RATTLING THE BARS
Rattling the Bars puts the voices of the people most harmed by our system of mass incarceration at the center of our reporting on the fight to end it. The show was founded by the late Black Panther and political prisoner Marshall “Eddie” Conway, and is now hosted by Charles Hopkins, better known as Mansa Musa, who himself spent 48 years behind bars.
Rattling the Bars offers an honest look at the lives of prisoners, returning citizens, their families, and their communities. With Rattling the Bars, by presenting hard data and real-life stories, we examine and seek to shift public opinion around the misconception that incarceration, punishment, and increased policing make cities safer—the truth of which has been disproven by countless studies. The series examines the history and root causes of the current so-called justice system. It showcases individuals and communities nationwide who are grappling with real solutions to problems created by the prison-industrial complex.
Latest episode
The reality of Black historical trauma makes healing a form of justice
Trauma passed down through generations as a result of oppression is both a political and a medical question.
Recent episodes
Leonard Peltier and the long fight for Indigenous liberation
Historian Ward Churchill frames Leonard Peltier’s imprisonment and fight for release in the context of the American Indian Movement and US settler colonialism.
‘FreeHer’ activists demand Biden release incarcerated women and girls ahead of Mother’s Day
Highlighting the cases of Michelle West and other incarcerated mothers, the FreeHer march called on Biden to use his clemency power to live up to past broken promises to help release incarcerated women.
‘Help us to get better’: Maryland is failing women released from prison
Instead of support and resources, formerly incarcerated women face surveillance, fees, and stigma.
The ‘Women’s Cut’—Maryland’s only women’s prison
Though state law upholds gender equality for incarcerated people on paper, the reality of limited facilities, services, and a byzantine bureaucratic structure.
47 years later, Leonard Peltier is still not free
Despite being eligible for parole since 1992, Peltier remains in prison—a sign of how determined the federal government is to repress and criminalize the American Indian Movement.
Survivors of sexual assault in juvenile detention are speaking out
Last year, Maryland lifted the statute of limitations on civil lawsuits against state employees who have committed sexual abuse. A class action lawsuit seeking justice for several survivors was filed this January.
30 political prisoners’ oral histories collected in an unprecedented new book
We speak with recently released political prisoner Eric King and abolitionist Josh Davidson, who have compiled in a new book, ‘Rattling the Cages,’ testimonies from dozens of political prisoners.
‘Second look’ bills offer a chance at freedom to longtime prisoners
Maryland’s proposed Second Look Act would create new pathways to freedom for incarcerated people who’ve served at least 20 years in prison.
Prisoners, unions sue Alabama, alleging ‘modern-day slavery’
The lawsuit claims that Alabama’s system of prison labor generates massive profits for private businesses and revenues for the state by forcing incarcerated people to work for little or no pay.
This is why coming home from prison is so difficult for so many
Over 70% of incarcerated people who are released from prison in the US will be rearrested within five years of their release date. That’s no accident: our system of mass incarceration sets returning citizens up to fail.
Early release: A tribute to Marshall ‘Eddie’ Conway
It’s been one year since we lost our beloved friend, colleague, comrade, and mentor Eddie Conway. Eddie was and remains a giant in the movement for the liberation of oppressed peoples. We miss him dearly.
Baltimore’s ‘downward spiral’ of poverty, disinvestment, and over-policing
A new report maps communities across Maryland, showing the relationship between incarceration and state disinvestment from education and public health.
The ‘Black Chronicle’ offers an unprecedented look at Black history
Compiling articles, essays, and other historical documents over 178 years, the ‘Black Chronicle’ is a treasure trove of rare, firsthand accounts of Black history.
Wisconsin’s prison lockdowns: No visitors, few showers, and no end in sight
Deprived of visitors, programming, and time outside their cells, incarcerated people have been put into a hellish limbo by measures ostensibly taken to combat overpopulation in state prisons.
A prison librarian’s efforts to humanize the stories of incarcerated people
After an extensive career in California’s Soledad Prison, Fred Winn’s memoir ‘For the Least of These’ brings into the light the human stories of those demonized by the prison system.
‘No way a human should be’: Abolishing solitary confinement in DC
Formerly incarcerated activist Herbert Robinson speaks frankly on the trauma of solitary confinement.
Three former Maryland prisoners explain the state’s disastrous parole system
Maryland’s parole system as it exists is more effective at crushing hopes for release than providing a viable way out for incarcerated people.
The 13th Amendment legalizes slavery—and many states have their own version
Like many states, California backs up the federal exception for involuntary servitude in its own state constitution. These activists are fighting to change that.
For incarcerated people, the holidays are a reminder of captivity
Separated from loved ones and home, the realities of prison are often pronounced by the festivities of the holiday season.
Malik Rahim: Climate justice and the prisoners’ struggle go together
The veteran organizer and former Black Panther speaks on conditions in Louisiana prisons and why the environmental struggle is fundamental to our future.
New Orleans wants to expand a city jail—these former prisoners say no
VOTE, a non-profit organization and c4 political group led by formerly incarcerated people, is at the forefront of the fight to stop the $110 million construction of a new mental health wing at New Orleans Parish Jail.
Prisons are putting trans inmates in solitary confinement rather than appropriate housing
Even with the Transgender Respect Agency Dignity Act in place, state prison officials simply flout the law on technicalities.
Baton Rouge cops tortured detainees at ‘Brave Cave’ black site
The revelations of police torture in Baton Rouge build on decades of police terror and impunity, says Rev. Alexis Anderson, a longtime local activist.
Women at California federal prison say prosecution of warden hasn’t stopped sexual abuse
Dublin FCI’s former warden, Ray J. Garcia, was sentenced to 60 months in prison for sexually abusing three women. A new lawsuit says the problem hasn’t stopped.
California is about to execute an innocent Black man
Timothy James Young was convicted of murder in Tulare on the word of a police informant. But there are mountains of evidence demonstrating his innocence.
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