Mass Incarceration, Inc.

01/19/25 • 32 min

Summary:

In this episode of [F]law School, hosts Gauri Sood and Haley Florsheim explore the chilling reality of publicly traded private prisons with third-year law student Jheri’ Richards. Together, they reveal how corporations like GeoGroup profit from mass incarceration, relying on government contracts and the stock market to drive their growth. Drawing haunting parallels between private prisons and historical slave auctions, Jheri’ exposes how GeoGroup commodifies human lives. From shell companies and lobbying to the widespread involvement of everyday investors, this episode uncovers how law enables diabolical systems.

Editors:

Very special thanks to Nolan Mascarenhas for production and editing assistance.

Guest Bio:

Jheri’ Richards is a student at Harvard Law School in the Class of 2025. She is also a graduate of Yale University. Before law school, Jheri’ worked at Google in advertising technology. She is interested in criminal justice reform, democracy work, and family law.
Music:

Our theme music is "I Been Waiting" by Crystal Squad, and you'll also hear segments of "Palms Down" by Blue Dot Sessions.
[F]law Resources:

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Summary:

Editors:

Very special thanks to Nolan Mascarenhas for production and editing assistance.

Guest Bio:

Our theme music is "I Been Waiting" by Crystal Squad, and you'll also hear segments of "Palms Down" by Blue Dot Sessions.
[F]law Resources:

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Podcast Home: Our podcast episodes can be found at flawschool.org
[F]law Website: Find more articles and content from The [F]law magazine at theflaw.org
Systemic Justice Project: All [F]law content is a product of the Systemic Justice Project at systemicjustice.org
Newsletter Sign-Up: Subscribe to receive curated content from The [F]law here.

If you enjoyed this episode of [F]law School, please leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts! Class dismissed!

Previous Episode

Profits Over Patients

Summary:

In this episode of [F]law School, hosts Molly Enloe and Gauri Sood sit down with third-year law student Charlotte Laurence to expose how private equity is infiltrating our healthcare system and, more specifically, how profit-driven investors are playing shell games with nursing homes—trading care for cash flow, and leaving some of the most vulnerable residents in the wreckage. Charlotte unpacks the legal loopholes and financial sleight-of-hand that make it all possible, showing how the law isn’t just failing to stop the harm—it’s greasing the wheels.

Editors:

Very special thanks to Nandini Kalani for production and editing assistance.

Guest Bio:

Charlotte Laurence is a student at Harvard Law School in the Class of 2025. She is also a graduate of the University of California Berkeley and University of Cambridge. Before law school, Charlotte researched topics in History of Science and worked as a speech writer for the Shadow Minister of Women and Equalities in the British Parliament.

Music:

Our theme music is "I Been Waiting" by Crystal Squad, and you'll also hear segments of "Palms Down" by Blue Dot Sessions.

[F]law Resources:

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Podcast Home: Our podcast episodes can be found at flawschool.org
[F]law Website: Find more articles and content from The [F]law magazine at theflaw.org
Systemic Justice Project: All [F]law content is a product of the Systemic Justice Project at systemicjustice.org
Newsletter Sign-Up: Subscribe to receive curated content from The [F]law here.
Contact Us: Have questions, comments or feedback? Reach out to us at [email protected].
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If you enjoyed this episode of [F]law School, please leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts! Class dismissed!

Next Episode

The Midnight Shift: Today's Child Labor Crisis

Summary:

In this episode of [F]law School, guest Luke Hinrichs joins hosts Nolan Mascarenhas and Troy Brown to discuss his [F]law article, Economy of Exploitation, which sheds light on the issue of child labor. Hinrichs describes how child labor — an issue labeled a problem of the past — is highly relevant today, with legislation failing to protect exploited youth workers. As the episode notes, the issue goes beyond the continued exploitation of children; it's a window into the fallacies of identification and regulation of child labor. By debunking previous gaps in the legal structures and today’s lack of corporate accountability, this episode explores and highlights the existence of modern-day child labor.

Editors:

Special thanks to Giovana de Oliveira for production and editing and to Gauri Sood and Reya Singh for their assistance with this episode.

Guest Bio:

Luke Hinrichs is a third-year law student at Harvard Law School specializing in employment and antitrust law. He has worked in public antitrust enforcement and private antitrust litigation. As a student attorney with the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, Luke represents indigent plaintiffs in employment and wage law litigation.

Music:

Our theme music is "I Been Waiting" by Crystal Squad, and you'll also hear segments of "Palms Down" by Blue Dot Sessions.

Learn more about this episode in the shownotes on the episode homepage.

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Podcast Home: Our podcast episodes can be found at flawschool.org
[F]law Website: Find more articles and content from The [F]law magazine at theflaw.org
Systemic Justice Project: All [F]law content is a product of the Systemic Justice Project at systemicjustice.org
Newsletter Sign-Up: Subscribe to receive curated content from The [F]law here.
Contact Us: Have questions, comments or feedback? Reach out to us at [email protected].
Listen to [F]law School on Your Favorite Platform:

If you enjoyed this episode of [F]law School, please leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts! Class dismissed!

[F]law School - Mass Incarceration, Inc.

Transcript

Transcript

(This transcript was created by an automated process and contains errors.)

Flaw School - Mass Incareration, Inc.

Jon Hanson Introduction: Hi, everyone. In this episode of [F]law School, hosts Gauri Sood and Haley Florsheim explore the chilling reality of publicly traded private prisons with third-year law student Jheri’ Richards. Together, they reveal how corporations like GeoGroup profit from