It has been a little bit more than a year since I published A Most Definitely Incomplete List of Podcasts for Criminal Justice Classes, and since then podcasts have only become more popular – especially podcasts about crime.
Science communication experts are constantly pressing the importance of story or narrative for conveying information, and that is what many podcasts offer: complex information packaged in an entertaining narrative form that compels the listened to stay engaged and keep listening. fMRI studies have demonstrated that stories engage multiple brain regions and can even help us ‘sync up‘ with others who are reading or listening to the same story – imagine the possibilities for teaching and learning!
As I wrote in my original post, I like to pair podcasts with textbook chapters or journal articles so that students are engaging in multisensory learning. You can choose to play podcast episodes in class to promote group listening and discussion, or you can assign podcast episodes for at-home listening so everyone comes prepared to discuss in the next class.
Serial, season 3, hosted by Sarah Koenig:
“Serial is heading back to court. This time, in Cleveland. Not for one extraordinary case; instead, Serial wanted to tackle the whole criminal justice system. To do that we figured we’d need to look at something different: ordinary cases.
So we did. Inside these ordinary cases we found the troubling machinery of the criminal justice system on full display. We chose Cleveland, because they let us record everywhere — courtrooms, back hallways, judges’ chambers, prosecutors’ offices. And then we followed those cases outside the building, into neighborhoods, into people’s houses, and into prison.
We watched how justice is calculated in cases of all sizes, from the smallest misdemeanor to the most serious felony.
This season, we tell you the extraordinary stories of ordinary cases. One courthouse, week by week.”
Justice In America, hosted by Josie Duffy Rice and Clint Smith III
“Justice in America, hosted by Josie Duffy Rice and Clint Smith III, is a podcast for everyone interested in criminal justice reform— from those new to the system to experts who want to know more. Each episode we cover a new criminal justice issue. We explain how it works and look at its impact on people, particularly poor people and people of color. We’ll also interview activists, practitioners, experts, journalists, organizers, and others, to learn. By the end of the episode, you’ll walk away with a better understanding of what drives mass incarceration and what can fix it. The first season will cover bail, plea deals, prosecutors, prosecutor elections, voter disenfranchisement, crimmigration, women and families in the criminal justice system, and more. It will feature interviews with Ta-Nehisi Coates, Rashad Robinson, John Legend, Gina Clayton, John Pfaff, and more.”
Court Talk, podcast of the National Center for State Courts
Court Talk is a podcast from the National Center for State Courts, which focuses on the intersection between courts and current events. Tune in each month as we bring you a new episode on the latest happenings in courts.
Criminal (In)Justice, hosted by David Harris
Problems with police, prosecutors and courts have people asking: is our criminal justice system broken? University of Pittsburgh law professor David Harris interviews the people who know the system best, and hears their best ideas for fixing it.
Voir Dire: Conversations from the Criminal Justice Policy Program at Harvard Law School, hosted by Schuyler Daum
Harvard Law School’s Criminal Justice Policy Program brings you a series of in-depth conversations with the people on the front lines reforming the criminal legal system.
Criminal Justice Office Hours, from the University of Cincinnati School of Criminal Justice
Partnered with the University of Cincinnati School of Criminal Justice, this podcast aims to educate, inform, and promote awareness of criminal justice issues and research. http://cech.uc.edu/criminaljustice.html
Service Roads: Conversations on the Law and Social Justice, by Patrick Sellars, Logan Wexler and Eyad Saqr
Service Roads is a podcast focused on celebrating the practice of using the law for social change. Our guests include lawyers, judges, and advocates that have committed their careers to working for the people that need it most. As one of our guest’s stated “there is a major difference between Law and Justice”. We’re trying to figure out what that difference is, and how lawyers can fix it.