#235 - iChange Justice Podcast: Restorative Community Coalition Presents: Breaking Down the Breach of Trust1st of a 3 part Series on Restorative JusticeThe wait is over! We are officially launching an all-new monthly broadcast format! 📻 For this milestone episode, our entire board steps up to the microphone to co-host a critical conversation on a heavy reality: the systemic breach of trust in our local justice system.

Facilitated by board member Atul Deshmane, our panel brings together coalition founder Irene Morgan, board members Karen Ball and Lucy Kesterson, alongside Ray Rodriguez and Miriam Karamoko from the Whatcom Racial Equity Commission.

We are diving deep into the hard truths the community needs to hear:

👉 The 90/10 Reality Check: Voters were promised a 50/50 split to fund crucial behavioral health and re-entry services during the 2023 jail levy. Instead, current plans allocate roughly 90% of the funds strictly to jail cells.

👉 The Missing Needs Assessment: Why did local executives scrap the promised community needs assessment within two weeks of taking office? 📋

👉 Silenced Voices: We need to see how we pacify citizens while maintaining the unsustainable incarceration loop active.

We believe it’s time to design a system that actually heals. Restorative Justice is the Focus, and it begins by demanding transparency and building true Connection within our community. 🕊️🌾

In this encore episode, Host Joy Gilfilen introduces John and Wes, two men rebuilding their lives after incarceration and now helping others find their way forward.

They share what it was like reentering society in Cowlitz County, Washington, after felony convictions left them navigating life after prison, homelessness, and the challenges of starting over. Through perseverance and support, both men found work and became certified peer counselors, first living at and later working with the Community House on Broadway as peer mentors and housing specialists.

Today, their lived experience helps others facing similar challenges reconnect with housing, stability, and opportunity.

We are closing out our encore series and will be introducing our next community discussion... Stay Tuned.

Find the iChange Justice Podcast everywhere you get your podcasts, and thank you to KOYS-LPFM 94.1

Joy Gilfilen, the host of iChange Justice, interviews Jerome Gold, the author of Paranoia and Heartbreak, about his 15 years as a rehabilitation counselor at Echo Glen, the Washington State Juvenile Prison.

The conversation dives deep into the effectiveness of prevention, intervention, and diverse therapies in reducing recidivism and increasing the probability of people staying out of prison. They explore how tools like conflict resolution, de-escalation, and aggression reduction therapies serve as critical supports for building healthier relationships both inside and outside the system.

Jerome Gold offers a vital reminder for lawmakers and community leaders: virtually everyone who goes into prison eventually comes out. When we make decisions about crime and community building, the real question we must face is: "Are we helping or harming people?" Remembering that everyone is human is the most powerful starting point for discussing real solutions for justice.