Prison Breakdown

Professors Beck Strah and Eric Bronson discuss a stay of execution in Alabama, and an epidemic of suicide within solitary confinement at Mississippi state prisons. 

The boys take a trip to The Fife & Drum restaurant, a one-of-a-kind culinary program at Northeastern Correctional Center in Concord, MA. Also, Producer Brit reviews Mercy (2026).

Professors Beck Strah and Eric Bronson discuss lenient sentences for inmate sexual assault in New Mexico, a promising new college program in California, and toilet flush limiters in prisons. 

Professors Eric Bronson and Beck Strah discuss Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017).

Professors Beck Strah and Eric Bronson discuss the Louisiana Prison System and Gov. Jeff Landry “tough on crime” policies, as well as a call to remove Michigan's Prison Director due to some deaths at a women's facility. 

Professors Eric Bronson and Beck Strah discuss Steve Buscemi's Animal Factory (2000)

Professors Beck Strah and Eric Bronson discuss a Louisiana Sheriff accused of malfeasance, Bronson's recent student trip to the Angola Prison rodeo, Angola's unfortunate conversion to migrant detention, and a mother's attempt to break her son from prison. 

Professor Beck Strah, Producer Brit, and Media Consultant Spenser Hodge discuss former Subway mascot Jared Fogel, his rise, his media coverage, his cultural impact, his crimes, and of course: his imprisonment. Producer Brit also reviews Crime 101 (2026). Follow Spenser on IG: @numetalkvlt

Professor Beck Strah, Producer Brit, and Media Consultant Spenser Hodge weigh in on a pizza smuggling ring, two deaths at the Dayton Correctional Facility, a Texas court of appeals overturning a death row sentence, Brit's Picks, Beccomendations, and Spenser's Gifts.Follow Spenser on IG: @numetalkvlt

Professors Eric Bronson and Beck Strah discuss The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, the conditions, amenities, training/vocational programs, Ghislaine Maxwell's incarceration, special privileges, universal prisoner amelioration, and The Last Days of American Crime (2020). 

Professors Beck Strah and Eric Bronson discuss an expansion of education in Michigan Prisons, an update on the theoretical reopening of Alcatraz as a prison, and a Chilean Prison Rugby Team.

Professors Eric Bronson and Beck Strah discuss first albums, and Club Fed, including conditions, amenities, the population, prison camps, stratified prison placement, prison consultants, religious accommodations, food, and Carlito's Way (1993).

Professors Beck Strah and Eric Bronson discuss a drone smuggling operation in New York, Marcy Playground, a Gun McGuyver in Washington State, poachers, Afroman's victory in court, a Kansan man arrested for throwing meth over a prison wall, and a correction officer with an itchy pepper spray trigger finger.

Professors Eric Bronson and Beck Strah discuss a fantasy bookball league, Jim Breuer and airport food, New York City prison ships, the politics of prison ships, stinky carceral tactics, celebrity decommissioned ferries, prison ship medical issues, and Song Sung Blue (2025).

Professors Beck Strah and Eric Bronson discuss poor prison healthcare in Arizona, chronic overcrowding in a Washington child prison school, and a January 6th rioter going back to prison.

Professors Beck Strah and Producer Brit discuss prison ships, the carceral state of the United Federation of Planets, the brig, prison hulks, the history of maritime incarceration in Britain, the early history of prison boats in the US, cruise ship act 2 Cool, and Predators (2025).Brought to you by Roger Williams University School of Justice Studies

Professor Beck Strah and Producer Brit discuss an end to gender affirming care in federal prisons, and a Missouri bill to standardize minimum prison terms.

Professor Beck Strah and Producer Brit discuss the critically-acclaimed HBO Documentary The Alabama Solution (2025)

Professor Beck Strah and Producer Brit discuss a maternity program in South Dakota, poor conditions in Mississippi prisons, a bill targeting the mental health of corrections officers, the sentencing of Trump's would-be assassin, and some Brit's Picks and Beckommendations.

Professors Beck Strah and Eric Bronson discuss The Super Bowl, manipulation awareness, inmate manipulation strategies, the us vs. them mentality, the rumor mill, manipulator blackmail, gaslighting, and Night of the Comet (1984).

Professors Beck Strah and Eric Bronson discuss a handmade musical prison performance, Thomas Silverstein, an update on Elizabeth Holmes, and issues in programming at New York State Prison. 

Professors Beck Strah and Eric Bronson discuss being tall, how inmates select their victims of manipulation, secrets between COs and inmates, A Christmas Karen (2022), and stunt spectaculars. 

Professors Eric Bronson and Beck Strah discuss a brawl in a Georgia prison, a North Carolina man buying a prison for the forces of good, a Nevada warden getting fired for a party gone awry, and a mail carrier getting busted for mail theft.

Professors Beck Strah and Eric Bronson discuss the ethics of manipulation, advertising, population control, inmate manipulation, downing a duck, blackmail, totalitarian communities, and Get Santa (2014)

Professors Eric Bronson and Beck Strah discuss smuggling tobacco into a prison, detestable co-workers, and the buried 60 Minutes CECOT report. 

Professor Beck Strah and Producer Brit discuss the made-for-TV movie "The Christmas Star", and, more importantly, who controls the pipes.

Professor Beck Strah and Producer Brit discuss this week's news, including Sam Bankman-Fried acting as a jailhouse lawyer, a loosening of regulations for UK corrections officer retention, and an update on CECOT. Also, Beck's Reccs and Brit's Picks!

Today Professors Eric Bronson and Beck Strah discuss short time, good time, a father and daughter prison dance, God behind bars, and another Louisiana prison escape. 

