The Era of Mass Incarceration May Actually Be Ending | with Alex Duran

The Era of Mass Incarceration May Actually Be Ending | with Alex Duran

From What Could Go Right? by The Progress Network with Zachary Karabell and Emma Varvaloucas

July 15, 2026 · 43 min

About this episode

Alex Duran discusses the potential end of mass incarceration in the U.S. and his personal journey from prison to philanthropy.

The American criminal justice system is often viewed as an unfixable and intractable problem. But shifting demographics and new approaches to community investment might actually bring a natural end to the era of mass incarceration.Alex Duran spent 12 years in New York maximum security prisons before earning a liberal arts degree through the Bard College Prison Initiative. Today, he leads the criminal justice portfolio at Galaxy Gives. He joins host Zachary Karabell to discuss his surreal personal journey from Rikers Island to the world of high level philanthropy.The two explore the real reasons crime rates fluctuate, why our current parole systems are built to manage failure rather than reward success, and how simple investments in the physical environment can do more for public safety than increased police budgets. They also tackle the harsh reality of modern prison labor and examine the unexpected data showing that the US might literally run out of inmates in the coming decades. What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and Kaleidoscope. For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org Subscribe to our (FREE)…

People in this episode

Host: Zachary Karabell

Guest: Alex Duran

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Bard College Prison Initiative, Galaxy Gives, The Progress Network, Kaleidoscope

Places: New York, Rikers Island

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