In this episode, we share a recording from our book club discussion of What’s Prison For? Punishment and Rehabilitation in the Age of Mass Incarceration by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Bill Keller.

Keller — former executive editor of The New York Times and founding editor-in-chief of The Marshall Project — joined the first portion of the conversation to discuss redemption, the role of correctional officers in shaping prison culture, and why preparing incarcerated people for reentry is essential to public safety and human dignity.

After his remarks, the discussion opens to community members, who reflect on how the book challenged their understanding of accountability, second chances, and the purpose of incarceration. Together, participants explore what justice can look like beyond punishment.

Next Book Club Selection

We’re looking ahead to our next discussion featuring The Untold Story of Lethal Injection by Montana author Corinna Barrett Lain. We’re grateful that Corinna will join the conversation on September 22 from 12:00–1:00 p.m.

Additional details and registration will be available as the date approaches.

Montana incarcerates women at one of the highest rates in the world — and Indigenous women are disproportionately represented, making up more than 40 percent of the population at Montana’s women’s prison. In this episode of Unpacking Injustice, we are joined by Kristina Lucero, a citizen of the Tseycum Band of the Saanich Nation on Vancouver Island and Director of the American Indian Governance and Policy Institute, to begin unpacking the roots of this crisis.

Throughout the conversation, Kristina grounds policy and data in personal history, including the story of her grandmother, Mary Jack, a boarding school survivor whose experiences reflect the intergenerational trauma created by federal Indian boarding school policies. She explains how historical trauma continues to shape the lives of Indigenous women and families today.

We also examine how colonization disrupted Indigenous governance, criminalized culture, and replaced community-based healing with punishment, and how that trauma intersects with poverty and lack of access to resources — often turning survival behaviors into pathways to incarceration.

Kristina draws our attention to Montana’s women’s prison, where Indigenous women face limited access to culturally grounded healing, trauma-informed care, and meaningful rehabilitation. Kristina highlights the ripple effects incarceration has on children, families, and communities, and why healing during incarceration is essential for both individual well-being and long-term public safety when people return home.

This high-level conversation begins to break down complex issues that Unpacking Injustice will continue to explore as the Montana Innocence Project implements its new strategic plan, with a specific focus on addressing the unjust incarceration of women and survivors.This episode lays the groundwork for continued dialogue, understanding, and action toward justice.

In this episode of Unpacking Injustice, we revisit the case of Bernard Pease Jr., wrongfully convicted of a 1984 murder based on faulty forensic evidence. Two years after a pivotal evidentiary hearing revealed that a hair presented at trial as belonging to the victim was actually a cat hair, the Montana Innocence Project continues its fight to secure justice for Bernie.

With new filings due this Friday, this episode comes at a critical moment. MTIP Legal Director Brady Minow Smith breaks down the original trial, the now-debunked forensic evidence that helped secure Bernie’s conviction, and why relying too heavily on certain types of evidence can be dangerous.

We also hear from Bernie and his sister, Linda Thomas, as they reflect on the most recent evidentiary hearing and what it meant to finally feel heard by a judge, along with the moments of joy and connection Bernie has experienced since being paroled—powerful reminders of what’s possible when freedom is restored.

In this Giving Tuesday special episode of Unpacking Injustice, MTIP Executive Director Amy Sings In The Timber and Legal Director Brady Minow Smith walk through the Montana Innocence Project’s newly released strategic plan.

Since 2008, MTIP has been dedicated to freeing the innocent and challenging injustice. In this episode, Amy and Brady break down how our mission is expanding to meet the needs we see every day in Montana’s legal system — from strengthening legal casework to improving reentry support and advancing second-chance reforms.

Together, they discuss each of our four strategic priorities:

1. Narrative Change

How shifting public understanding, elevating lived experiences, and sharing accurate data can change the conversation about justice in Montana.

2. Legal Work

How MTIP will continue our commitment to innocence work while expanding our legal efforts to address other forms of injustice and bring about second chances for more people.

3. Support for Reentry

Why reentry support is essential, what Montanans face as they come home from prison, and how MTIP will stand alongside clients as they rebuild their lives.

4. Advocacy

How community-powered policy work and statewide collaboration can build a more fair, accountable, and transparent justice system.

Whether you’ve followed MTIP for years or are joining us for the first time, this episode offers clear insight into where we’re headed and why this moment matters.

Support Our Work

If you believe in the work ahead, consider making a Giving Tuesday gift to help bring this strategic plan to life.

https://mtinnocenceproject.org/donate

Read the Strategic Plan Summary

https://mtinnocenceproject.org/mtip-2026-2029-strategic-plan/

What does justice look like when we execute someone, knowing the system is fallible?

In this episode, Montana Innocence Project Executive Director Amy Sings In The Timber and Legal Director Brady Minow Smith discuss the death penalty — its moral, legal, and human implications through the lens of innocence and manifest injustice work.

They explore how personal experience shapes perspective, why innocence cases reveal the irreversible dangers of capital punishment, and what redemption means in a justice system built on retribution.

The conversation also touches on the case of Robert Roberson, an Innocence Project client who, at the time of recording, was scheduled for execution in Texas based on discredited science. Amy and Brady unpack what happens when new evidence and evolving science are ignored and what that says about our justice system.

We are elated to share that since this recording, Robert has been granted a stay of execution, opening the door for a step toward justice.

Join us for a discussion marking World Day Against the Death Penalty. We encourage you to listen, reflect, and share this episode with someone who may be interested in learning more perspectives on this critical issue.

Recommended Resources:

Witness to Innocence

Conservatives Concerned

Death Penalty Action

Recommended Reads:

His Execution Is Days Away. A Detective Says He’s Innocent.

The Last Appeal Podcast by Lester Holt

Texas court blocks execution of death row inmate Robert Roberson

In recognition of the 12th Annual International Wrongful Conviction Day, the Montana Innocence Project was honored to be joined by author, lawyer, and exoneree Calvin Duncan. Alongside MTIP Executive Director Amy Sings In The Timber and Legal Director Brady Minow Smith, the panel explored the barriers that keep people behind bars, Calvin’s story and work since exoneration—including his current bid for the Clerk of Courts office—and broader manifest injustices affecting Montanans and communities nationwide beyond actual innocence cases.

This conversation is both educational and inspiring, highlighting actionable steps we can take to advance fairness and reform in our legal system.

In this episode of Unpacking Injustice, we sit down with Ali Lacayo, Social Services Advocate at the Montana Innocence Project. Ali shares their journey from incarceration to advocacy, reflecting on how cultural identity, resilience, and community values guide their work.

The conversation explores the intersections of racial justice and criminal legal reform, the impact of lived experience on advocacy, and MTIP’s future initiatives, such as parole planning and Inside Out Organizing, which empower incarcerated individuals to lead change. Ali underscores the importance of cultural identity in building stronger movements, the need for community support, and why sustainable funding is essential to advancing justice.

We dive into Ali’s personal story, highlighting how they embody the caring, loving, and colorful spirit of their culture. This Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate Ali’s work and the vibrant values that continue to shape their advocacy and community leadership.

In this episode of Unpacking Injustice, Montana Innocence Project client Katie Garding shares her experience on a three-day women’s backpacking retreat at Doris Lake near Whitefish, Montana. While this was her first backpacking adventure, her lifelong love of nature made the journey all the more meaningful. Katie describes the trip as freeing—an opportunity to be fully present in nature without the weight of her ongoing wrongful conviction. We discuss the details of her retreat, the emotions that surfaced upon her return home, and the grounding lessons that nature offers in presence and resilience.