Carol Estes guests on KUOW’s panel ‘Rehabilitation and Restorative Justice’

Over 2.3 million people are currently incarcerated in the United States. That’s one out of every 100 adults. What is the purpose of prison? Is it simply to deny offenders their time and freedom? Is it to lock dangerous people away from society? Should rehabilitation be a goal? What happens when inmates are released from prison — has justice been served? Many states are cutting prisoner rehabilitation programs because of budget restrictions. Can non-profits fill the gap?

These were the questions KUOW’s Steve Scher put to guests Patrice Gaines, former felon and cofounder of The Brown Angel Center, a program in Charlotte, NC, that helps formerly incarcerated women become financially independent; Jacqueline Helfgott, chair of the criminal justice department at Seattle University; and our very own Carol Estes.

You can listen to the entire program at the KUOW website.