#238 Justice Podcast - An Opportunity for Generational Change

"Memo to Whatcom County Racial Equity Commission regarding jail population forecast and the use of pretrial incarceration in Whatcom County"

This episode of iChange Justice is presented in partnership with the Restorative Community Coalition and the Whatcom County Racial Equity Commission.

In this powerful installment, our board members—Karen Ball, Atul Deshmane, and Irene Morgan—are joined by Miriam Karamoko and Ray Rodriguez to unpack a newly released, accessible to the public, assessment memo from the nationally recognized Prison Policy Initiative (PPI). For years, community advocates have pushed back against county justifications for a massive jail expansion, only to face constant resistance, closed doors while watching prevention programs go away.

This new national data report fundamentally contradicts the county’s own metrics, validating what local advocates have known all along: the data does not support the need for a bigger jail, and pre-trial incarceration causes deep, compounding harm to families and the broader community.

Instead of expanding a facility and dismantling effective booking restrictions, the PPI report urges the county to build the smallest jail possible and fully invest in the 14 other areas of needed reform outlined in the Justice Implementation Plan. In this episode, we explore how this data provides an opening for true, generational change. We discuss the importance of shifting our focus from punishment to prevention, demanding government accountability, and utilizing public comment platforms and community events to ensure the public's voice shapes our future. We are building the future, one Connection at a time.

It takes a village…join ours.

https://www.whatcomracialequity.org/jail-and-behavioral-care-center

https://www.whatcomracialequity.org/s/PPI_Whatcom_County_Jail_Expansion_Memo.pdf

https://www.whatcomracialequity.org/contact

Ready for a real talk on what it actually takes to heal our community and build systems we can believe in?

In Episode of the iChange Justice Podcast, the team dives into the third and final part of our series on trust! This week, we are moving past the critiques and focusing on the solutions. We’re sharing incredible, real-world examples of what happens when leaders swallow their pride, listen to grassroots voices, and align resources to meet the public's actual needs.

From the streets of LA to local initiatives right here in Whatcom County, discover how we can break the cycle of incarceration and build a community table where everyone is heard.

🗓️ Date: Wednesday, July 29th

🕓 Time: 4:00 PM PST

🎙️ Featuring: Atul Deshmane, Karen Ball, Lucy Kesterson, Irene Morgan, Miriam Karamoko, and Rae Rodriguez

🔗 Tune in and get involved:

Visit TheRestorativeCommunity.org/Contact to share your thoughts, send an email directly to Irene, or grab advocacy templates to contact your local representatives!

Follow real-time justice updates with our partners at WhatcomRacialEquity.org.

Let's stop building bigger walls and start building better connections. See you there! 🕊️🎒

In the second of our three-part series, the iChange Justice Podcast digs deep into our local legal landscape. Join board members of the Restorative Community Coalition as we move past the rhetoric to answer the hard question: How do we establish trust after a systemic breach of confidence?

From identifying the "impediments" we need to let go of to the "essentials" we must add, we’re mapping out a path to a more humane community.

🗓️ Airing June 24th (the last Wednesday of the month). Join us for this essential conversation. ✨

#235 - iChange Justice Podcast: Restorative Community Coalition Presents: Breaking Down the Breach of Trust1st of a 3 part Series on Restorative JusticeThe wait is over! We are officially launching an all-new monthly broadcast format! 📻 For this milestone episode, our entire board steps up to the microphone to co-host a critical conversation on a heavy reality: the systemic breach of trust in our local justice system.

Facilitated by board member Atul Deshmane, our panel brings together coalition founder Irene Morgan, board members Karen Ball and Lucy Kesterson, alongside Ray Rodriguez and Miriam Karamoko from the Whatcom Racial Equity Commission.

We are diving deep into the hard truths the community needs to hear:

👉 The 90/10 Reality Check: Voters were promised a 50/50 split to fund crucial behavioral health and re-entry services during the 2023 jail levy. Instead, current plans allocate roughly 90% of the funds strictly to jail cells.

