Billie Holiday still looms larger than life even close to 60 years after her death. At the nexus of complicated subjects like race, drugs, sexuality, & music, she acts as a compelling subject for those seeking to understand our society's trajectory, especially when religion is added as a layer to the experience.

Burning Down the House: The End of Juvenile Prison, by Nell Bernstein, takes an unflinching look at the travesty we call juvenile prison. She has an unequivocal solution - get rid of them. With some 20 years of knowing the system and by telling the stories of the victims of it, Nell explores the history, reform, trends, and consequences of the "reformatories" which do the exact opposite of their supposed purpose.

Part 2 of interviews about treatment courts which achieve impressive results and save lots of money. Today we visit with participants of the local Drug & Mental Health Courts - Mike Gumulauskas & Rob Bergeron.

Reformatories seldom reform, and penitentiary seldom produce penitence, but groom criminals to re-offend. For certain offenders, treatment courts achieve impressive results and save lots of money, bringing bi-partisan support.

James Olson is the author of The Whole-Brain Path to Peace about the role of left and right brain dominance in the polarization and reunification of America. It's an investigation into the effects of brain perspective on government, corporate life, war, and our personal lives. James Olson is a management-trained philosopher with studies in business, engineering, art, eastern and western religion, yoga, qigong, neuro-linguistic programming, philosophy and brain perspective. Plus, he's a former farmer & church deacon.

The Wisconsin Network for Peace & Justice will be presenting its Lifetime Achievement award on October 3, 2009. One awardee, Esther Heffernan, is a Dominican nun and Sociology prof at Edgewood College, with a lifetime concern for prison reform. Steve Burns, program coordinator for WNPJ also joins us.

A visit with Steve Ryals, author of Drunk With Wonder: Awakening to the God Within, former speed freak and alcoholic, and activist with Challenge Day. 

Music featured in this program:
How Could Anyone Ever Tell You - Peaceful Women