Hey y'all, I just want to start by saying happy new year.

I am super excited to bring you this interview with Sarah Bennett.

Sarah spent 18 years as a public defender before turning her passion for helping people into art.

Sarah now photographs women in and after prison, hoping to shed light on the extremely long

and life sentences they face.

We start our conversation off with her work as a public defender and some specific cases

she has worked on.

One of these cases completely shook her and triggered the switch to photo activism.

In our conversation, we talk about parole, how women doing time differs from men, reentry

for women, we bring up Nikki Singer's case, and we talk about the humanity of the people

that we lock up.

Sarah's art has been widely exhibited and featured in publications like The New York Times, The New

Yorker Photo Booth, and Variety and Rolling Stones American Injustice.

Right now, Sarah has some of her art up in New York City's MoMA PS1 in the art in the

age of mass incarceration exhibit, along with folks who have made art from inside prison.

And I have to say, I went to this exhibit with the fabulous Rebecca Sebastian from Dialogue

Podcast and mine and Rebecca's minds were completely blown.

I am super excited to talk to you.

I just saw your work at MoMA.

I was there for the art in the time of mass incarceration.

And I had already known of you, but it was my first time seeing it in person.

And that's what I was like.

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