In the season one finale, Thad Bereday wraps up what we have learned this season on Redemption Radio.  Questioned by his friend and guest host Evan D. Smith, executive director of Love INC of Metro Tampa, Thad describes his favorite and most memorable moments from the first season; how producing the podcast has changed him personally; and why he sees the podcast as being effective.  Thad also explains what he will be doing during the interim break before the planned relaunch of season two of Redemption Radio.  Stay tuned for further episodes of Redemption Radio coming this fall!Follow for updates here: www.4redemption.com or follow @thadbereday on social media.Learn more about Evan D. Smith and Love INC (In the Name of Christ) of Metro Tampa here: https://loveinctampa.org

Annette Scott is my yoga teacher! I came to yoga unwittingly, when my life was at a low point, and I felt I had struck bottom. More than any other yoga instructor, Annette showed me how to feel this discomfort, learn to breathe and be present through my feelings and then take the practice of yoga off the mat into real life. Beyond physical exercise, yoga is a practice that shows us how to maintain compassion for others, and for ourselves.What does yoga have to do with criminal justice reform? Everything! As Annette explains, and Thad shares through his experience, until we can feel compassion for ourselves, we struggle to feel compassion for others. When we show ourselves loving kindness, we develop the capacity to show loving kindness to others. By cultivating grace within ourselves, we show grace to others. The practice of yoga, breath and mindfulness helps us to judge others with compassion and mercy. Thus, the yoga practice of self-care and wellness is essential to the criminal justice system’s goal to impose accountability tempered by mercy and possible redemption. Finally, Annette and Thad discuss how to develop this practice locally, starting with ourselves as individuals, then extending our insight to the broader community and society-at-large. Follow Annette Scott on Facebook: @annette.k.scotton Instagram: @annette.k.scottVisit Kodawari Studios website: www.kodawaristudios.comon Facebook: @kodawaristudiostampaon Instagram: @kodawari_studios

Rev. Justin LaRosa is my pastor! When I got released from prison in 2018, Justin was one of the first people I turned to who became an important part of my support system. As Director of the Portico (the downtown Tampa location of Hyde Park United Methodist Church), Justin is a faith advisor for many souls and has walked with me throughout my journey to criminal justice reform. This episode will showcase an intimate conversation between a returning citizen and his pastor. Justin and Thad discuss their work together, starting in homeless ministry and including their common background with suffering, addiction and recovery. Focusing on challenges afflicting “criminal minds," Justin and Thad discuss the value of 12-step recovery methods for all persons, no matter what obstacles they may be facing. Justin describes the power of extending grace to others as the basis for maintaining spirituality. Finally, Thad asks Justin whether redemption is available to everyone, even those encountering the criminal justice system. The answer may surprise you. Follow Justin LaRosa on Facebook: @justin.larosaon Instagram: @justinjlarosaon Twitter: @justinlarosaon the web: www.justinjlarosa.com Visit the Portico’s website: www.theportico.orgVisit Hyde Park United Methodist Church: www.hydeparkumc.org

Charles Neal is a corrections officer with the Oregon Department of Corrections. Morgan Godvin is a returning citizen working as an advocate, academic, journalist, and content creator. Together, Charles and Morgan have founded the Humane Justice Foundation, a coalition of people with lived experience from inside the criminal justice system, including victims, law enforcement, prisoners and everyday citizens. Humane Justice Foundation advocates for principles of restorative justice. In this episode, Charles describes his experience working as a corrections officer, reviewing the institutional and personal challenges affecting this community.  Morgan shares how these dynamics are surprisingly similar to those affecting the prison population itself.  Thad then discusses an article Charles authored regarding the history of early prison systems published in JSTOR Daily.  As an editor of this digital newspaper, Morgan explains how the work of JSTOR Daily is relevant for the current criminal justice reform movement. Learn more about Humane Justice Foundation: www.humane-justice.orgRead JSTOR Daily: www.daily.jstor.orgRead Charles Neal’s article, “Were Early American Prisons Similar to Today’s?”Follow Charles Neal on Twitter: @CharlesNealHJFFollow Morgan Godvin: linktr.ee/morgangodvin

Ray Coker is one of my best friends.  When I got cancer, Ray was among the inner circle who nursed me back to health.  We walked together once a week, helping and supporting each other through life’s challenges.  Ray was the guy I asked to drive me to prison on the day I self-surrendered.In this episode, Ray and Thad share the story of their journey to federal prison in Jesup, GA.  Ray explains what it felt like to drop off his friend Thad to jail, and then recalls what it was like to visit him while incarcerated.  This episode will help you to know Thad’s prison experience more personally and understand how we incarcerate people in the federal criminal justice system.Follow Ray Coker on FaceBook: @ray.a.coker