👉 The Missing Needs Assessment: Why did local executives scrap the promised community needs assessment within two weeks of taking office? 📋

👉 Silenced Voices: We need to see how we pacify citizens while maintaining the unsustainable incarceration loop active.

We believe it’s time to design a system that actually heals. Restorative Justice is the Focus, and it begins by demanding transparency and building true Connection within our community. 🕊️🌾

In this encore episode, Host Joy Gilfilen introduces John and Wes, two men rebuilding their lives after incarceration and now helping others find their way forward.

They share what it was like reentering society in Cowlitz County, Washington, after felony convictions left them navigating life after prison, homelessness, and the challenges of starting over. Through perseverance and support, both men found work and became certified peer counselors, first living at and later working with the Community House on Broadway as peer mentors and housing specialists.

Today, their lived experience helps others facing similar challenges reconnect with housing, stability, and opportunity.

We are closing out our encore series and will be introducing our next community discussion... Stay Tuned.

Find the iChange Justice Podcast everywhere you get your podcasts, and thank you to KOYS-LPFM 94.1

Joy Gilfilen, the host of iChange Justice, interviews Jerome Gold, the author of Paranoia and Heartbreak, about his 15 years as a rehabilitation counselor at Echo Glen, the Washington State Juvenile Prison.

The conversation dives deep into the effectiveness of prevention, intervention, and diverse therapies in reducing recidivism and increasing the probability of people staying out of prison. They explore how tools like conflict resolution, de-escalation, and aggression reduction therapies serve as critical supports for building healthier relationships both inside and outside the system.

Jerome Gold offers a vital reminder for lawmakers and community leaders: virtually everyone who goes into prison eventually comes out. When we make decisions about crime and community building, the real question we must face is: "Are we helping or harming people?" Remembering that everyone is human is the most powerful starting point for discussing real solutions for justice.

#232 iChange Justice Podcast – Jails, Bonds & Bond Markets (Encore #141)

Most people have no idea that incarceration is tied to financial markets — and that prison-related bonds can ultimately be traded on the stock exchange, sometimes even owned by political leaders and investment funds.

In this episode, Host Joy Gilfilen speaks with a Wall Street bond trader to explore how a case can move from a 911 call, to an arrest, to bail, and eventually into financial packages connected to the broader bond market.

These are the kinds of questions we explore on the iChange Justice Podcast — looking beyond the surface to understand how systems of justice, economics, and public policy intersect in ways many people never see.

📻 Every Thursday at Noon on KOYS-LPFM 94.1 Bellingham

🎧 And everywhere you get your podcasts.

What is justice anyway? It depends on the eye of the beholder. Three people from the Restorative CommUnity Coalition with lived experience in the field—Joy Gilfilen, Irene Morgan, Debbie David and Chene Keltz—talk about justice in America from their perspective.

This show is all about dropping the veil on the criminal justice system. Over 800 years and the system has not budged on restoring anyone, in fact, quite the opposite. Why do we have over 9 million people in prison in the US? Who is paying for all of the ins and outs of the system? Why do people, more times than not, end up back in prison for sometimes up to 10-20 or more times? How can we speak up about changing the system processes so our country can thrive?

If you are at all ignited with curiosity then please bring your open mind and heart to hear from community members from all walks of life. We will have corporate, non-profit, public service, students and those who have been affected by the system firsthand comment on their experiences, beliefs, and hope for the future.

Are we all just continuing to do what our ancestors taught just because they said it is so? Where does the insanity stop? When are we as a country, as a world, going to be ready to say to ourselves, “Maybe what I was told, taught, and believed is wrong?” A heavy question! Join us in the discussions and sign up for membership to access exclusive research, training and upcoming events.

Encore on Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts and on KOYS-LPFM Bellingham