POPULARITY
Today's episode builds on some previous conversations we've had on the podcast. In today's episode I am joined by the authors of Break Every Yoke: Religion, Justice and the Abolition of Prisons, Joshua Dubler and Dr. Vincent Lloyd. Break Every Yoke masterfully presents all of the materials needed to paint on the canvas that is alternatives to incarceration and they do so through tying in religion as one of the drivers for prison abolition. More on my guests: Dr. Joshua Dubler is an associate professor of Religion at the University of Rochester, where he directs the Rochester Education Justice Initiative, which fosters higher educational opportunities for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students in the Rochester area. He is author of Down in the Chapel: Religious Life in an American Prison, and co-author, with Vincent Lloyd, of Break Every Yoke: Religion, Justice, and the Abolition of Prisons. Dr. Vincent Lloyd is a professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University, where he directs the Center for Political Theology and previously directed the Africana Studies Program. His most recent book is Black Dignity: The Struggle Against Domination, published by Yale University Press in 2022. Isaiah 58:6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?" Instagram Website
Joining me this week to talk about abolitionism and religion are the authors of Break Every Yoke: Religion, Justice, and the Abolition of Prisons (buy here). Joshua is the associated professor of religion and director of the Rochester Education Justice Initiative at the University of Rochester (faculty bio). Vincent is an associate professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University, where he directs the Villanova Political Theology Project (faculty bio). RELATED CONTENT Justin Giboney at CLSNC 2012 (Special Episode). Ministry of Presence (Episode # 125) The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible. Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
This episode of A People's Theology is sponsored by United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. Receive a $1,000 scholarship when you apply and are admitted: unitedseminary.edu/apeoplestheology Mason chats with Joshua Dubler and Vincent Lloyd about their book, Break Every Yoke: Religion, Justice, and the Abolition of Prisons. They chat about how religion has been used to create mass incarceration, how religion has been used to abolish prisons, and much more. Guest Bios: Joshua Dubler is Assistant Professor of Religion at the University of Rochester. Vincent Lloyd is Associate Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University. Get connected to Mason: masonmennenga.com Patreon: patreon.com/masonmennenga Twitter: @masonmennenga Facebook: facebook.com/mason.mennenga Instagram: masonmennenga Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Americans have always thought hard about how to prevent crime and bring about justice, with the desire to create a flourishing society. The prison system is a critical part of the punishment and rehabilitation system in the United States, which has the largest prison population in the world and the highest per capita incarceration rate. Because of this and other reasons, there are often calls for "prison reform", as is the case today. As the country goes about this work, and because religious thought has always been part of the "crime and punishment" discussion in America, the Museum thought it would be helpful to better understand how religion has played a part in the development of the United States prison system over its history. This afternoon we have a fantastic panel of scholars who will, in an hour!, help us do this, or at least scratch the surface! Dr. Vincent Lloyd is an Associate Professor of Christian Ethics and Theories & Methods of Culture, Director of Africana Studies at Villanova University, and co-author with Joshua Dubler, of Break Every Yoke: Religion, Justice and the Abolition of Prisons. Dr. Jennifer Graber is a Professor in the History of Christianity and Interim Director of Native American and Indigenous Studies at the University of Texas at Austin and author of The Furnace of Affliction: Prisons and Religion in Antebellum America. Dr. Andrew Skotnicki is a Professor of Religious Studies at Manhattan College and author of Conversion and the Rehabilitation of the Penal System: A Theological Rereading of Criminal Justice and of the forthcoming book Mental Illness, Prophecy and Incarceration: Injustice, Insight and Insanity.
In this episode of Assembly, Zac and Amaryah discuss prison abolition and religion with Joshua Dubler and Vincent Lloyd, authors of the recent book "Break Every Yoke:Religion, Justice, and the Abolition of Prisons." Among other things, they discuss what to do now that prison abolition has drawn greater attention from mainstream media and religion's role in prison abolitionism.
In this episode of Assembly, Zac and Amaryah discuss prison abolition and religion with Joshua Dubler and Vincent Lloyd, authors of the recent book "Break Every Yoke:Religion, Justice, and the Abolition of Prisons." Among other things, they discuss what to do now that prison abolition has drawn greater attention from mainstream media and religion's role in prison abolitionism.
Joshua Dubler, professor of religion at the University of Rochester and director of the Rochester Education Justice Initiative, joins Professor Fannie Bialek and Raviv to discuss guilt, the unique status of the Ten Commandments within Jewish law, and how this relates to prison abolition. We also discuss the significance of the names given to Moses and Zipporah's sons.
