The Sunday Story: American parole and one man's case for freedom
Up First from NPR
NPR
4.5 • 52.8K Ratings
🗓️ 30 April 2023
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In 2016, after 30 years of incarceration and seven hearings before an Arizona parole board, Jacob Wideman was finally released from prison. Within months, after a minor violation, Wideman's parole was revoked and he was again put behind bars.
In this episode of The Sunday Story from Up First, we speak to journalist Beth Schwartzapfel about her new podcast Violation from WBUR and The Marshall Project. Schwartzapfel spent years reporting on Wideman's case and the questions it raises about punishment, forgiveness and the American parole system.
Violation is a new podcast by WBUR and The Marshall Project. For more information about Jake's case, including additional documents, photos, and related stories, go to themarshallproject.org/violation and WBUR.org/violation.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, it's A Martina's, and before we get started, just a quick heads up, this episode |
| 0:04.6 | contains descriptions of violence and discusses a violent crime. |
| 0:11.8 | On an August night in 1986, a 16-year-old Jacob Whiteman brutally stabbed his summer camp |
| 0:17.7 | roommate, Eric Kane, who was also 16, died from his wounds. |
| 0:22.0 | Whiteman eventually confessed to the crime, he was sentenced as an adult, and received |
| 0:26.3 | a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 25 years. |
| 0:31.1 | The case left people stunned and divided. |
| 0:34.6 | There was no motive, just murder. |
| 0:36.9 | What had happened to him for the terrible senseless murder? |
| 0:40.9 | I don't think you throw people away, I just don't think you do that. |
| 0:46.6 | Jacob Whiteman's case has long drawn attention in part because Jacob's father is John Edgar |
| 0:52.3 | Whiteman, the acclaimed author of many books on race, violence, and criminal justice, including |
| 0:57.0 | a memoir about his own brother's life sentence. |
| 1:00.6 | I'm Mark Martinez, and this is the Sunday story from a first. |
| 1:05.6 | Today, I'm joined by Beth Short's apple. |
| 1:08.6 | She's host of the new podcast, Violation from WBUR Public Radio in Boston and the Marshall |
| 1:14.2 | Project. |
| 1:15.6 | Violation examines the Jacob Whiteman case, and what it says about violence, forgiveness, |
| 1:20.0 | and the parole system in America. |
| 1:21.7 | Welcome, Beth. |
| 1:22.7 | Thanks for having me. |
| 1:32.2 | Beth, you cover criminal justice, so you probably come across a lot of cases of people who say |
... |
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