Guest host Ryan Benk was joined Monday by Florida Times-Union reporter Tessa Duvall, who wrote a story about how, despite the Supreme Court’s ruling life prison sentences for minors are unconstitutional, it could take years for some convicted in Duval County to see any change in their sentences.
We were also joined by Pastor Phillip Baber and Nancy Ricker of I-CARE, which is pushing to increase the use of civil citations in Jacksonville.
Author Ebony Payne-English spoke about her new book of poetry, “The Secrets of Ma’at.”
And Kim Bynum and Michele McManamon from the group ONECOR924 told us about their program to help former athletes.
Juvenile Justice
“No Second Chance.” That was the headline for Duvall’s Times-Union article about life sentences for young offenders.
The issue is also closely related to the mission of the group I-CARE, which is working on legislation to increase the use of civil citations. Those function like promises to appear in court, similar to traffic tickets, instead of sending offenders to jail for minor offenses. Ten thousand kids were arrested for petty crimes in Florida last year. Ricker and Baber want to prevent more of them from being swallowed by the justice system.
Secrets of Ma’at
She’s a young educator, artist, poet and activist. Well, now she can add published author to that already impressive resume. Ebony Payne-English joined us to talk “The Secrets of Ma’at.” Her book explores the fundamental qualities of wisdom and character with which ancient rulers of Kemet (Egypt) governed.
ONECOR924
ONECOR924 is a business that serves professional and collegiate athletes preparing to transition from a sports career to the next phase of their lives.
The group helps athletes overcome the challenges of transition by providing training for the corporate, non-profit or entrepreneurial sector.
Producer Kevin Meerschaert can be reached at kmeerschaert@wjct.org, 904-358-6334 or on Twitter at @KMeerschaertJax
