Introducing Perception Gaps Season 2: Locked up (audio)

We started reporting Season 2 of Perception Gaps before the world knew it would be grappling with a pandemic. It was also before the killing of George Floyd prompted massive protests against racism and police brutality across the U.S. 

We quickly realized that these events are changing our society in unexpected ways. At the same time, they revealed more starkly than ever the flaws in our most complex institutions – like the criminal justice system.

Over six episodes, we explore those flaws by looking closely at the spaces where public perception doesn't align with the realities of the system. We dive into everything from the history of mass incarceration, to the role imprisonment plays in American society today, to the wide-ranging efforts to transform the institution. Join us for a brief discussion about our reporting, and what to expect in Perception Gaps: Locked up. 

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AUDIO TRANSCRIPTCharis Kubrin: The gap between perception and reality stays pretty firmly established… Spencer Piston: ...plays a huge role in shaping those gaps… Bernadette Rabuy: ...disturbing to a lot of people… Jeremiah Bourgeois: ...it is a terrible place…. Yasser Payne: ...and the criminal justice system is an imperfect system…  Paula McClain: ...maybe there is something more going on… Laura Peña: ...some of the perceptions that Americans have.... Thaddeus Johnson: ...are getting better, but disparities still exist… Nazgol Ghandnoosh: ...a real break in the promise of our criminal justice system.... Jonathan Lange: ...and I don’t have any answers, I just have questions.