The issue of solitary confinement

Back in December, Billy McCarthy came by to our studio to tell us a deeply personal story. A few years ago, his younger brother James ended up in solitary confinement in one of the infamous California prisons. James had schizophrenia and definitely "a mess" but according to Billy, "locking him up 23 hours a day only made his condition worse". In fact, "by the time he was 23, he looked 40..."

McCarthy is a singer and songwriter for the band We Are Augustines. The tragic life of his brother deeply affected him to this day. I put together this podcast for the ACLU's Prison Voices series.



Ten of thousands of inmates are held in solitary confinement in the U.S., and it is known that about two third of them suffer from mental illness - just like James.

Alabama's HB 56: "Harshest immigration law in the country"

Retired Judge, UW Clemon, Alabama's first African American Federal Judge, talks about the civil rights crisis caused by HB 56, Alabama's new anti-immigrant law. Clemon himself was deeply involved in the Civil Rights movement and in this interview for the ACLU, he explains how the new immigration law reminds him of what he fought against in the sixties.
I edited this video for the ACLU.