All Episodes

How can a high crime community turn around and what does it take to make that happen? Deana Perez of Bright Star Community Outreach discusses the TURN model as a big part of the answer.

Pastor Chris Harris speaks about Bright Star Community Outreach, NATAL training, the TURN Center in Bronzeville in south Chicago, and the TURN Model of coalition building to reduce trauma and build safer communities.

Judge Jeff Ford (ret.), a pioneer of problem-solving courts and past president of the Illinois Association of Problem-Solving Courts, provides an inside look into this growing approach to criminal justice and explains his experience with creating and managing problem-solving courts in Champaign County in central Illinois.

Virgia Brewer. To meet this wonderful woman today, you would have no idea she is a survivor of decades of abuse and trauma, beginning as a sexually exploited child – exploited and abused by family members no less, beginning at age seven. Now she is happy. Hear what made the difference.

Excerpts from the full podcast conversation: Lisa Daniels is a mother who found healing in forgiving her son’s killer. She now heads the Darren B.

Lisa Daniels lives the principles of restorative justice as a mother who forgave her son’s killer and asked for leniency at his sentencing.

On the eve of Christmas, David Risley challenges both the philosophical and moral underpinnings of our prevailing approach to criminal justice and punishment.

Part 2 of Michael Tafolla’s story and his message about trauma, violence, transformation, and restorative justice.

Michael Tafolla shares part 1 of his story of childhood trauma from chronic victimization by gang-related gun violence and how as a teenager he became what he feared when he took up the gun, leading him to prison for murder, where he changed his life.

Pastor Jennifer Stephens shares her story of experiencing the trauma of victimization, self-medication with alcohol, jail and prison, support from church and family, reentry to community life after release, barriers faced because of her felony record – amounting to permanent punishment – resource recommendations for formerly incarcerated people in the Chicago area, her path to the ministry in the United Methodist Church, lessons learned, and her concluding message to the public about how to view formerly incarcerated citizens.