Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response.

Justice shouldn’t confuse accountability with exile. That’s the heartbeat of the conversation Amber & Jason had w Dr. Reece, a survivor whose near-fatal domestic violence experience led her from theater stages to forensic psychology & into the powerful world of restorative justice circles inside prisons. Her story begins with a family divided by a decades-old case and moves through the practical realities survivors face—housing, work, safety—alongside the emotional aftermath that the legal process rarely addresses.

We dig into the shock of hearing an officer call the man who harmed her “a perfect gentleman,” the moment an ADA said she wasn’t her lawyer, and the system’s narrow notion of accountability as “as many years as we can get.” Dr. Reece wanted something different: for the harm to be named and addressed, and for the person who caused it to change. That conviction took her underground—literally—into prison basements where survivors and people who committed serious harm sit face to face, ask why, and do the hard work of repair. The result is profound: "lifers" often become stable leaders, credible messengers who interrupt violence and mentor youth more effectively than any billboard campaign.

We also discuss the explosion of life sentences and LWOP in the United States, why risk and rehabilitation get ignored for politics, and what the research actually shows about dangerousness over time. Dr. Reece shares the goals of Drop LWOP New England—creating meaningful opportunities for release through second look, parole, and commutation—and explains Connecticut’s Domestic Violence Survivor Justice Act (DVSJA), which recognizes the link between victimization and later criminalization. This isn’t softness on harm; it’s smarter public safety rooted in evidence, context, and real human change.

If you care about survivor healing, reentry, & safer communities, this conversation offers a different map: connection over separation, truth over slogans, and hope as a condition for transformation. Subscribe, share with a friend, and tell us: what does meaningful accountability look like to you?

About Dr. Brashani Reece:

It’s rare for a survivor of violent crime to become a leading advocate for the very people the system is designed to punish. But Dr. Brashani Reece's journey is far from typical.

As the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Drop LWOP New England, Dr. Reece's path to activism and commitment grew as she became a trained facilitator, working with incarcerated people and witnessing the transformative power of accountability and personal growth. She now co-leads Drop LWOP New England with her husband, Steven "Farooq" Quinlan, who is serving a life without parole sentence in Rhode Island. Her work is a testament to the belief that healing is possible and that even the most extreme sentences are not a solution.

Dr. Reece brings both a scholar’s rigor and a survivor’s empathy to the fight against extreme prison sentences.

In addition to its website, the Drop LWOP New England can be found at its website, on Blue Sky, and on Instagram.

Dr. Reece encourages people to Take the Pledge to end extreme prison sentences.

Support the show

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response.

What happens when turning 18 transforms a teenage relationship into a serious crime? In this conversation, Jason and Amber speak with Heather who shares her gut-wrenching journey through the criminal legal system.

With remarkable vulnerability, Heather reveals how a small-town teen romance led to an arrest warrant, interrogation by police, and eventually a plea deal resulting in four years in prison and ten years on the registry. The cruel irony? Shortly after her arrest, Indiana passed "Romeo and Juliet" laws that would have made her case a minor offense, but she couldn't benefit from them because she was charged months earlier.

The devastating ripple effects of her conviction touch every aspect of Heather's life. From navigating confusing and inconsistent probation and registry requirements that varied by county to the crushing shame that kept her isolated, Heather's story illuminates how our legal system fails young people. Despite these enormous obstacles, she built a remarkable life – earning two degrees, maintaining stable employment for 15 years, marrying, and raising two daughters.

Now 37 and five years removed from registry requirements, Heather still struggles with the psychological aftermath of her conviction. She avoids situations requiring background checks, limiting her involvement in her children's activities, and constantly fears judgment if people discover her past. Yet through therapy and growing advocacy work, she's finding her voice.

Heather's journey raises profound questions about proportionality in punishment, the purpose of registries, and whether our system truly allows for rehabilitation. Her message to others facing similar circumstances resonates with hope: "Keep fighting, keep going. Your story matters, your voice matters. You can go through traumatic, hard things and still make it out the other side."

Support the show

Send us a text. Please provide contact information if you'd like a response.

In this powerful episode, Amber and Jason meet Fez, who spent 22 years in prison, and Vern, who has volunteered with the Jericho Circle for 25 years. Together, they share the transformative impact of circle work both inside prison walls and beyond.

Fez's story begins with a childhood lacking affection and stability, which paved his path to juvenile detention at 15 and later a 22-29 year sentence. When he first entered prison, his mindset was focused solely on revenge. "I'm going to get out and finish what I started," he recalls thinking. But something profound happened when he encountered the Native American Circle and later the Jericho Circle.

The simple yet powerful structure of circle— where the group focuses on interconnectedness and shared humanity and participants use a talking stick to ensure each person speaks uninterrupted —created a space where Fez could confront his past, take responsibility, and begin genuine healing. "People share very deep traumatic events in their lives," Fez explains. "We're there supporting them."

What makes Jericho Circle unique is that it operates entirely through volunteers with no government funding. The circle keepers receive no compensation yet continue showing up because, as Vern puts it, "The healing was as deeply felt in me as in anyone else."

Now five years free, Fez has built a successful life and serves as a circle guide himself, creating space for others to heal.

Their story challenges conventional approaches and offers a powerful model of transformation through community, vulnerability, and genuine human connection.

Visit JerichoCircle.org to learn more about this life-changing work.

Support the show