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Trail Blazing Justice
Discussing civil rights and the criminal system in Oregon (and beyond!).
Episodes
68 episodes
The Surveillance Creep
What happens when drone surveillance and DNA collection laws quietly expand under the radar? In this episode of Trailblazing Justice, we break down two alarming bills in the Oregon legislature—one that loosens restrictions on warrantless drone ...
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Season 1
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Episode 67
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1:05:10
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Solitary Confinement in Oregon, Part 3 of 5: Challenging Solitary
Is it possible to meaningfully challenge solitary? In this episode, Bobbin, Mark, Julia, and Zach peel back the layers of Oregon’s opaque grievance processes, Supreme Court rulings, and procedural roadblocks that leave those incarcerated w...
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Season 1
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Episode 66
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1:31:17
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Know Your Rights/Risks
What should you do if you are engaged by law enforcement when you are on the street? In this episode of Trail Blazing Justice, co-director of the Oregon Innocence Project Kenneth Kreuscher explains the rules for safely asserting your rights and...
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Season 1
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Episode 65
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1:29:05
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Waxing Confidential: Habeas Corpus is for Lovers
What if your right to challenge an unjust imprisonment was the last line of defense against authoritarian rule? In this episode, we trace the ancient roots and modern battles over habeas corpus—from medieval England to Guantanamo Bay, to presen...
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Season 1
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Episode 64
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1:20:21
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Solitary Confinement in Oregon, Part 2 of 5
In this episode, we continue our special series on Solitary Confinement by turning our focus to Oregon’s only women’s prison—Coffee Creek—and the often-overlooked realities of solitary confinement behind its walls. Kyle Black shares firsthand a...
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Season 1
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Episode 63
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1:16:16
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State Power vs. Free Press: Journalism in the Age of Trump
Can the press still hold power accountable, or has the media itself become a battleground?In this episode of Trail Blazing Justice, we explore the evolving role of journalism in the age of Trump. Alice Lundell, OJRC’s Directo...
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Season 1
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Episode 62
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1:16:32
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Waxing Confidential, Part 2: "Then they came for me... "
We dive into the tension between democracy and executive overreach. Steve and Bobbin unpack the significance of a recent landmark court order pushing back against Trump’s assault on law firms, they draw unsettling parallels between what we are ...
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Season 1
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Episode 61
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1:31:13
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Waxing Confidential: Attack on the Rule of Law
What happens when the law is weaponized to dismantle itself?We’re joined this week by Steve Wax—former federal public defender and now Senior Counsel at the Oregon Justice Resource Center—to explore how legal norms and institutions are b...
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Season 1
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Episode 60
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1:17:13
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"The Cruelty is the Point"
This week on Trailblazing Justice, we pull back the curtain on America’s immigration system — and it’s not what most people think. Our special guest, Erin McKee, from the Immigrant Rights Project, joins us to unpack how Oregon’s sanctu...
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Season 1
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Episode 59
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1:21:15
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Solitary Confinement in Oregon: Part 1 of 5
Trail Blazing Justice is doing a deep dive into the use of solitary confinement in Oregon prisons by producing a series on this important issue. TBJ welcomes guest Mark Wilson, who spent over three decades incarcerated, and has perso...
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Season 1
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Episode 58
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1:21:28
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TBJ is back again! An introduction to OJRC's work in the 2025 Oregon Legislative Session.
Trail Blazing Justice is back once again! After a year-plus hiatus, OJRC is resuming the weekly Trail Blazing Justice podcast. In this episode, Bobbin discusses the ongoing Oregon 2025 legislative session with Zach, Julia, and The Kyles. They f...
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Season 1
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Episode 57
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1:04:21
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2023: Year In Review
Was 2023 a year of progress or setback for Oregon’s justice system? Join us as Bobbin, Julia, Zach, and Justin reflect on the year that was, and forecast the road ahead in 2024.
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Season 1
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Episode 56
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1:16:27
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Outside Voices: The Holidays Inside Prison
What is it like to spend the holidays in prison? Join us for the first episode of “Outside Voices”—our special series of discussions with people who have experienced incarceration in Oregon. Bobbin is joined by Angela, Wayne, and two Kyles, as ...