Mary O’Connor is the incoming Chief of the City of Tampa Police Department, one of the nation’s top 50 police departments.  She is the second female Chief of Police in the department’s history. Chief O’Connor served TPD for 22 years, rising to the level of assistant chief, before retiring to become a national consultant and trainer to the FBI, DOJ and other law enforcement agencies.  In February 2022, Chief O’Connor was selected by Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to lead the department in her current role. In this episode, Thad and Chief O’Connor talk about second chances and the important role TPD plays in ensuring community safety, including health and wellness for both officers and citizens. Laying out her priorities for TPD, Chief O’Connor talks personally about what it’s like to serve in law enforcement and how second chances have affected her outlook and career. Follow TPD and Chief Mary O’Connor at the following links:Website: www.tampa.gov/policeSocial Media: @TampaPD

Jhody Polk spent seven years in Florida prison for a series of violent offenses committed in her early 20’s.  While in jail, she learned to undo much of the societal conditioning imposed upon her from growing up in East Gainsville.  Now more than seven years following her release, Jhody has transformed herself into a leading community activist, public speaker and leader for peace and justice. Jhody is the Founder of LEAH, the Legal Empowerment and Advocacy Hub, and previously served as the Director of Community Justice at the River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding. She was trained as a jailhouse lawyer and started the first Participatory Defense Hub in the state of Florida as part of the National Jailhouse Lawyers Initiative.  In 2018, Jhody was selected as a Soros Justice Fellow, and in 2019 she received the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award and the Peacebuilder of the Year award. Earlier, Jhody worked as a central Florida organizer on Amendment 4, restoring voting rights to over 1.4 million returning citizens in Florida.In this episode, Thad and Jhody share their personal journey of spiritual redemption through the criminal justice system.  Reflecting on lessons learned from their time in prison, Jhody shares her aspirations for a more transformative and restorative justice system, emphasizing forgiveness, love and community relationships. Focusing on their mutual interest in the special role of lawyers, Jhody and Thad discuss how these values can heal our criminal justice system and society as a whole.Follow Jhody on social media:Instagram: @JhodyforJusticeTwitter: @jhody_polkFacebook: @jhodydouglaspolkLinkedIn: Jhody Polk

Neil Volz is Deputy Director of Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, the group that successfully passed Amendment 4, restoring voting rights to 1+ million returning citizens in Florida.  Today, FRRC provides jobs and pathways to formerly incarcerated people, advocating for policy changes to help returning citizens achieve full community restoration. In this episode, Neil and Thad discuss common themes in their stories, including their demise from powerful jobs into the hands of the criminal justice system, as well as their current work to reform the system.  They discuss working in Congress, the events of January 6, the influence of money in politics, and obstacles to criminal justice reform. Follow Neil Volz and FRRC at the following locations: Neil Volz on Twitter: @VolzieOur Voice podcast on YouTubeFRRC on social media: @FLRightsRestoreFRRC website: www.floridarrc.com 

Rep. Andrew Learned (D-59) is a military veteran and small business owner who was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2020. He won election by 1,270 votes in a closely divided district. Nearing the end of the 2022 legislative session, Rep. Learned reviews his experience as a legislator assigned to the House committees with oversight responsibility for criminal justice issues.  Thad Bereday and Rep. Learned discuss their common views as centrists in the debate over criminal justice reform, and Rep. Learned describes obstacles and opportunities in the legislative process affecting progress on these issues.Follow Rep. Andrew Learned at www.AndrewLearned.com or on Twitter @AndrewLearned

Lawrence Bartley is a journalist and contributor to The Marshall Project, a non-profit online news publication devoted entirely to coverage of the criminal justice system.  Bartley is founder and director of “News Inside,” the print version of The Marshall Project distributed throughout the USA to hundreds of prisons and jails, and he is the host and executive producer of “Inside Story,” the Marshall Project’s video series on YouTube.  Thad and Lawrence discuss their backgrounds as returning citizens (formerly incarcerated persons), and Lawrence describes his transformation while serving 27 years in New York State Prison as well as his ongoing work to communicate untold stories about today’s criminal justice system.Follow Lawrence Bartley at The Marshall Project:https://www.themarshallproject.org/staff/lawrence-bartleyon Twitter:  @lawbartleyon YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheMarshallProject/videosSubscribe to News Inside: newsinside@themarshallproject.org

Through 12 years in public service, Florida Senator Jeff Brandes (R-24, Pinellas) forged a reputation as the state’s leading advocate for criminal justice reform. Known as a maverick, Brandes was chairman of the powerful senate Judiciary Committee, with oversight over the Florida Department of Corrections. Brandes has visited dozens of prisons throughout the state, working on every important criminal justice issue facing the legislature during his tenure. In this episode, Senator Brandes describes the perilous state of Florida’s prison system, explaining why the political climate in Tallahassee makes reforming the system difficult. Follow Jeff Brandes on Twitter @JeffreyBrandes.

