Shows
From the Inside OutEpisode 6. Clemency, Community and Native Life After PrisonIndigenous people have the highest incarceration rates in Washington state, but they have few support systems for reintegrating back into their communities and recovering from intergenerational trauma. In this episode, we talk with the first known Indigenous person granted clemency by the state of Washington, Benjamin Brockie. We sit with the possibilities and limitations of getting clemency, life on the outside, and hopes for improving the re-entry process for Indigenous communities. This episode features an interview with Benjamin Brockie and highlights the work of Seattle Clemency Project. Special thanks to Louie Gong for permission to use the i...
2025-06-0643 min
From the Inside OutEpisode 5. Understanding Solitary Confinement as State ViolenceSolitary confinement is harmful to all, but it is still regularly implemented in Washington state prisons. In this episode, we confront Washington state's use of solitary confinement and its impact on our communities, as well as the tensions around harm reduction legislation and state oversight. This episode features a conversation with Anthony Blankenship and testimony before Washington House Committee on Community Safety by Derek Collier. Content note: this episode includes people discussing their experiences of solitary confinement that do not meet the UN "Mandela Rules," including the institutional use of drugs and shaming to control people, people su...
2025-05-1538 min
From the Inside OutUpdate: 2025 Legislative Session in Washington StateWashington state's legislative session isn't over yet, but meaningful opportunities for criminal punishment reform are. Ralph Dunuan walks us through the bills we were following at CHOICES Media and what it means for folks on the inside and outside of prison walls.
2025-04-2413 min
From the Inside OutEpisode 4. A Second Look: Pathways from Prison to FreedomEpisode 4. It's 2025 and the Washington state legislature is in session! Incarcerated organizers know better than most people that the state isn't always here to help us. In this episode, we explain what abolitionist reforms are and how some folks use them to realize the promise of liberation. We focus on the Judicial Discretion Act, a bill that began with incarcerated leadership and seeks to build solidarity across different incarcerated communities, victims/survivors, judges, lawyers, and outside community members. This episode includes Charles Longshore, Azias Ross, WA House Representative Tarra Simmons, Amanda Knight, and Senator Noel Frame; hosted...
2025-03-1247 min
From the Inside OutEpisode 3. Prison Organizing, From the Inside OutWe look back to recent history of Washington prison activism to show why we need directly impacted people to have collective voice and leadership in fixing the problems in our criminal punishment system. Amongst so many stories untold to those on the outside, we hone in on the TEACH program at Clallam Bay Corrections Center from 2013 - 2018 and Judicial Second Look coalition formed in 2024 around a bill initially written by Native incarcerated leaders and judges on the outside. We'll think about lessons learned for inside-outside prison solidarity. This episode was hosted by Ralph Dunuan, produced by Megan...
2025-03-061h 15
From the Inside OutEpisde 2. Incarceration by Design: How Washington changed its sentencing system for life and long sentencesIncarcerated people and their loved ones navigate a complex system of guidelines, grids, indeterminate sentencing review boards, and more. We'll learn about Washington's draconian sentencing practices and laws that doubled its incarceration rate, instituting life and long sentences, disproportionately affecting Indigenous peoples and people of color. This episode features an interview with Dan Berger, a historian of activism, Black power, prisons and the carceral state. You can find show notes, transcripts, and get in touch with us at www.choicesmedia.org
2025-02-2036 min
From the Inside OutEpisode 1. Introducing Ralph DunuanRalph Dunuan was incarcerated in 1999, in the era of pagers. Co-host and friend Megan Ybarra interviews Ralph to learn about how he builds from his experiences to understand how Native communities are impacted by the criminal punishment system and his perspectives on family, abolition, and why prisoner-led media is important. Instagram: @choicesmediapodcast You can find show notes, transcripts, and get in touch with us at www.choicesmedia.org
2025-02-0657 min
From the Inside OutTrailer: From the Inside OutWelcome to From the Inside Out, a prisoner-led podcast for liberation media from Washington Corrections Center. Our host, Ralph Dunuan, has been incarcerated for over twenty years. In this podcast, you'll hear about how the criminal punishment system works, and what inside/outside organizers are doing to change it. Instagram: @choicesmediapodcast You can find show notes, transcripts, and get in touch with us at www.choicesmedia.org
2025-01-2802 min
From the Inside OutFrom Sales Pitch To Reality, 6164 Petitions: Solution Or Illusion For Prison Sentencing ReformThis is a rebroadcast from January 2023, the first episode of the CHOICES podcast. We will focus on SB6164, a bill passed in 2020 by the Washington State Legislature that grants county prosecutors discretion to review past cases and request resentencing if the sentence no longer advances the "interests of justice." In this episode, host Ralph Dunuan examines the history and efficacy of SB6164 - does this bill truly offer relief to incarcerated folks and the communities and families they hope to return to? This episode features interviews with Demar Nelson, Jorge Macias, Eric Bacolod, and Clayton Gagnier. ...
2024-01-1254 min