Coming Up! March 11 to 15, 2013

MONDAY: Mass Incarceration
The United States puts more people behind bars than any other country. A new report released by the Sentencing Project, a prison research and advocacy group, says that incarceration rates for black Americans dropped significantly between 2000 and 2009. That may be good news, but the report also found the rate of imprisonment rose for whites and Hispanics over the same decade.  So how did we get here? Today, we explore mass incarceration – from its beginnings in the 1970s with Governor Nelson Rockefeller. The “zero tolerance approach” of the Rockefeller Drug Laws spread throughout the US, and the prison population rose from 330,000 in 1973 to a peak of 2.3 million.  Today we’ll talk to reporter Brian Mann to get some of this history, and a researcher who says that mass incarceration is an epidemic. Also, Yale Law Students will take us into Connecticut’s only supermax prison.

TUESDAY: Marriage in the movies
Today we talk about the institute of marriage, how it’s changed over time, and more specifically how it’s changed in pop culture and movies. Wesleyan professor Jeanine Basinger will talk about her new book I Do and I Don’t: History of Marriage in the Movies.

 WEDNESDAY: Governor Malloy and DECD Commissioner Catherine Smith
It’s our monthly check-in with Governor Dannel Malloy. We’ll also be joined by the commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development, Catherine Smith. We’ll talk about the state’s economy and check-in on the “First Five” program, which gives incentives to companies moving to or expanding in Connecticut. As always, you can join the conversation and ask questions, email wherewelive@wnpr.org.

 THURSDAY: Mentors
Mentorship programs are seen as an effective way to solve the problems of urban violence, bullying and low test scores. They can also part of a business plan to groom young workers for a successful career. We’ll look at mentoring programs that work – lining up adults with time, skill and patience with young people eager to learn.

FRIDAY: Drowning in Health Care Costs
Today we talk to Steven Brill about his recent TIME magazine feature “Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills are Killing Us.”  And those buying into Connecticut’s health insurance exchange might be surprised by the high pricetag.  We’ll try to understand the complex world of health care costs. 

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