Andrew Warren is the elected State Attorney for Florida’s 13th Judicial Circuit (Hillsborough County). Since his election in 2017 and re-election in 2020, State Attorney Warren has been called “the face of criminal justice reform in Tampa” and is widely regarded as a smart, progressive county prosecutor. A rising star in Florida, Warren was recently selected to lead the Democratic Party’s Safety & Justice Task Force, promoting best practices for criminal justice reform on a statewide basis.In this episode, Thad Bereday and State Attorney Warren discuss his office’s approach to community safety, recidivism, and the criminalization of poverty, focusing on the types of cases handled in Hillsborough County. State Attorney Warren describes the impact of court-imposed fines and fees, arrests for driver’s license suspensions and how diversion programs and other reforms can improve the system. He also describes the mindset of prosecutors, judges, and other stakeholders, noting why established policies may create obstacles to reducing cycles of crime and promoting rehabilitation for individuals.Follow State Attorney Andrew Warren at the following links:Website: www.sao13th.comTw, IG, FB: @sao13thTwitter: @AndrewWarrenFL

Sarah Couture is Florida State Director of the Fines and Fees Justice Center (FFJC), a national advocacy center dedicated to solving the unjust imposition of fines and fees in the criminal legal system.  Sarah describes how fines and fees perpetuate a poverty-to-prison pipeline, reinforcing a cycle of recidivism and dependency that forces people to make unfair choices about driving and compliance with court-ordered payment schemes.  Sarah and Thad discuss how this payment system impacts communities of poverty, reflecting a criminal justice system that appears systemically biased against people of color.

On National Constitution Day, criminal defense attorney Jo Ann Palchak talks about working as a lawyer, plea-bargaining, the trial penalty, duties of prosecutors and what it is like representing defendants in the criminal justice system.  Thad and Jo Ann debate “due process” and whether the criminal justice system is working as intended, as well as lawyers’ responsibilities to fix the system.

Carrie Boyd is a former policy director for the SPLC Action Fund, the legislative division of the Southern Policy Law Center.  For over 50 years, the SPLC has been the premier civil rights law firm in the south, particularly Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The SPLC Action Fund works with coalition partners to combat systemic oppression, poverty, and structural racism; issues suppressing communities of color. In this episode, Carrie discusses with Thad Bereday how the legislative process impacts the criminal justice system in Florida.  Carrie offers insightful suggestions to help citizens become more aware and stay engaged.

Representative Fentrice Driskell represents the 63rd Congressional District (Hillsborough County) in Florida’s House of Representatives. She serves as Democratic Policy Chair, the third-ranking leader of the Florida House Democratic Caucus, which she is set to lead during  the 2024-2026 legislative term.  Upon ascension, she will be the first black woman to serve as leader of the House Democratic Caucus.  In this episode, Rep. Driskell speaks with Thad Bereday about the legislative process, tensions between the leadership and minority parties, the decennial redistricting, and how these issues affect criminal justice reform.  Rep. Driskell shares her view on previous bipartisan legislative successes and the outlook for the upcoming 2021-2022 legislative session, including specific bills likely to be considered.  She speaks eloquently on the importance of civic engagement and sustaining hope in government service.  

Robert Blount is president of Abe Brown Ministries, based in Tampa, FL, and is a seasoned advocate in working with ex-offenders reentering society from the criminal justice system.  In this episode, Robert shares the challenges faced by so-called “returning citizens” and examines why and how the criminal justice system is broken.  Drawing from his experience in the faith community, Robert offers inspiring insights for ways to re-think crime and punishment in America.

In the inaugural episode of Redemption Radio, host Thad Bereday shares his personal journey through the criminal justice system. Thad started his career as a high-flying lawyer working inside the executive suite of a Fortune 500 company, based in Tampa, FL. Thad’s career crashed to earth when the company was raided by 200 government agents, setting off a decade long saga of Thad attempting to defend himself against federal criminal charges.  Along the way, Thad would lose his job, law license, health, and eventually his family and freedom.  Now, Thad’s career has been reborn in a new life of service, buoyed by a presidential pardon from Donald Trump.  Following this new path, Thad launched the Redemption Radio podcast to help re-think crime and punishment in America.  Join Thad on his journey of criminal justice reform, seeking a new life of redemption for himself and others.