The Untold Story: Criminal Injustice

Police unions in America are powerful organizations that protect vulnerable, hard working Americans… except when they don’t. Host Jay Ellis shares his personal motivations for untangling the twisted web of public safety in America. Then, Jay calls up Campaign Zero’s DeRay Mckesson and Samuel Sinyangwe to learn more about police unions’ stranglehold on justice and security in America. Learn more at nixthe6.o...

Fueled with new information about the power of police union contracts, host Jay Ellis is determined to figure out if real change is even possible. So he heads to Austin, Texas where community organizers Sukyi McMahon and Chas Moore changed the course of history...in a city council chamber. 

Learn more at nixthe6.org

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From the 48-Hour Rule to the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bills of Rights, Jay talks with social scientists and legal experts about a criminal justice system that offers special protections to the police that are neither offered to civilians nor backed by hard science. 

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It’s our solutions episode! Jay arrives at six things that have got to be eliminated in order to usher in substantial improvements to public safety and policing in America and he talks with Netta Elzie (activist, organizer and co-founder of Campaign Zero) about how she transformed her own grief, frustration and anger into steady irrefutable progress. Step one: dive in. 

Learn more at nixthe6.org 

Thank you to...

Jay Ellis is back, exploring no-knock raids through the eyes of a family who, unlike Breonna Taylor, survived a terrifying evening of mistaken identity. Joined by experts, Jay explores a system that allows for warrants, raids, and civil-asset forfeiture. Netta and DeRay also join to share a blueprint for how Breonna’s life could have been spared.

Learn more at endallnoknocks.org and nixthe6.org

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In season one of The Untold Story, host Jay Ellis (Insecure, Top Gun: Maverick, Mrs. America) took us on a journey to understand policing and its pitfalls. Now, he's back to tell you about some of the things that can happen after you get arrested. You might be aware that America's criminal justice system incarcerates more individuals than any other country. But did you know that you can have your life ruined for stealing something ...

Host Jay Ellis has dealt with shoplifters first-hand, back when he was a teenaged retail manager at a high-end shoe store. But he never learned about the other side of the story - what motivates people to shoplift and what happens to them if they’re caught. In this episode, Jay learns that people can become convicted felons for stealing as little as $200 in value in some states, because of Felony Theft Thresholds written into...

Host Jay Ellis is a fan of crime scene investigation TV shows - he’s even acted in
them! But in this episode, he learns that all the fancy forensic science the heroes
of those shows use to solve crimes are not as good as they seem on TV. Jay speaks
to experts about how forensic practices were developed and why they aren’t the
reliable science they seem to be. He takes listeners on a field trip to the one
...

In all 50 states, people caught up in the criminal justice system can be
charged fines and fees for everything from the cost of police transport during
arrests, to the cost of room and board for their time behind bars. In this episode,
Jay learns about the back story of how Pay to Stay policy was inspired by a killer
clown. And he speaks to experts and journalists about how Pay to Stay policies
lock people into a nev...

Rikers is a pretrial detention center and while people await their day in court, the conditions at the island are simply inhumane due to violence, overcrowding and inadequate medical care. Rikers is scheduled to close in 2027 but at the rate we're going, eighty more people might die on the island before the jail is shut down. How do we untangle this culture of perpetual violence at Rikers? And could an intervention called a federal...

Can you hear the difference between a firework and a gunshot? ShotSpotter says it can. It's a private sector company that uses microphones to detect gunfire and alert police to the scene. The company says it’s a powerful tool to stop gun violence, but critics say it’s an excuse to overpolice some of our most vulnerable communities. How did this technology with questionable accuracy lead to million-dollar contracts with police depar...

In this episode, host Travon Free uncovers the racist roots of the debunked medical term “excited delirium.” A study from Maryland in 2017 found that excited delirium was referenced in 11 percent of cases where someone died in police custody. And when these cases go to court, the concept of excited delirium can be used to argue that the police did nothing wrong. How did TASER, a couple of doctors and a handful of so-called experts ...

There has been a lot of media coverage around recent spikes in violent crime. A LOT. Even though overall crime rates are at historic lows, many people are feeling unsafe and want solutions. Most people also want to tackle our country’s incarceration crisis while addressing public safety concerns. As it turns out, these things go hand in hand. Join us for this special live event between Lemonada Media and The Just Trust to hear from...

​​Incarceration in the U.S. has profound flaws and consequences, but there are many people doing life-changing work to lessen its harm. In this special episode, Lemonada co-founder Stephanie Wittels Wachs sits down with two individuals whose organizations aim to increase access to housing for people who have been involved in the justice system. Stephanie speaks with Leslie Credle, founder and executive director of Justice 4 Housing...