This episode of Solutions from the Yard" addresses reentry challenges after incarceration, including housing, employment, and inadequate prison medical care. Hosts Charles Hopkins, Michael Dickerson-El, and Dietrich Trent share personal experiences on topics of health issues and highlight how discrimination and the parole system complicate reintegr…

Join us for an insightful discussion with the participants of 'Unsilencing Their Voices.' Learn from Dietrich Trent, Charles Hopkins, Donnell Felder, and Michael Dickerson-El as they share their powerful stories of reentry and resilience. Former CSOSA Director Nancy Ware facilitates this eye-opening panel. Discover how Voices for a Second Chance (V…

Today's episode of "Solutions from the Yard" features Darren Stephenson, Sr., who talks about his father's 50-year incarceration and the crucial role of family support in maintaining hope. Despite the challenges, Darren's unwavering support has kept his father motivated. This conversation sheds light on the often-overlooked struggles of maintaining…

In the latest episode of "Solutions from the Yard," hosts Charles Hopkins and Michael Dickerson explore the impact of incarceration on fatherhood. Through personal anecdotes and special guest Darren Stephenson, Sr.'s story, they discuss how imprisoned fathers navigate their relationships with their children. This episode sheds light on the emotiona…

In this episode, Michael Dickerson-El, Dietrich Trent, and Charles Hopkins discuss who is responsible for blocking vital penal code reforms and emphasize the need for citizens to hold elected officials accountable. They highlight the importance of understanding political hierarchies and laws to effectively exercise voting rights. The hosts call for…

The Senate rejected the DC Crime Bill, which aimed to modernize the century-old criminal code and reduce mass incarceration. Listen to Michael Dickerson-El, Dietrich Trent, and Charles Hopkins discuss the influence of non-local politicians, pandemic law enforcement practices, and prison quotas. Despite strong local support, Congress retains final a…

In this episode, Charles Hopkins and Michael Dickerson-El are joined by Charles Russell from Washington, D.C., whose sentence was overturned by President Obama in 2016. Together they discuss structural racism in the prison system, Mr. Russell’s accomplishments, and the challenges he faced upon reentry into society.…

The episode opens with discussing job placement and workforce development programs reducing recidivism. The hosts discuss Title 7’s lack of protection for ex-offenders, how they’re unprepared for reentry, and the challenges presented to them. Discrimination is also discussed, as well as the intentionality of pushing returning citizens out into thei…

This episode finds the gentlemen discussing job placement post-incarceration and the “stipend chase.” Michael Dickerson-El leads this conversation while the hosts discuss career training versus job programs that don’t have longevity. The positions generally offered are at or below minimum wage. The hosts discuss how these jobs can cause returning c…

This episode discusses the DC Criminal Code and how it has not been fully updated since 1901, 123 years ago. As of 2023, the DC City Council has reviewed the DC Criminal Code and is pushing the Secure DC Omnibus update to the code through the DC legislative process as of the airing of this episode. The hosts discuss the hazards of the DC Criminal C…

On this episode the hosts, led by Charles Hopkins, discuss the culture of poverty as a newly released individual. They discuss the offshoots of poverty such as incarceration, recidivism, and disruptions to mental health. The gentlemen go on to discuss the cost of living in Washington, DC, and the difficulty returning citizens face in gaining financ…

The episode picks up by asking who profits from homelessness after incarceration and defining homelessness. The hosts begin to discuss the DC budget allocations for homelessness and how effective these allocations are in ceasing the problem. Discussions go further to question where the disconnect is with housing provisions in DC and reentry organiz…

The hosts, led by Michael Dickerson-El, discuss homelessness after reentry leading to recidivism. They begin by discussing their own journeys with returning home and finding adequate housing. The concept of “criminalizing poverty/homelessness” and statistics relating to this concept are discussed as well. This episode is part 1 of 2.…

The gentlemen continue their discussion on the 13th Amendment, Prison, and Slavery by opening with the definition of chattel slavery and how it relates to the modern carceral system. The hosts also delve into the dehumanization of black people and its effects on society by detailing the Dred Scott case and its similarities to “wards of the state.” …

This episode focuses on the 13th Amendment and its recent appearance on the voting ballot in 5 states. The podcast hosts discuss how slavery is a human issue, not just a prison issue. They delve into the nuances of the prison workforce and how it relates to the 13th Amendment, the meager pay as justification for involuntary slavery, and how prison …

The hosts continue their exploration of homelessness, this time discussing the relationship homelessness has to juvenile delinquency. Generational trauma, drug use, single parenthood, government program dependency, carceral indoctrination, and practical solutions to the root of juvenile homelessness & delinquency are discussed.…

Our Juneteenth 2023 episode discusses our youth and the homelessness crisis. The hosts, led by Charles Hopkins, discuss how interactions with the juvenile justice system and family trauma coincide with homelessness. The gentlemen go further into the problem of young people and homelessness to discuss mental health, responsibility, and healing in so…

This episode explores the relationship of homelessness to experiencing mental health issues. The hosts explore poverty, generational trauma, and other factors as a stimulus for mental illness and its impact on the community. "Forced poverty" is also discussed, and how this idea gives way to traumas.By solutionsfromtheyard

This .episode continues discussing DC inmates’ treatment and discrimination under the Federal Board of Prisons. The gentlemen open with the progress of BOP prisoners compared to DC inmates housed in federal facilities and the evident setbacks these men and women face as 007s. Glaring disparities abound as the hosts discuss the inaccessibility to pr…

This episode opens with a slight breakdown of the letter from Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton to the new Director of the Federal Board of Prisons and moves into how federal guidelines adversely affect DC inmates, discrimination & mismanagement of DC inmates in sentencing management and the fallout of closing Lorton prison. This is not an episod…

On this episode, the gentlemen discuss recent probation restrictions that stipulate unemployment as a reason to be put on "the box". The discussion centers around home confinement, probation, the local government agency's role in moving a parolee forward, and alternatives to supervision...By solutionsfromtheyard

Today the gentlemen discuss bad prison food. More than just the taste and quality, the gents talk about the disparity between what's on the menu vs. what is served, inadequate portions, staff and inmate food choices, and unhealthy options more readily available than nutritious ones. They also mention how bad prison food can cause poor health in the…

The gentlemen continue their talk about reentry journeys and in part 2 discuss the positive side of their journey and how they did the work of getting back to their communities. Discussion highlights the trust factor of returning citizens with organizations, "reentry pimps", credible help, learning new skills, peer groups, and more.…

Here we talk about our reentry journeys, none of which are the same. You must take back your identity when you're on your reentry journey. This episode finds the gentlemen speaking on their journeys upon release and navigating the first steps of returning to the community.By solutionsfromtheyard

The second installment of our Trauma series explores triggers of trauma, how past experiences lead to PTSD symptoms, how to identify these, and how to manage them.By solutionsfromtheyard

“I got trauma.” Each of our hosts, led by Michael Dickerson El, share what trauma means to them and how trauma has manifested in their lives due to their time while incarcerated. This episode is the first of two in which our hosts discuss how any of the three types of trauma - acute, chronic, or complex - manifests itself in their current lives.…

Introducing SFTY hosts Charles, Michael, and Dietrich! Hear from our three hosts as they tell us a little bit about themselves and their experience during incarceration and release, their goals for the conversations conducted through SFTY, and how they will be helping their brothers and sisters searching for solutions to some of their problems as r…