On September 13, 1994, President Bill Clinton signed what is arguably the most significant piece of legislation from his tenure as president—the Violent Crime C...
In 1994, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act (better known as the Crime Bill) was supported by liberals and considered “soft on crime” by conservatives. Yet, the bill is widely criticized today. This episode unpacks the legislation and examines the impact it actually had. Plus, we take a look at where the power lies to create—and disrupt—mass incarceration. Hosted by: Josie Duffy Rice, Journalist and Writer Featuring: Terrell Blount, Executive Director, Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network SA Kimberly Foxx, Cook County State's Attorney Adam Gelb, President and CEO, Council on Criminal Justice Holly Harris, Founder and President, The Network John Pfaff, Professor of Law, Fordham Law School Jason Pye, Vice President, Due Process Institute Nkechi Taifa, President, The Taifa Group, LLC Zoë Towns, Executive Director, FWD.us Jeremy Travis, Senior Fellow, Columbia Justice Lab For more information about each episode and to find full transcripts, visit www.vera.org/thirtyyearproject and follow Vera Institute of Justice on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, X/Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
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Episode 2 | People: Who is Most Affected by Mass Incarceration
“Felon,” “thug,” “superpredator,” “criminal”—these are the ways politicians often talk about people convicted of crimes. As a result, most people don’t have a clear picture of who is actually affected by mass incarceration and what it’s like to be incarcerated. We look at the people entangled in the criminal legal system over the past 30 years and discuss what prison is actually like. Hosted by: Josie Duffy Rice, Journalist and Writer Featuring: Daryl V. Atkinson, Co-Director and Co-Founder, Forward Justice David Ayala, Executive Director, Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted People & Families Movement Terrell Blount, Executive Director, Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network Gina Clayton-Johnson, Executive Director, Essie Justice Group Vivian D. Nixon, Writer in Residence, Columbia Justice Lab Square One Project John Pfaff, Professor of Law, Fordham Law School Nkechi Taifa, President, The Taifa Group, LLC Zoë Towns, Executive Director, FWD.us Nick Turner, President and Director, Vera Institute of Justice For more information about each episode and to find full transcripts, visit www.vera.org/thirtyyearproject and follow Vera Institute of Justice on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, X/Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
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Episode 3 | Place: Families, Communities, and Beyond
When a person is caught up in the criminal legal system, they aren't the only one who suffers. We look at the ripple effects of mass incarceration and how system involvement can affect a person's family, neighborhood, and broader community. Hosted by: Josie Duffy Rice, Journalist and Writer Featuring: Daryl V. Atkinson, Co-Director and Co-Founder, Forward Justice David Ayala, Executive Director, Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted People & Families Movement Terrell Blount, Executive Director, Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network Gina Clayton-Johnson, Executive Director, Essie Justice Group Vivian D. Nixon, Writer in Residence, Columbia Justice Lab Square One Project John Pfaff, Professor of Law, Fordham Law School Nkechi Taifa, President, The Taifa Group, LLC Zoë Towns, Executive Director, FWD.us Nick Turner, President and Director, Vera Institute of Justice For more information about each episode and to find full transcripts, visit www.vera.org/thirtyyearproject and follow Vera Institute of Justice on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, X/Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
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Episode 4 | Progress: The Fight Against Mass Incarceration
We look at the fight against mass incarceration and talk to leaders in the field about the progress we’ve made so far. Our guests look to the future and imagine an America without the scourge of mass incarceration. Hosted by: Josie Duffy Rice, Journalist and Writer Featuring: Daryl V. Atkinson, Co-Director and Co-Founder, Forward Justice David Ayala, Executive Director, Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted People & Families Movement Terrell Blount, Executive Director, Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network Gina Clayton-Johnson, Executive Director, Essie Justice Group Jocelyn Fontaine, Vice President, Strategic Program Development, Urban Institute SA Kimberly Foxx, Cook County State's Attorney Adam Gelb, President and CEO, Council on Criminal Justice Holly Harris, Founder and President, The Network Vivian D. Nixon, Writer in Residence, Columbia Justice Lab Square One Project John Pfaff, Professor of Law, Fordham Law School Jason Pye, Vice President, Due Process Institute Nkechi Taifa, President, The Taifa Group, LLC Zoë Towns, Executive Director, FWD.us Jeremy Travis, Senior Fellow, Columbia Justice Lab Nick Turner, President and Director, Vera Institute of Justice For more information about each episode and to find full transcripts, visit www.vera.org/thirtyyearproject and follow Vera Institute of Justice on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, X/Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
On September 13, 1994, President Bill Clinton signed what is arguably the most significant piece of legislation from his tenure as president—the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, otherwise known as the 1994 Crime Bill. It was the largest crime legislation in the history of the United States, allocating billions of dollars to hire more cops and build more prisons.
And today, 30 years later, as our country reckons with the past decades of mass incarceration, the bill has received widespread backlash, blamed in part for the carceral system we have now. But was it to blame?
From the Vera Institute of Justice, this is The 30-Year Project, a four-part limited series hosted by writer and journalist Josie Duffy Rice looking at the impact the legislation had—and examining where mass incarceration is in America today. We tell the story of the 1994 Crime Bill by talking to advocates, academics, directly impacted people, and a few of the bill’s original supporters. Plus, the series takes a deeper look at the real drivers of mass incarceration and lays out where we are, where we’ve been, and—most importantly—what comes next.
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