1 minute 41 seconds

Local leaders in eastern Kentucky talk about their hopes for what a new prison will do for the economy. The voices in order of appearance are: Blaine Phillips, former Judge Executive of McCreary County, KY, who was in office when United States Penitentiary (USP) McCreary opened in 2004; Jimmie Greene, former Judge-Executive of McCreary County, KY, who was in office in the years leading up to the construction of USP McCreary; Joe Depriest, Economic Development Director of Letcher County, KY; Michael Caudill, member of the Letcher County Planning Commission; and Elwood Cornett, Co-Chair of the Letcher County Planning Commission.

5 minutes 12 seconds

This clip is from an interview with Trey Narramore, a former Corrections Officer at Red Onion State Prison, and Beth Davies, a drug abuse counselor in Pennington Gap, VA, who works with many current and former employees of Red Onion State Prison, Wallens Ridge State Prison and United States Penitentiary Lee. All three of these prisons are concentrated in the southwest corner of Virginia and opened between 1998 – 2002. Narramore and Davies reflect on the impacts of working in a prison, on the individual, their families, and communities.

We recommend facilitators chose one of the following two options.

Calls from Home – Short

3 minutes 23 seconds

Calls From Home is a weekly show on WMMT-FM Mountain Community Radio in Whitesburg, KY. Since the prison building boom of the last quarter century, there are now 7 prisons within the station’s broadcast area. Every monday night for over ten years now, the radio station airs messages from friends and family members calling in from across the country to reach their loved ones incarcerated. People in prison hear their messages over the radio. In this clip, you will hear a selection of recent calls aired on the show. You can listen to the show live on Monday from 9-10 PM EST at www.wmmt.org

Red Onion State Prison Hunger Strike

In 2012, people incarcerated at Red Onion State Prison staged a hunger strike to protest the inhumane conditions they faced there. (Elizabeth – do you think we should add more info about strike demands/outcome?) During the strike, prisoner advocates and activists from across the country called in to the Calls from Home show to support the men on strike. In this audio clip, you will hear a selection of calls that aired during the hunger strike – including messages from family members calling in to leave their regular shout-outs and those calling in to support the strikers.

Audio clips we still hope to produce and add to website:

Counter to Pro-Prison Voices

not just about job qualifications, but how both state and federal don’t help local economy – don’t contract with local businesses etc. = how this is not good community economic development

CREATE PIECE from perspective of those that are/have been incarcerated/visiting family members from rideshare…

Red Onion State Prison Hunger Strike

In 2012, people incarcerated at Red Onion State Prison staged a hunger strike to protest the inhumane conditions they faced there. (Elizabeth – do you think we should add more info about strike demands/outcome?) During the strike, prisoner advocates and activists from across the country called in to the Calls from Home show to support the men on strike. In this audio clip, you will hear a selection of calls that aired during the hunger strike – including messages from family members calling in to leave their regular shout-outs and those calling in to support the strikers.