This episode of the Inside-Out Podcast features James Forman, Jr., a professor of Law at Yale Law School. Dr. Forman talks about his journey from public defender to law school professor and how the Inside-Out pedagogy informs his teaching. He'll also talk about his new book Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America.
Episode Guide:
1:30: Could you start out by sharing your journey from serving as a public defender to teaching in a law school?
5:37: How did you hear about and how did you get interested in teaching through the Inside-Out program?
7:37: What was it like teaching a class in the Inside-Out model for the first time. Do you think teaching an Inside-Out course changed how you taught your other classes?
12:54: Let's shift gears for a minute. You have a new book out, Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America. Could you talk a little bit about what brought you to write this book?
18:07: What do you think is behind this decades-long shift in our society towards mass incarceration? Why has locking up so many Americans become such an accepted part of American policy?
21:55: In recent years the public discourse about mass incarceration has been changing. Where do you think we stand today, especially in light of the 2016 election?
25:47: What do you want your readers to take away from your book?
28:37: How does education speak to mass incarceration and, specifically, why do you see value in the Inside-Out approach to education?
0:20 A description of the Inside-Out program
1:29 An introduction to Lori Pompa
2:00 Lori discusses how the program began, what is unique about the Inside-Out method of teaching and learning, and her thoughts on winning the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award for Teaching from the American Society of Criminology.
15:52 An introduction to Paul from Graterford
Note: from here on, sound quality is lower due to technical challenges w/incoming call from Graterford Prison.
16:30 Paul discusses the history of his incarceration and how he became motivated to become an educator. He also discusses the Graterford Think Tank and the impact that Lori has had on his life and the thousands of students around the world who have taken Inside-Out courses.
To find out how to enroll in the 2017 Inside-Out Instructor Training institutes, visit: http://www.insideoutcenter.org/training.html