This is a story of actual innocence - 21 years later, Jason Perez is still in a Pennsylvania state prison - and after all of the witnesses came forward to say that they were forced to lie at trial by the Philadelphia police. His case has been reopened, and he needs our help to make sure that he is not left or forgotten in prison. Jason Perez # GE-6365 (he can receive emails through ConnectNetwork.com - add the Pa Department of Corrections, then search for Jason Perez) . All it takes is the right person to hear this - let's do our part to bring him home.

There has been too much injustice in this country. It's time we begin to have the discussion on what we're going to do about it. My friend in prison and I will begin the discussion, but first, we'll explain why it's important for us to unite.

This is my friend Death Row Joe. I had always enjoyed walking the prison yard with him in the morning. He was very intelligent and offered great conversations. But he had anger issues, and where most of us may get so mad at a person, we might say things like "I would kill them." Joe, would actually kill them.

In Pennsylvania there are so many courts you can appeal to. If you're found guilty of a crime you're innocent of it's because your rights were not protected during the court proceeding. When you realize which rights were violated you have to first appeal to the very judge that allowed your rights to be violated. There is no consequences for a judge or district attorney to violate your rights. In fact, if you do ever appeal to a court that cares and they vindicate you, the judge who initially violated you will never be told. And more than likely the violations wont stop at you just as you probably weren't the first. Jay has been sentenced to life without parole for a double homicide and he has recently discovered that his rights were violated. He is now taking the journey through the many courts of appeals until he finds the right judge. Stay tuned, we answer some more of your questions about prison life at the end of this episode.

Nearly twent years ago, Philadelphia was corrupt, like an episode of Batman. The District attorneys and judges were focused on one thing, CONVICTION RATE. Their goons were the Philadelphia homicide detective unit, otherwise known as "THE DO NOT CALL LIST." The courts had this list of their corrupt officers for years that they wouldn't call to testify because they couldn't risk having them on the stand. Their work was still critical though, in securing the false convictions. Hurry up and arrest someone so the court can convict. They seemed tough on crime and efficient at their jobs. In their defense, there was a lot of crime, maybe too much to keep up with. There wasn't enough time to investigate murderes. It was easier to fabricate evidence and pay off witnesses. The judge would make sure no one would find out by silencing their victim behind prison walls forever. No one would ever listen to these guy if the court labled them as a criminal, right. That worked for a while, until recently when "THE LIST," was discovered. Several men and women have been released from prison, but ther are many more that the court is trying hard to keep silent. Not if I have anything to do with it. This is Ilyas Abdulhadi's story.

Sam has a prison sentence of life without parole and has been diagnosed with cancer. The prison is going out of their way to deny him treatment because of the costs. It's become too common in our prisons that people are being denied adequate treatment because it impedes their profit margin. Sam's nephew, Teddy, joins us and we talk about the disparity in time between prisons and the world.

When I was released from prison, I didn't even know what a podcast was. I didn't know how to use these new cards to buy something, and I couldn't understand why everyone was delivering food to peoples porches as I drove up the road. This is from a visit I had with my friend Aaron (who has been in prison since he was 15 years old - in 2001). I was explaining to him all of this strange stuff I was seeing and it's funny to look back on now and watch myself trying to make sense of it all.

Augie and I are two examples of becoming a product of the system. We both were arrested at a young age for offenses that shouldn't have been used to incarcerate children. We were put on probation and parole, and the system raised us from there. Minor infractions sent us to prison while on probation or parole, where we then were educated on criminology. I turned 18 inside a Texas jail and instead of learning about biology, I was taught how to get drugs across the border unnoticed. Every time I tried to get my life on a straight path I was reminded by the judicial system that I was their property. I enlisted in every branch of the military and passed their tests only to be denied becasue of my arrest for possession when I was 17 years old. Prison had always been my future. Augie is one of thousands like me that I met while inside their prisons. And as I sat in prison for 12 years straight, Augie did his time intemittenly. I would learn from our friend Chaney, that Augie was back in jail, then out, then back in. I felt bad becasue I know he was a good person, but with the weight of the system on his shoulders, he struggled to reach any goals. Seven years after he made parole, I was paroled, and I found him. The time we did didn't break us but rather made us stronger. Our goals now, are to put a stop to this toxic system before every family in the U.S. is adversely affected.