Criminal justice coverage tends to paint reform as a left-of-center cause and “tough-on-crime” policies as right-leaning efforts. On the latest episode of True Bill Talk, Alissa Marque Heydari tackles these assumptions with Tim Barker, the Republican District Attorney of York County, Pennsylvania, and Frank Russo, a conservative advocate who serves as a senior advisor at CPAC’s Nolan Center for Justice.
Heydari, Barker, and Russo discuss the line between data-driven prosecutors and “ideologues” on the left and the right, as well as the specific programs York County has used in an effort to bring down crime, incarceration, and recidivism. As Heydari points out in her closing thoughts, many of the efforts championed by conservative prosecutors would be considered successes by prosecutors on the other side of the aisle.
Listen now on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
About True Bill Talk
From the Vanderbilt Project on Prosecution Policy, True Bill Talk is about getting to the truth of criminal prosecution in America right now: what it is, how people experience it, and how prosecutors can better serve their communities. Each episode of the podcast features in-depth conversations between Vanderbilt Law Professor Alissa Marque Heydari and prosecutors, policy experts, and advocates with diverse perspectives on the challenges and responsibilities of prosecution.
About the Vanderbilt Project on Prosecution Policy
The Vanderbilt Project on Prosecution Policy (VPOPP) is a nonpartisan network of prosecutors, researchers, students, and other stakeholders dedicated to improving individual and collective outcomes in the criminal justice system. The Project supports communities that traditionally have been overlooked by national policy centers. Through trainings, research, conferences, and technical assistance, VPOPP engages criminal justice leaders, particularly prosecutors in the South, to develop and implement policies and programs that reduce unnecessary incarceration and promote public safety.
VPOPP is housed in Vanderbilt Law’s Criminal Justice Program and collaborates closely with highly experienced and respected Vanderbilt Law faculty members affiliated with the program.