: Eve Abrams
Series: Unprisoned
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Season 2, Episode 1 Season 2 of Unprisoned interrogates some of the myths we hold about our criminal legal system. We start with a big myth: about...

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  • Added: Jul 29, 2020
  • Length: 14:35
  • Purchases: 1
The Myth Justice is Blind to Money, Part 2: The System
From: Eve Abrams
Series: Unprisoned
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Season 2, Episode 2 Part 2 of The Myth Justice is Blind to Money looks at one prior attempt to get rid of money bail, and how this attempt was thw...

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  • Added: Jul 29, 2020
  • Length: 10:05
  • Purchases: 1
The Myth Justice is Blind to Money, Part 3: The City
From: Eve Abrams
Series: Unprisoned
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Season 2, Part 3 The Myth Justice is Blind to Money, Part 3 investigates the impact of the Federal Court’s involvement in Orleans Parish’s practic...

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  • Added: Jul 29, 2020
  • Length: 14:42
  • Purchases: 1