The 98% - Life After Prison

Send us Fan Mail If you were to meet Ronald Carnes, you’d never suspect he’d spent nearly half his life as a fugitive from the law. In 1970, the Black Panthers sent Ronald to Winston Salem to volunteer in their breakfast program for underprivileged youth. But when compatriot, Richard Carter, held up a convenience store, Carnes was implicated by association and sentenced to 15 – 20 years in prison. Three years later, he escaped and spent the next 41 years on the lam. ...

Send us Fan Mail The final episode of our season takes you deep inside the fight to end one of America's most disturbing prison practices: solitary confinement. When Craig Waleed spent 30 days in "the box," he began hallucinating and questioning his existence. Years later, he's working with Disability Rights North Carolina to ensure others don't suffer the same fate. "Research shows that any amount of time exposed to solitary confinement is detrimental to one's psychological makeup," Craig e...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 5 of April's series, On a Mission with a Purpose, she talks to a man who has experienced incarceration from both sides. As a young man, he worked as a Corrections Officer in a youth detention center in Butner, North Carolina. Years later, he himself landed in prison with a 3-year sentence. Hear his story and learn about his current work as a peer support specialist for South Light, a mental health and substance use treatment center in Durha...

Send us Fan Mail In our second episode examining the use of solitary confinement, we meet two people on a mission to end the use of prolonged solitary confinement in our nation's prisons. From personal experience, Craig Waleed understands the psychological harm caused by isolation in a 8x10 box. Dolores Canales was trying to save her son when she first joined the protest against conditions in California's Pelican Bay Special Housing Unit, known as the SHU. Her efforts helpe...

Send us Fan Mail April riffs on the social, emotional, and psychological difficulties caused by the ongoing trauma of prison. She also shares some of the stubborn habits that have followed her home from her 31 years inside. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast about the many issues people face when transitioning from prison. Van Wyk is a longtime video producer and criminal justice advocate. April Barber received a life sentence when she was ...

Send us Fan Mail It's one thing to get out of prison. It's quite another to stay out. More than 40% of returning citizens in North Carolina end up back in prison within the first two years. In this episode, we explore the reasons so many people fall down and are re-incarcerated. We'll meet Delfonzo Brewer and learn how his 27-years in prison left him unprepared for the transition back to society. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podc...

Send us Fan Mail At the age of 21, Randolph Wilson was sentenced to life in prison in a case built entirely on hearsay. Three co-defendants, who testified against him, later recanted their testimony saying they'd been coerced by the local sheriff. After 33 years behind the wall, Randolph Wilson is a free man. This is his story. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast about the many issues people face when transitioning from prison. Van Wyk...

Send us Fan Mail Formerly incarcerated people face a number of barriers as they try to rebuild their lives after prison. One big one is employment. In this episode, we learn about one company that's made a commitment to providing a second chance and find out what can happen when justice-involved people are given an opportunity. In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast about the many issues people face when transitioning from prison. Van Wyk is a longtim...