Air Date: 10/22/2019 Today we take a look at why the concept of prison abolition isn’t as scary as it sounds, the answer to the question of what would replace prisons and why you’re wrong for even asking that in the first place. Be part of the show! Leave a message at 202-999-3991 EPISODE SPONSORS: BetterHelp.com/BOTL | Madison-Reed.com (Promo Code: LEFT) | Clean Choice Energy SHOP AMAZON: Amazon USA | Amazon CA | Amazon UK MEMBERSHIP ON PATREON (Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content) SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Mariame Kaba and Prison Abolition Part 1 - Justice in America with Josie Duffy Rice and Clint Smith - Air Date 3-20-19 Mariame Kaba discusses prisons, justice and the systems in place that do more harm than good. Ch. 2: Future of Abolition with Marc Lamont Hill, Michelle Alexander and Vonya Quarles Part 1 - Making Contact - Air Date 1-30-19 Marc, Michelle and Vonya discuss the mass incarceration state and what actions are needed to change our systems. Ch. 3: Mariame Kaba and Prison Abolition Part 2 - Justice in America with Josie Duffy Rice and Clint Smith - Air Date 3-20-19 Mariame Kaba discusses prisons, justice and the systems in place that do more harm than good. Ch. 4: Is Prison Abolition Possible with Osyris Antham, Mariame Kaba, Joshua Dubler and Victoria Law Part 1 - News Beat - Air Date 12-20-18 Prisons on America are massive, and mass incarceration is a system of control. Ch. 5: Future of Abolition with Marc Lamont Hill, Michelle Alexander and Vonya Quarles Part 2 - Making Contact - Air Date 1-30-19 Marc, Michelle and Vonya discuss the mass incarceration state and what actions are needed to change our systems. Ch. 6: Is Prison Abolition Possible with Osyris Antham, Mariame Kaba, Joshua Dubler and Victoria Law Part 2 - News Beat - Air Date 12-20-18 Prisons on America are massive, and mass incarceration is a system of control. Ch. 7: Carceral Abolition or Reconfiguration with Colleen Hackett and Ben Turk - This Is Hell - Air Date 3-27-19 Elites like to think they are making progress with small steps towards justice, but we have been criminalized black lives for centuries under white supremacy, tweaking and reforming isn't going to accomplish anything. VOICEMAILS Ch. 8: Show more important than privacy - David from Gaithersberg FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 9: Final comments explaining the coming fiscal cliff the show faces EDUCATE YOURSELF & SHARE The Prison Abolition Syllabus "(modeled after #FergusonSyllabus, #Charlestonsyllabus, #WelfareReformSyllabus and Trump Syllabus 2.0) seeks to contextualize and highlight prison organizing and prison abolitionist efforts from the 13th Amendment’s re-articulation of slavery to current resistance to mass incarceration, solitary confinement, and prison labor exploitation." The Police Can’t Solve the Problem. They Are the Problem. (NY Times Op-Ed by Derecka Purnell & Marbre Stahly-Butts) Some Prison Abolition-Focused Orgs/Groups/Activists to Follow on Twitter: Black and Pink National: @BLACKandPINKOrg Critical Resistance: @C_Resistance Harvard Prison Divestment Campaign: @HarvardPDC Derecka Purnell: @dereckapurnell Prof. Ibram X. Kendi: @DrIbram Law for Black Lives: @Law4BlackLives Curated by BOTL Communications Director Amanda Hoffman MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions): Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr Chrome and Wax - Ray Catcher Smooth Stone - Blue Dot Sesisons Denzel Sprak - CloudCover Turning to You - Landsman Duets Rafter - Speakeasy Voicemail Music: Low Key Lost Feeling Electro by Alex Stinnent Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Alexa Devices | +more Check out the BotL iOS/Android App in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on iTunes and Stitcher!
Welcome to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. I’m Glen Ford, along with my co-host Nellie Bailey. Coming up: A fellow immigrant comes to the defense of Ilhan Omar, the Black congresswoman who stood up to both the Zionist lobby and former death squad organizer, Elliot Abrams; and, we’ll discuss the Restorative Justice doctrine of the prison abolition movement. the United States has declared economic war on the socialist government of Venezuela, and seems on the verge of military action. The Trump administration blatantly seized billions of dollars in Venezuelan assets, and has declared its intention to replace Venezuela’s government with a president of Washington’s own choosing. We spoke with Ajamu Baraka, of the Black Alliance for Peace. The U.S. government, both corporate political parties and the corporate media routinely lie about Venezuela, claiming the Socialist government is a dictatorship. Ron Kovalik is a lawyer and author, who has served as an official observer of Venezuela’s elections process. Ilhan Omar, the new Black congresswoman from Minnesota, was last week chastised by the top Democrat in Congress, Nancy Pelosi, for saying that congressional support for Israel is “all about the Benjamins, baby” – meaning, it’s all about the huge amounts of money that Zionists wield in the U.S. political process. Congresswoman Omar, who was born in Somalia, also confronted President Trump’s Hit Man on Venezuela, Elliot Abrams, who 40 years ago managed death squads in Latin American for the Regan Administration, and was convicted of lying to Congress. We spoke with Sha-hid Boo-TAR, a lawyer and former head of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee. Boo-TAR was born in Pakistan. Last primary season, he ran against Nancy Pelosi, for Congress. Boo-TAR says Congresswoman Omar is a brave and righteous woman. President Trump surprised lots of people with his support of a recently passed prison reform bill. Trump loudly and proudly campaigned as a law and order candidate. Vincent Lloyd is a professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University. Lloyd is author, along with Joshua Dubler, of a recent article on “restorative justice” – a philosophy to replace and abolish mass incarceration. We asked Lloyd how prison abolition is faring in the Age of Trump.
