LITA 25: The Private Prison Money Grab, Kyle Giddings on Prop 132
Ana and Deep welcome Kyle Giddings, Deputy Director of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC), for a conversation on what's happening inside Colorado's prisons and what's about to happen if voters pass Prop 132 this November. Kyle walks through his own journey from Republican aide, to jail, to being one of the loudest voices for reform in the state. He names the paradox at the heart of Colorado's justice system: crime is at a five-year low, but prison populations are growing. Then they turn to Prop 132, the fentanyl ballot initiative funded by Advance Colorado. Kyle calls it a private prison money grab that would felonize all fentanyl possession, lump sharing drugs with dealing at 8-32 year mandatory minimums, and increase overdose deaths by 41%. If it passes, 25 years of Colorado criminal justice reform gets undone in a single election. Vote NO on Prop 132.
Vote NO on Prop 132: noon132.com
CCJRC (Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition): ccjrc.org
CCJRC on Instagram: @ccjrc
How Advance Colorado gets people to sign ballot initiatives: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da3R9DIxZNj/
Who is Advance Colorado: https://www.whoisadvancecolorado.org/
00:00 The Kid At A Party
00:26 Show Intro And Topics
00:45 Nintendo Lore Icebreaker
03:32 Meet Kyle Giddings
04:35 From Republican Aide To Recovery
06:24 "Wait, I Can Vote?"
08:34 Quitting A Six-Figure Job For CCJRC
14:29 The School-To-Prison Pipeline
17:28 Crime Is Down, Prisons Are Growing
22:46 Do Prisons Actually Make Us Safer?
24:57 Community Reinvestment Actually Works
26:44 Designing Neighborhoods For Safety
27:47 What Public Safety Really Means
28:13 The "Lock 'Em Up" Culture
29:05 Jim Crow And The Origins Of Mass Incarceration
31:05 $68,000 Per Prisoner, $18,000 Per Student
33:00 Black Coloradans, 4% Of The State, 17% Of Prisons
37:53 Enter Advance Colorado
38:52 What Prop 132 Actually Does
42:47 Hidden Harms And The $433M Price Tag
49:19 What Actually Works
53:28 Vote NO On Prop 132
55:39 Wrap And Share
Meet Your Hosts
Ana Mitchell, Ph.D., is a former CDC scientist who was swept up in federal cuts and is now reinventing herself as a civic coach and creator. After a decade reducing disparities in health and education, she’s building Civically Fit (see civicallyfit.org) to make civic engagement accessible, authentic, and sustainable. A proud Latina and Colorado native, Ana is focused on helping people build community and power through everyday civic action.
Deep Singh Badhesha is an attorney, political strategist, and government affairs professional with over a decade of experience shaping political campaigns and policy in Colorado. A former public school math teacher, Colorado Supreme Court clerk, and senior policy analyst, he now works across campaigns, ballot initiatives, and legislative fights. He’s South Asian, a new dad, and a longtime organizer who believes community—not saviors—will rebuild the Left. He also has way too many hot takes on everything stemming from food and sports to politics.
Links:
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Email: LeftInTheAtticPod@gmail.com
Voicemail: (303) 416-2846