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Season 1
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Episode 55
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1:10:49

Oregon Legislative Days and the War on Drugs
What are Legislative Days, and why are they important? Join us this week as Bobbin, Zach, and Justin demystify these lesser-known legislative meetings and recap some of last week’s justice-related hearings.Links
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1:08:44
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Do People in Oregon Jails Get Equal Access to Abortion?
Bobbin, Zach, and Justin welcome Brittney Plesser, co-director of OJRC’s FA:IR Law Project, to discuss her recent report on access to abortion care for those incarcerated in Oregon jails. Join us for an eye-opening look at how the right to an a...
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Season 1
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Episode 53
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59:21
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“Like doing death penalty cases in traffic court”: Crimmigration in Oregon
Marijuana is legal in Oregon, right? Well, not for everyone. For this and other eye-opening insights, join Bobbin, Zach, and Justin as they welcome guest Erin McKee, co-founder of the Oregon Justice Resource Center and co-director of OJRC’s Imm...
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Season 1
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Episode 53
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1:17:21
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A Serious Response to the “Sobering” Realities of Oregon Prisons
This week, Bobbin, Julia, Zach and Justin discuss OJRC’s recently published response to the Gender Informed Practices Assessment (GIPA) of Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. Julia outlines key points of the GIPA report, their implications, and...
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Season 1
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Episode 52
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1:23:06
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Compassionate Release in Oregon
Bobbin, Zach, Justin, Julia, and Kyle discuss what dying with a terminal illness looks like in Oregon’s prison system, Oregon’s Compassionate Release process as it stands now, and how it badly needs to be refmedLink:“
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1:19:41
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“Not Human-Centered”: The Damning 2023 GIPA Assessment of Oregon’s Only Women’s Prison
This week, Bobbin and Justin are joined by Julia Yoshimoto, director of OJRC’s Women’s Justice Project, as they dive into the recently published Gender Informed Practices Assessment (GIPA) of Coffee Creek Correctional Facility.Links:
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1:21:41
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I Am the Law: The Constitutional Sheriffs Movement
Bobbin, Zach, and Justin discuss the history and mythology of sheriffs in America, and take a deep dive into the growing Constitutional Sheriffs movement in Oregon and across the country. They also give their take on the past week’s Legislative...
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Episode 49
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1:08:21
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"A Fear of Too Much Justice”: The Legacy of Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and the Role of the Department of Justice
Bobbin, Zach, and Justin react to this week’s announcement that Ellen Rosenblum will not be seeking re-election as Oregon’s Attorney General. They share their experiences dealing with the Department of Justice under Rosenblum’s tenure, and the ...
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Episode 48
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58:35
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The Label of “A Reformer”
Bobbin and Zach react to the latest news about U.S. Bureau of Prisons director Colette Peters’, testimony before the US Senate Judiciary committee, and a “trophy photo” taken by police officers with a caught escapee.Links mentioned during t...
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Episode 47
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45:21
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Hello...Again!
In this episode, OJRC re-launches its weekly Trail Blazing Justice podcast with an introduction to two of its new contributors, Zach Winston and Justin Low. Zach, Justin, and Bobbin Singh, OJRC's Executive Director, discuss their background in ...
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Episode 46
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36:38

Stop Tear-Gaslighting Us: Conversations with Portland protesters. Featuring... Beatrix!
Listen in to an interview from one of the community members that was on the frontlines during the 2020 George Floyd protests in our special Stop Tear-Gaslighting Us series. We are sitting down with community members who hit the streets in 2020 ...
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Episode 45
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45:57
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Stop Tear-Gaslighting Us: Conversations with Portland protesters. Guest: Jahdi
Listen in to an interview from one of the community members that was on the frontlines during the 2020 George Floyd protests in our special Stop Tear-Gaslighting Us series. We are sitting down with community members who hit the streets in 2020 ...
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Episode 44
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22:48
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