On the fourth installment of the Prison Project Podcast, host Alexis Raskin talks with public defender Rory Discole, who is the lead attorney for the Northampton County Mental Health Court. They discuss the Mental Health Court's inception and design, goals and outcomes, plus how it reduces criminal recidivism.
Rory Driscole is also an adjunct professor at Lehigh University and a partner at Driscole Howell LLC.
(Original air-date: 7/1/2021)
A note from host Alexis Raskin: Hi listeners! Thank you for tuning in to the Prison Project Podcast. As we wrapped up recording this podcast at the end of 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic began. Because of the timing we did not get to explore the ways in which incarcerated people were infected by the coronavirus (at a rate more than five time higher than the nation's overall rate), the way in which the isolation from quarantine shaped public opinion on solitary confinement, the murder of George Floyd and subsequent insufficient sentencing of Derek Chauvin. During this year, so much growth was done collectively as a country, and our eyes were opened up to how much work we still must do. While I wish I could incorporate what I have learned from 2020 to this podcast, I still believe it serves the purpose of drawing attention to these injustices as we continue to educate ourselves to work towards a perfect union. Thank you again for listening, and hope to continue more episodes in the future!
