Unincarcerated: The Podcast

The second of a two part series focused on the The Digital Divide, and how the lack of access to meaningful technology adversely affects incarcerated and unincarcerated humans. Produced in partnership with Adam Echelman and the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.

The first of a two part series focused on the The Digital Divide, and how the lack of access to meaningful technology adversely affects incarcerated and unincarcerated humans. Produced in partnership with Adam Echelman and the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.

On Season 2 Episode 6 of Unincarcerated: the Podcast, we have a highly entertaining and informative discussion with Isidoro "Izzy" Rodriguez, award winning Deputy Editor of The Crime Report, one of the nation's leading comprehensive news services based at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. Join Spencer and Vik and Izzy as they explore topics ranging from police misconduct to mass incarceration. The first of many conversations we hope to have with Izzy and The Crime Report! Don't miss it!

On Season 2, Episode 5 of Unincarcerated the Podcast, we sit down with Karen Lee, Chief Executive Officer of Pioneer Human Services. Karen leads one of the nation's largest nonprofit social-enterprise organizations in the United States. Under her leadership, Pioneer successfully operates several revenue-generating businesses that provide living wage jobs to mission-related employees and help fund its mission of empowering people who have been involved in the legal system to build healthy, productive lives. Headquartered in Seattle, Pioneer serves over 10,000 people a year through its diversion, treatment, housing and job training programs. Karen is also a graduate of the University of Washington School of Law and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Listen now.

On Season 2 Episode 4 of Unincarcerated: The Podcast, we sit down with Ginny Burton, a a 49-year-old mother of three. She was born into a world of addiction, alcoholism, violence, crime, and prison. Despite her best efforts of becoming someone respectable, she followed in the footsteps of her parents. Her decisions landed her in jail, prison, psych wards, and the streets. After being arrested multiple times and serving 3 separate prison sentences, she finally made the decision to take control of her life in 2012. For the next nine years, she went back to work, earned scholarships, and returned to school to get a seat at the policy table to help people get what they need when incarcerated. In June of 2021 she graduated from the University of Washington Political Science Department, finishing nearly each quarter on the Dean's or President's list. Ginny's remarkable story is sparking hope in many across the world, creating a belief that change is possible for anyone. Listen now!

On Season 2 Episode 3 of Unincarcerated: The Podcast, we sit down with Quan Huynh, the bestselling author of Sparrow in the Razor Wire: Finding Freedom from Within While Serving a Life . His book was written for men that are doing long or life term sentences, and in it, he shares how he found his freedom years before he was even paroled. He works as the senior post release program manager for Defy Ventures, a non profit helping those with a criminal past transform their lives through the journey of entrepreneurship. After spending twenty-two years in and out of correctional institutions, Quan was paroled from a life sentence in 2015 and created his first company six months later. The following year, he received the Peace Fellowship Award for his work with the Alternatives to Violence Project. Quan has been featured in Entrepreneur, PBS Newshour, Talks at Google, and numerous other publications and podcasts. Don't miss it.

On Season 2, Episode 2 of Unincarcerated: The Podcast, we meet Andre Taylor, the founder and Managing Partner of Career Paths NW. What many people don·t know about Andre is that before he attended both the University of Washington and Jackson State University, there was a time in high school in which he was both captain of the football team as well as the leader of a gang in the Central District of Seattle. Andre discusses how after serving 8 months in a juvenile detention center, he chose a higher path and turned his life around. In addition to his work with Career Paths NW, he now focuses on coaching youth sports, as well as mentorship and economic development for the community. An inspiring story not to be missed.

On Season 2, Episode 1 of Unincarcerated: The Podcast, we sit down with author, actor, and public speaker DJ Verrett to discuss his journey from “life in a maze to an amazing life.” He details his spark of transformation while serving just over a 16 year sentence, and how he has completely revolutionized his post incarceration life to help others still incarcerated, write his book “An Inside Job,” become a motivational speaker, and even star on “Sons of Anarchy.” Don't miss it. To learn more about DJ, visit his website. If you purchase a copy of his book, An Inside Job, from his website, mention Unincarcerated and he will personalize it for you. Also be sure to head over to Audible to get DJ's audio book! To hear more music from Spekulation, visit his Bandcamp page. To learn more about Unincarcerated, visit www.unincarcerated.com.

On Episode 7 of Unincarcerated: The Podcast, Vik and Spencer sit down to interview our podcast host, Cameron J. Collins. The three talk about his work as an attorney, professor, and film producer; the sense of social justice that he derived from his Jesuit education; and so much more. In the process, the listener also gets a behind the scenes look at what makes Cameron, Vik, and Spencer tick, as they talk storytelling, pop culture, and criminal justice. To hear more music from Spekulation, visit his website or his Bandcamp page. To learn more about Unincarcerated, visit www.unincarcerated.com.

On Episode 6 of Unincarcerated: The Podcast, Rachel Kjack sits down to talk about growing up next to the Washington State Penitentiary, being a punk rocker in the corporate world, her work in prison education, and so much more. Tune in now! To hear more music from Spekulation, visit his website or his Bandcamp page. To learn more about Unincarcerated, visit www.unincarcerated.com.

On Episode 5 of Unincarcerated: The Podcast, David Israel sits down to talk about his passion for criminal justice reform, creating several successful business empires, serving time for a crime he did not commit, and so much more. You do not want to miss this absolutely incredible story of perseverance in the face of adversity.   To hear more music from Spekulation, visit his website or his Bandcamp page. To learn more about Unincarcerated, visit www.unincarcerated.com.

On Episode 4 of Unincarcerated: The Podcast, Korey Pollard sits down to talk accidentally finding himself starring in a major motion picture, becoming a fixture in mainstream Hollywood, fighting addiction, and so much more. A must listen for everyone! To hear more music from Spekulation, visit his website or his Bandcamp page. To learn more about Unincarcerated, visit www.unincarcerated.com.

On Episode 3 of Unincarcerated: The Podcast, Spencer Oberg sits down to talk about his path through the criminal justice system; changing his life while on the inside; becoming an extremely successful entrepreneur, speaker, and thought leader; and so much more. Listen now! To hear more music from Spekulation, visit his website or his Bandcamp page. To learn more about Unincarcerated, visit www.unincarcerated.com.

On Episode 2 of Unincarcerated: The Podcast, Co-Founder Vik Chopra sits down to talk about his path of redemption from felon to filmmaker. In the process, he discusses how addiction nearly stole his life from him, how prison ended up saving it, how sobriety keeps him driven, and so much more. Don’t miss it! To hear more music from Spekulation, visit his website or his Bandcamp page. To learn more about Unincarcerated, visit www.unincarcerated.com.

On Episode 1 of Unincarcerated: The Podcast, Co-Founders Vik Chopra and Spencer Oberg sit down to talk about where the idea for Unincarcerated came from, how their time in prison pushed them to become better people, and the vision for what the company will become. It is a unique look behind how Unincarcerated is seeking to shift the collective consciousness from fear and intolerance to hope and redemption by humanizing those who were previously in bondage. To hear more music from Spekulation, visit his website or his Bandcamp page. To learn more about Unincarcerated, visit www.unincarcerated.com.