The national conversation about crime frequently focuses on punishment, outrage and fear, while the research on effective public safety strategies remains largely confined to academic journals. The new podcast Fighting Crime aims to bridge that divide, translating evidence-based criminal justice research into stories accessible to a broader audience.
“Fighting Crime,” a podcast produced by Indio Media in partnership with Arnold Ventures, examines criminal justice issues through the lens of data, rigorous academic studies and the lived experiences of people directly affected by the system.
In an interview with the Davis Vanguard, host Cristina Quinn said the project seeks to distinguish itself from the crowded true-crime landscape by concentrating on solutions rather than sensationalism.
“Fighting Crime is a criminal justice podcast,” Quinn said. “And the idea is there’s so many true crime podcasts that are taking the world and nation by storm. And so we kind of take that idea and flip it on its head to talk about, well, what can we do to make our society a little bit safer in terms of there’s true crime? And then what can we do about it?”
Quinn said the podcast emerged from discussions involving Arnold Ventures Chief Economist Jennifer Doleac and producer Jonathan Coates, who wanted to bring findings from academic research into broader public conversations.
“There are all these amazing studies going on that are also often kept inside the ivory towers of academia,” Quinn said. “We’re talking about random RCTs, random controlled trials where your researchers doing really rigorous research into what kind of criminal justice reform policies can work, which ones are working, which ones aren’t working.” She added that much of that research “doesn’t make it into the mainstream discussion around public safety.”
The first episode focuses on employment barriers facing formerly incarcerated people returning to their communities. Quinn noted that commonly embraced reforms have not always delivered the expected outcomes.
“Ban the box and record ceiling policies produced mixed or disappointing results,” she said.
Rather than concealing criminal histories, Quinn said research points toward approaches that reduce employers’ perceived risks.
“There was research by Zoe Cullen … out of Harvard and they did an RCT and they found that wage subsidies and liability insurance or even just a positive performance review would have a significant effect on employer’s willingness to hire people with criminal records,” Quinn said. “Just having something as just like a $5,000 liability insurance protection that in and of itself could incentivize people to feel more comfortable hiring people with criminal records.”
The episode also highlights the experience of Coss Marte, who struggled to secure employment after prison before eventually building successful businesses, including the fitness company ConBody.
Quinn said ConBody employs formerly incarcerated individuals and uses internships to allow applicants to demonstrate their reliability before permanent hiring decisions are made.
Throughout the series, Quinn said the goal is to balance quantitative evidence with human stories.
“People hear the word data a lot, there’s data, there’s evidence, there needs numbers, but behind all of that, you have people’s stories and their lives,” she said. “This platform we’re hoping provides them an opportunity to share their experience.”
The conversation also touched on the relationship between reentry and public safety. Quinn acknowledged the challenges people face when leaving prison without stable employment opportunities.
“They’re leaving with just a few dollars in their pocket and no one’s willing to hire them,” Quinn said. “It’s possible that they’re going to have to quickly fall back on old habits because that’s the world that they knew.” She added, “When it comes to reducing recidivism, yeah, there need to be better policies that are put in place so potential employers feel more comfortable in hiring people with a criminal record.”
Later episodes explore innovative correctional models, including Pennsylvania’s “Little Scandinavia” unit at Chester Correctional Facility. Inspired by Nordic prison practices, the initiative emphasizes normalization, community and life skills.
“If you can essentially provide an environment that is calmer and more just pleasant and less stressful, how can that shape the behavior of the people in there, whether it’s the inmates or the correctional officers?” Quinn said. “If you are leaving and you have life skills that you can immediately implement, that right there is giving you a fighting chance not to be a repeat offender.”
Quinn described dramatic differences between traditional prison environments and the Scandinavian model, noting that Little Scandinavia had experienced only one verbal altercation during its first several years of operation.
She recalled asking correctional officer Paige Devane how working in the unit had affected her life.
“I cry a lot less now,” Devane told Quinn.
Quinn said the experience underscored that correctional reform affects not only incarcerated people but also the staff who work in those facilities.
“I think a lot of people we just don’t think about, I mean, when you think of the prison population, it isn’t just inmates, it’s the correctional officers,” Quinn said. “It’s a really high stress, it’s not a fun job to put it mildly.”
The discussion also highlighted differences in correctional officer training internationally. Quinn noted that Norway and Sweden require approximately two years of education before individuals can become correctional officers.
“There is greater emphasis on the social aspect of it, the social work aspect of being a correctional officer as opposed to just being this just policing,” she said. “We could learn a lot from that.”
Beyond corrections, Quinn said the podcast seeks to foster less polarized conversations about public safety by examining what evidence supports.
“We’re really hoping to cut through the noise,” she said. “There’s just so much noise when it comes to public safety and crime.” She added, “What everyone can agree on is that we want safer communities and that there’s actually a way to have that discussion that isn’t divisive.”
Reflecting on what she has learned through reporting the series, Quinn said many of the people working within the system share similar aspirations.
“Everyone wants to do the right thing,” she said. “I think what we forget is that everybody wants to do the right thing and in law enforcement that’s no different.”
Produced by a small team that Quinn described as “small but mighty,” the 10-episode series is being released every other week and combines audio reporting with video storytelling.
For Quinn, the podcast’s broader mission remains straightforward: to elevate evidence-based solutions and remind listeners that public safety and reform need not be competing values.
“We’re basically hoping that our show Fighting Crime can elevate that conversation into the mainstream space,” she said.
Tags: criminal justice reform, public safety, Fighting Crime podcast, reentry and employment, Little Scandinavia, evidence-based policy