Professors Eric Bronson and Beck Strah discuss orgies at P Diddy's prison, methods of execution including stoning, beheading, burning, hanging, the electric “old sparky” chair, the gas chamber, lethal injection, firing squad, the 8th amendment, and Wild Things Foursome (2010).

Today Professor Beck Strah and Producer Brit are joined by Dr. Andrew Baranauskas to discuss erroneous prison releases in the UK, ventriloquism in prison including the history of ventriloquism in prisons, Winston Pearson Jr., modern puppet shows, death row ventriloquism shows, Willie Brown, Walter “The Puppetmaster” Taylor, ventriloquism in WWII, a jail owned by a dummy, and Extreme Prejudice (1987) 

Professors Beck Strah and Eric Bronson talk about an update on Burl Cain and the Mississippi DOC, and Mike Tyson, including his early years, his rise in the world of boxing, his crimes, convictions, and prison time. We also discuss Prisoner's Daughter (2022).

Today Producer Brit is taking the lead! With Professors Beck Strah and Eric Bronson, they discuss a final update on the NOLA prison escapees, and Oscar Pistorius, including his childhood, rise in running, murder of his girlfriend and subsequent trials, sentences, and current life. Also, Southern Comfort (1981).

Professors Eric Bronson and Beck Strah discuss updates on the P Diddy sentencing, and the first week of Jocktober! This week we're following jock/felon Aaron Hernandez, including his background, his multiple crimes, his arrests, his imprisonment, his gang activity, his sexuality, and his eventual death, and also Materialists (2025).

Professor Beck Strah and Producer Brit discuss a Beekeeping Prison Program in Massachusetts, the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, mental heath treatment at the prison, crisis response programs, a lawsuit settlement, a former sheriff's indictment, notable inmates in the facility, and Sudden Death (1995).

Today Professor Beck Strah and Producer Brit are joined by Media Expert Spenser! Together, they discuss Joe Bonamassa, karate sex offenders, and Mean Guns (1997)

Professors Beck Strah and Eric Bronson talk more about Alligator Alcatraz, including Steven Miller, oversight of the facility, passing the accountability hot potato, ICE and their increased budget, the facility getting closed down by a judge and the backlash, Johnny Frank Garrett's Last Word (2016), and the final meal of Keith Zettlemoyer

Today Professors Eric Bronson and Beck Strah discuss a CO murder, an update to the NOLA prison escape, Alligator Alcatraz and its origins, funding, construction, maintenance, population, mission, and open corruption, and Unbelievable! (2020)

Today Professor Beck Strah and Producer Brit discuss a man escaping prison via luggage, Prison Break S01E03 “Cell Test”, and Not Another Not Another Movie (2011)

Professors Beck Strah and Eric Bronson discuss firework stands, the one remaining NOLA escapee, the P Diddy convictions, the final public executions, the supreme court and the death penalty, and other major court cases related to the death penalty, and Jaws 3D (1983)

Today Professors Eric Bronson and Beck Strah discuss an update on the NOLA prison escape, R Kelly's medication overdose, and the death penalty, including the first death penalty, Europe and America's historical execution practices, the spectacle of public execution, whitewashing the death penalty, jury nullification, hiding punishment for public image, the electric chair, and Woman of the Hour (2023)

Professors Beck Strah and Eric Bronson discuss updates on the NOLA jail break, chemical castrations in the UK, an 11-day siege at The Walls in Huntsville Texas, the major players, the conclusion, and Do the Right Thing (1989)

Professors Eric Bronson and Beck Strah discuss the recent New Orleans prison break, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Dog's murder charge, Dog's prison sentence, Dog's racism allegations, Pimp C's alleged crime, his prison sentence, Pimp C's prison album, and The Traveling Executioner (1970)

Professors Beck Strah & Eric Bronson discuss optimal muffin russian nesting doll configurations, correctional hiring freezes, reopening Alcatraz, and to close out Movie Maynute: No Escape (1994) and Dinosaur Prison (2023)

Professors Beck Strah and Eric Bronson discuss safety measures on upper galleries of prisons, Stir Crazy (1980), and Escape From New York (1981)

Professors Beck Strah and Eric Bronson discuss Puddy & Peterman, an update on the New York officer strike, a Georgia bill on domestic abuse survivors in prison, “The Walls” Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville, and Jesus Shows you the Way to the Highway (2019)

Professor Beck Strah and Producer Brit discuss photo ops at foreign prisons, Tim Allen going to prison, and Take the Money and RUn (1969)

Professors Eric Bronson and Beck Strah discuss Bronson's recent sick leave, an update to the New York Corrections Strike including a mass firing, hostage situations, including: a hostage situation in Arizona, the punitive nature of life sentences, a hostage situation in St. Louis, It Started With the Hats by Dr. Paul Joyce, and Nickel Boys (2024)

Professor Beck Strah and Producer Brit discuss post office politics, corrections strikes in New York, hostage situations in prison, the psychology of hostage takers, the duration of physical anger, hostage negotiators, negotiation tactics, and Megalopolis (2024)

Professor Beck Strah and Producer Brit discuss the Western Society of Criminology Conference, spraying the vice president's book with drugs, Prison Break Season 1 Episode 2, Milk Chicken, and We Need to Talk about Kevin (2011).

Professors Eric Bronson and Beck Strah discuss inmate firefighters, cat prison programs, rodent control, cat emotions, spaying and neutering programs, screening for cat programs, and A Very Cool Christmas (2004)

Professor Beck Strah and Producer Brit discuss top pies, death row inmates attempting to deny their commutations, prison cat programs, cat program backlash, stray cats, cat placement programs, and Christmas Mail (2010)