In this episode, we talk about plea bargaining and how expensive it is to stay in jail. Read the Prison Policy Initiative's report on how jails and prisons across the country are privatizing (read $$$) mail for incarcerated people. Check out Worth Rises' work to make calls from jails and prisons free. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha-t-baker/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha-t-baker/support

I'm starting a new series called Book Report, where I share books I've read/listened to and liked enough to recommend to listeners. This memoir, You Can't Be Serious, is a funny and touching look into what it's like being the son of immigrants and making it in Hollywood (while also doing a stint at the Obama White House).  If you're interested in purchasing this book, rather than buying it on Amazon, please consider buying it at your local independent bookstore or on these...

You are invited to come to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, CA on April 1st at 1pm to demand an end to deaths at the jail and for funding of community-based mental health services. This rally is being organized by the Care First Coalition, which you can follow on Instagram @freesrj. Four people have already died in the jail this year alone, and we're only in March. That's in addition to dozens of other deaths in the past decade. The jail is unsafe and county officials need to do better. Please...

First guest interview! Joining me today is Kevin Mulshine, former deputy general counsel for the Architect of the Capitol and current Special Advisor to Demand Progress Education Fund. We talk about efforts to unionize congressional employees, how those efforts tie into broader labor trends across the country, what the Architect of the Capitol does and how that relates to the Jan. 6th insurrection, and how Kevin and I met as volunteers for Herd on the Hill. For more reading: Unions in the...

Last episode we talked about how to have hope, and this episode is a great example of a reason for hope. In a pair of recent cases called Ely v. Saul and Thorton v. Commissioner of Social Security, the non-profit legal organization Lambda Legal has secured some really important wins: queer people who were previously denied Social Security Survivors' Benefits because they and their partners were not able to get legally married (and therefore be eligible for survivors' benefits upon the death...

Things seem heavy and dark. There is a never-ending doom-and-gloom news cycle. And yet. There is reason to be hopeful. Some thoughts on how and why to stay hopeful. Here is a song I love to listen to when things get heavy and need some help to keep going: The Keep Going Song by The Bengsons I also mention the news outlet Rewire News and the podcast Boom Lawyered in this episode. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha-t-baker/message Support this...

Former Brazilian president Bolsonaro recently spoke at CPAC - the Conservative Political Action Conference. CPAC is held annually in the US as a platform for conservative leaders. Bolsonaro's presence is an example of how Brazil continues to be a relevant testing ground for US-origined, far-right messaging and policy priorities. Let's explore. ***Correction to make: in this episode, I said that Nikki Haley was President Trump's Secretary of State. She was not. She was Trump's ambassador to...

Welcome to Season Two of Natasha Explains It All! (Yes, each season will consist of 13 episodes, or a Baker's dozen). In this episode, we continue to explore pretrial supervision and then talk about how prosecutors use pretrial detention to coerce pleas. To learn more about how prosecutors upcharge, read The Trial Penalty. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha-t-baker/message Support this podcast:...

Tyre Nichols' murder has prompted conversations about internalized racism because the main police officers who killed Tyre are also Black. Let's unpack. For data on how often police kill, see Mapping Police Violence. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha-t-baker/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha-t-baker/support

Action Alert: CBP/DHS has resumed family separation at the border. Lawyers for Good Government is organizing a public awareness campaign around it and urging people to call CBP/DHS and object to this change in policy. Here is what to do: Call the public comment lines for CBP (Customs & Border Partrol) at 877-CBP-5511 and DHS (Dep't of Homeland Security) at 202-282-8495 and share that you oppose the new "dangerous and impossible policy of forcing all members of a family to secure a...

As we continue to explore how criminal courts work, I use this episode to talk about what happens if you're able to post bail: most people will be put on some sort of pretrial supervision, with tons of conditions (like drug testing and electronic monitoring) that they'll likely have to pay for. Can't pay? You're likely to go back to jail.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha-t-baker/message Support this podcast:...

This is the first of "action alert" episodes, where I will share a time-sensitive action for all of us to participate in that yes, can make a difference. Today's is to stop the execution of Leonard "Raheem" Taylor, who is scheduled to be executed by the state of Missouri on Feb. 7th, despite his innocence. Please call Governor Parson at 573-400-0357 or 573-751-3222 today and say the following (script provided by Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty): "Hello, my name is [name],...

Hertz filed (at least) hundreds of false police reports against customers falsely accusing them of stealing Hertz's vehicles. This resulted in life-altering changes to innocent people's lives: arrests, jailing, criminal records, losing employment, suffering health problems, etc. Even after getting sued, Hertz has tried to escape responsibility by trying to keep documents sealed that detail their abuse. Corporations don't change until their bottom line is hurt. Let's use our power as consumers...

In part two, we talk more about money bail and how it's an example of the financial incentives baked into the criminal court system. We also talk about diversion programs. For more reading on why money bail needs to go: After Cash Bail: A Framework for Reimagining Pretrial Justice by The Bail Project Money Bail Might Be the Most Racist, Immoral Part of America’s Criminal Injustice System by Michael Harriot (The Root) Bail Reform by The Vera Institute --- Send in a voice message:...

How do criminal courts work? This episode is part one of a series where I dive into how the system actually works (sorry, tv and news stories are generally not that accurate or representative). In this episode, I mention the importance of bail funds to help those who cannot afford bail, so that fewer people are in jail simply because they can't afford bail. Here is a list of some bail funds: The Bail Project (national focus) LGBTQ Freedom Fund (national focus) Colorado Freedom Fund...

More mass shootings in the US. Through the ties between the Trump and & Bolsonaro camps, Brazil is adopting US gun culture. The newly-elected Brazilian president Lula is undoing a lot of the gun expansions enacted under former president Bolsonaro. I sincerely hope that Brazil does not become home to the type of mass shootings so commonplace in the US. For additional reading, some suggestions: Jair Bolsonaro and guns: A US culture war raging in Brazil Jair Bolsonaro wants every...

Newly-elected Republican member of Congress George Santos has lied about a lot of stuff, yet somehow the lies have only surfaced after he was elected. Some have argued that his story illustrates the importance of local journalism and that makes sense to me. I explore. In this episode, I highlight one local news outlet I support called San Jose Spotlight. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha-t-baker/message Support this podcast:...

Since today is MLK Day and we've been discussing voting and democracy in prior episodes, here is one way that you can promote voting and voter engagement: volunteering with Postcards to Voters. I'm a volunteer, so in this episode I'll share what my experience has been.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha-t-baker/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha-t-baker/support

Last time we talked about voter suppression in the US. We talked about tactics like reducing polling locations, reducing early voting, not allowing vote by mail, etc. Let's look at a couple of additional ways that suppression plays out: prison gerrymandering and felony disenfranchisement.  In the episode, I talked about the Prison Gerrymandering Project by the Prison Policy Institute. I also mentioned the book Let My People Vote by Desmond Meade, about the Amendment 4 fight in Florida to...

Some follow up thoughts from the last episode. Let's dive in deeper to the history of democracy in the US and Brazil. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha-t-baker/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha-t-baker/support

An insurrection in Brazil on Jan. 8th closely parallels an insurrection in the US from Jan 6, 2021. Why? I explore. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha-t-baker/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha-t-baker/support

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha-t-baker/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha-t-baker/support