Today’s episode (80 mins) is a conversation with Joshua Dubler, author of Down in the Chapel: Religious Life in an American Prison and former Philadelphia resident now residing in upstate New York where he teaches at the University of Rochester. In the opening I play a clip from Jared Sexton speaking during a Q&A of a keynote lecture he gave. The video of the entire lecture is online and I highly recommend it. The music in today’s episode is “Farewell to Floss” by The Blue Ducks. Head over to Records on Ribs to support them and other great artists.
In almost every prison movie you see, there is a group of fanatically religious inmates. They are almost always led by a charismatic leader, an outsized father-figure who is loved by his acolytes and feared by nearly everyone else. They're usually black Muslims, but you also see the occasional born-again Christian gang. They promise salvation and, of course, protection. And they are scary. But what's religious life in prison really like? In order to find out, the intrepid and brave religious scholar Joshua Dubler actually moved into a prison. He lived among the inmates and those clerics who had devoted their lives to bringing them spiritual comfort. The picture he paints in his wonderful new book Down in the Chapel: Religious Life in an American Prison (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2013) is nothing like the one you see on TV or in the movies. In fact, it's so irreducibly complex that it almost defies description. The spirituality he finds behind bars is adapted to the harsh realities of prison life and the personalities of the religious (and quasi-religious) inmates themselves. Dubler reminds us that churches–of whatever type and wherever found–are made of people in all their idiosyncratic variety. Listen in to our fascinating and lively discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In almost every prison movie you see, there is a group of fanatically religious inmates. They are almost always led by a charismatic leader, an outsized father-figure who is loved by his acolytes and feared by nearly everyone else. They’re usually black Muslims, but you also see the occasional born-again Christian gang. They promise salvation and, of course, protection. And they are scary. But what’s religious life in prison really like? In order to find out, the intrepid and brave religious scholar Joshua Dubler actually moved into a prison. He lived among the inmates and those clerics who had devoted their lives to bringing them spiritual comfort. The picture he paints in his wonderful new book Down in the Chapel: Religious Life in an American Prison (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2013) is nothing like the one you see on TV or in the movies. In fact, it’s so irreducibly complex that it almost defies description. The spirituality he finds behind bars is adapted to the harsh realities of prison life and the personalities of the religious (and quasi-religious) inmates themselves. Dubler reminds us that churches–of whatever type and wherever found–are made of people in all their idiosyncratic variety. Listen in to our fascinating and lively discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In almost every prison movie you see, there is a group of fanatically religious inmates. They are almost always led by a charismatic leader, an outsized father-figure who is loved by his acolytes and feared by nearly everyone else. They’re usually black Muslims, but you also see the occasional born-again Christian gang. They promise salvation and, of course, protection. And they are scary. But what’s religious life in prison really like? In order to find out, the intrepid and brave religious scholar Joshua Dubler actually moved into a prison. He lived among the inmates and those clerics who had devoted their lives to bringing them spiritual comfort. The picture he paints in his wonderful new book Down in the Chapel: Religious Life in an American Prison (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2013) is nothing like the one you see on TV or in the movies. In fact, it’s so irreducibly complex that it almost defies description. The spirituality he finds behind bars is adapted to the harsh realities of prison life and the personalities of the religious (and quasi-religious) inmates themselves. Dubler reminds us that churches–of whatever type and wherever found–are made of people in all their idiosyncratic variety. Listen in to our fascinating and lively discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In almost every prison movie you see, there is a group of fanatically religious inmates. They are almost always led by a charismatic leader, an outsized father-figure who is loved by his acolytes and feared by nearly everyone else. They’re usually black Muslims, but you also see the occasional born-again Christian gang. They promise salvation and, of course, protection. And they are scary. But what’s religious life in prison really like? In order to find out, the intrepid and brave religious scholar Joshua Dubler actually moved into a prison. He lived among the inmates and those clerics who had devoted their lives to bringing them spiritual comfort. The picture he paints in his wonderful new book Down in the Chapel: Religious Life in an American Prison (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2013) is nothing like the one you see on TV or in the movies. In fact, it’s so irreducibly complex that it almost defies description. The spirituality he finds behind bars is adapted to the harsh realities of prison life and the personalities of the religious (and quasi-religious) inmates themselves. Dubler reminds us that churches–of whatever type and wherever found–are made of people in all their idiosyncratic variety. Listen in to our fascinating and lively discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In almost every prison movie