Attorney Jean Peters Baker joins True Bill Talk this week for an expansive conversation about the state of American politics and the criminal justice system. The elected prosecutor of Jackson County (Kansas City), Missouri from 2011 to 2025, Jean discussed her highly eventful career with host Alissa Marque Heydari. She touches on the complexities of domestic violence, tackling difficult cases over the objections of powerful people, death threats, and much more.
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.