Not In Isolation: Voices of Youth

“I was fighting, fighting for my humanity - for my liberty - for 22 years.” - Halim Flowers
It's time we end the practice of solitary confinement for children, especially as the US is the only country to sentence kids to life in prison w/o parole. “I started doing this work because I was meeting brilliant, beautiful, amazing men like you two who were condemned to die in prison for a mistake.” –Kristen Rome of Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights. Join host Ronnie Villeda, and guests Halim Flowers and Kristen Rome for Not in Isolation: Voices of Youth’s powerful season-ender.

This episode continues the conversation between hosts Ronnie Villeda and Josue Pineda about Kalief Browder’s case, the long-term solitary confinement that he endured at Rikers Island as a 16-year-old, and the all too common harm inflicted on Kalief by the youth justice system that eventually led him to take his own life. Tragically, the profound harm inflicted on Kalief by the youth justice system is all too common. They also look at alternatives, including bail reform. As Swey says, one case like Kalief’s is one too many.

The title of our second episode refers to the long-term solitary confinement that 16-year-old Kalief Browder endured in Rikers Island Jail. Podcast creators and hosts Ronnie Villeda and Josue Pineda sit down to discuss TIME: The Kalief Browder Story, the award-winning docuseries. The series chronicles the unjust arrest, detention, and solitary confinement that eventually led Kalief to take his own life. Tragically, the profound harm inflicted on Kalief by the youth justice system is all too common. The speakers, who are young advocates with first-hand experience in the same system, share their perspectives on how we can break the cycle of injustice.

Join our host, Ronnie Villeda - with youth guest expert Ezekiel Nishiyama, legal guest expert Elizabeth Calvin, Stop Solitary for Kids guest expert Jennifer Lutz, and Sergio Cuevas who provided our powerful opening Grounding for this episode - for a conversation on the destructive nature of youth solitary confinement.

Stop Solitary for Kids is excited to announce the June 15th debut of our new podcast series elevating the voices of people directly impacted by incarceration and solitary confinement as youth.
Not in Isolation: Voices of Youth examines how our history and our legal systems combine to harm youth, with shocking disparities for youth of color and LGBTQI youth. We’ll look at how the punishment paradigm in these systems tears at the fabric of our families and communities through the lens of directly impacted youth.

Join host Ronnie Villeda for in-depth dialogue featuring lives forever impacted by incarceration and solitary confinement, and ways we can all work to propel change. Check out our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @notinisolation for details.