Meet George! He's an incredible storyteller with a big body of work and an even bigger heart! Listen as he tells Jose how writing literally saved his life, and how 2Pac helped him find his writer's voice.

Lizette is back for another minisode! Even-though this is a shorter episode, it is filled with a great discussion about language, voice, and the role langauge plays in forming other people's perception of us. We also read poems chosen by Alfred and Lizette. sit back, relax, and let the poems take you away.

Guess who's back?! Lizette returns on this episode to catch us up on what she's been up to since her last time on the show over a year ago. Alfredo and Lizette spend this episode catching up and talking about some of the challenges (and rewards) that come with working in the non-profit world of prison reform and abolition. Check us out on Instagram @sentencespodcast, and don't forget to check out Words Uncaged @wordsuncaged as well

Meet Candace and Raven: two amazing people doing some amazing work in the name of re-entry and rehabilitation, as well as grassroots work around prison abolition and advocacy for recently-released men and women. Candace and Raven now join the ever-growing Sentences family. I hope you enjoy getting to know them as much as we did!

In this episode, Tobias has a deep conversation with his buddy Anthony McDuffy who, at the time of this recording, had just been out of prison for a couple weeks. The conversation is semi-brief (by our standards), but definitely meaningful! I had a great time getting to know Anthony and am sure he will be back on the podcast soon!

On this special minisode of Sentence(s), we get some very special Valentine's Day shout outs from some of the men at Lancaster State Prison! These heart-warming and heartfelt messages will have you feeling all warm and fuzzy, and I'm happy to share them with you. Please share this minisode with your loved ones and on your social media to help their message reach their loved ones.

In the last episode of 2018, men from Lancaster State Prison call in to wish their loved ones happy holidays. Tobias, who was recently released after serving 28 plus years, also has some fun surprising the callers. This episode may get a little heavy at times, but Tobias does a great job of balancing out all the heavy-ness with his light spirit and energy. We also talk about holiday traditions behind bars, the meaning of radical kinship, and coping with the various barriers the state and federal government place on families of incarcerated folks. Thank you all for supporting and listening in 2018. Thank you for sharing and for commenting on our episodes because without your help, these voices would not get beyond the bars.

Join us as Travielle shares his journey with restorative justice inside and outside prison, his story about how me made it through some of the toughest times in jail, and how writing helped him discover some very important lessons. We also get a chance to meet Hope! She shares how she made a lifelong friend in Travielle, and how both their lives have changed since his release.

David Diaz was just 19 years old when he was taken from his mother's home and wrongfully convicted of attempted murder. Almost 20 years later he is still serving a life sentence for something he did not do. The victim of the crime has always declared David's innocence, and so has the victim's family. So why is David still in prison? His mother and his wife join Alfred and Lily (From CSUN's Revolutionary Scholars) to share his story, their story, and ask for your help to #FreeDavidDiaz.

In this episode, José and Alfred catch up and talk about the Words Uncaged/Unlock Tomorrow event and literary journal, as well as discuss a poem by currently incarcerated Jeff Stein. We invite you to listen in on this discussion and reflect on your own feelings about Stein's poem, the role of prison, and even your own comfort level with social norms.

In this episode, we get the chance to sit down with Tin and Billy: two friends who each served separate life-sentences, and were eventually paroled only to end up in a detention center together. Their story is one that touches on some of the inhumane real-life consequences of our money-driven immigration and incarceration system. Despite the traumatic events in their lives, Tin and Billy continue to dedicate their time to sharing their story and helping others in similar situations navigate the enigmatic immigration and incarceration system. Here are some of the organizations that Tin and Billy mentioned in this episode. These organizations provide ways for you to get involved: Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC), Asian Pacific Islander - Reentry & Inclusion through Support & Empowerment (API RISE), 2nd Call, Defy Ventures, Korean Resource Center (KRC), Gift of Compassion- (GoCompassion)- zazen meditation, The Francisco Home (transitional housing), and PREP (Partnership for Re-Entry program). LA Federation Union, ARC, and LATTC also join forces to provide a Pre-Apprenticeship Programs for the formerly incarcerated who aspire to get into the constructional career field.