In criminal justice policy, few topics are less sexy and more underreported than the ins and outs of parole. Violation, a recent podcast from WBUR and The Marshall Project, aims to change that.
It's successful. The project follows Jacob Wideman, who was 16 when he murdered his roommate at summer camp. There is no ambiguity over who the killer was; this isn't the type of podcast that's dedicated to acquitting him. But it does probe several questions: How do we decide who is worthy of a second chance? And when we extend mercy, how do we keep such people accountable within the confines of the parole system?