you see, there is a group of fanatically religious inmates. They are almost always led by a charismatic leader, an outsized father-figure who is loved by his acolytes and feared by nearly everyone else. They’re usually black Muslims, but you also see the occasional born-again Christian gang. They promise salvation and, of course, protection. And they are scary. But what’s religious life in prison really like? In order to find out, the intrepid and brave religious scholar Joshua Dubler actually moved into a prison. He lived among the inmates and those clerics who had devoted their lives to bringing them spiritual comfort. The picture he paints in his wonderful new book Down in the Chapel: Religious Life in an American Prison (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2013) is nothing like the one you see on TV or in the movies. In fact, it’s so irreducibly complex that it almost defies description. The spirituality he finds behind bars is adapted to the harsh realities of prison life and the personalities of the religious (and quasi-religious) inmates themselves. Dubler reminds us that churches–of whatever type and wherever found–are made of people in all their idiosyncratic variety. Listen in to our fascinating and lively discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In almost every prison movie you see, there is a group of fanatically religious inmates. They are almost always led by a charismatic leader, an outsized father-figure who is loved by his acolytes and feared by nearly everyone else. They’re usually black Muslims, but you also see the occasional born-again Christian gang. They promise salvation and, of course, protection. And they are scary. But what’s religious life in prison really like? In order to find out, the intrepid and brave religious scholar Joshua Dubler actually moved into a prison. He lived among the inmates and those clerics who had devoted their lives to bringing them spiritual comfort. The picture he paints in his wonderful new book Down in the Chapel: Religious Life in an American Prison (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2013) is nothing like the one you see on TV or in the movies. In fact, it’s so irreducibly complex that it almost defies description. The spirituality he finds behind bars is adapted to the harsh realities of prison life and the personalities of the religious (and quasi-religious) inmates themselves. Dubler reminds us that churches–of whatever type and wherever found–are made of people in all their idiosyncratic variety. Listen in to our fascinating and lively discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In almost every prison movie you see, there is a group of fanatically religious inmates. They are almost always led by a charismatic leader, an outsized father-figure who is loved by his acolytes and feared by nearly everyone else. They’re usually black Muslims, but you also see the occasional born-again Christian gang. They promise salvation and, of course, protection. And they are scary. But what’s religious life in prison really like? In order to find out, the intrepid and brave religious scholar Joshua Dubler actually moved into a prison. He lived among the inmates and those clerics who had devoted their lives to bringing them spiritual comfort. The picture he paints in his wonderful new book Down in the Chapel: Religious Life in an American Prison (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2013) is nothing like the one you see on TV or in the movies. In fact, it’s so irreducibly complex that it almost defies description. The spirituality he finds behind bars is adapted to the harsh realities of prison life and the personalities of the religious (and quasi-religious) inmates themselves. Dubler reminds us that churches–of whatever type and wherever found–are made of people in all their idiosyncratic variety. Listen in to our fascinating and lively discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In almost every prison movie you see, there is a group of fanatically religious inmates. They are almost always led by a charismatic leader, an outsized father-figure who is loved by his acolytes and feared by nearly everyone else. They’re usually black Muslims, but you also see the occasional born-again Christian gang. They promise salvation and, of course, protection. And they are scary. But what’s religious life in prison really like? In order to find out, the intrepid and brave religious scholar Joshua Dubler actually moved into a prison. He lived among the inmates and those clerics who had devoted their lives to bringing them spiritual comfort. The picture he paints in his wonderful new book Down in the Chapel: Religious Life in an American Prison (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2013) is nothing like the one you see on TV or in the movies. In fact, it’s so irreducibly complex that it almost defies description. The spirituality he finds behind bars is adapted to the harsh realities of prison life and the personalities of the religious (and quasi-religious) inmates themselves. Dubler reminds us that churches–of whatever type and wherever found–are made of people in all their idiosyncratic variety. Listen in to our fascinating and lively discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It has been said, although the origin is uncertain, that there are no atheists in foxholes. The same might be said of prisons. Particularly prisons in America; a country that has both a high regard for religion and and an even higher regard for mass incarceration. Joshua Dubler, in his new book Down in the Chapel: Religious Life in an American Prison, takes a look at how these ideas might be related and what his microcosm of prison and religion might say, not only about the men he talks to, but about our society at large.My conversation with Joshua Dubler:
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
