Description:
On the Count!: The Criminal Justice and Prison Report is the only public affairs radio program in the United States exclusively produced and hosted by men and women formerly incarcerated as juveniles or adults. They bring their unique perspective to the analysis and programming. There are 2.5 million people in prisons and jails and 7 million more on parole and probation in the United States; more than in all of the western European countries combined. One in every three Black men and one in every seven Latino men in New York State are under some form of criminal justice custody. Despite their still relatively small total numbers, women represent the fastest growing segment of the prison population. This massive and disproportionate incarceration of Black and Brown people has ripped the foundation from poor families and communities of color. The primary goals of On the Count are to provide a platform for these voices historically excluded from the criminal justice and prison discussion and the decision-making process; to develop program content from the knowledge base and perspective of people formerly and currently incarcerated; to put a human face on those who are caught within the system; to educate listeners about the historic and contemporary development of the criminal justice and prison system in the United States; to introduce programs and policies for reducing reliance on punishment; and to profile individuals and organizations working to create a new, more humane and just criminal justice paradigm.

Credits:
Host: Edwin (Eddie) Ellis, an internationally recognized criminal justice/prison analyst, is the creator and host of "On the Count" a 90-minute weekly public affairs program on Pacifica Radio Station WBAI-FM in New York City and is director of Prison Ministry at New York's historic Riverside Church. He is the National Chairman of the NuLeadership Policy Group, an activist Think Tank of formerly incarcerated scholars at the City University of New York; a consultant for the New York State Black and Puerto Rican Legislative Caucus and the Vera Institute of Justice; and a former consultant for the Soros Foundation's Open Society Institute. He is also a Research Fellow with the Dubois-Bunche Institute for Public Policy at Medgar Evers College. While in prison he acquired a Bachelor's Degree, magna cum laude, from Marist College and a Masters Degree from New York Theological Seminary. Eddie lives in Harlem U.S.A. Producer: Ayo Harrington was incarcerated from age eleven to fourteen. She has produced "On the Count" for over three years and, among other off site special programs, produced the 2004 PEN Association Prison Writing Contest Awards Ceremony; the 40th Anniversary Commemorations of the Assassination of Malcolm X at Columbia University, coverage of the home going funeral of actor/activist Ossie Davis and Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki for Universal Peace Day. As a teenager, Ayo worked with the SNCC and attended Malcolm X Liberation University. In the 1970s she pursued a career in theater, television production and briefly sang with Sweet Honey in the Rock. In the 80s/90s she helped build lower Manhattan's urban homestead and community garden movements. In the 90s, she was President of the United Parents Associations representing the voice of 200,000 New York City public school parents. In 1998, Ayo founded "Friends of the African Burial Ground." These efforts have been in addition to Ayo's "bread and butter jobs" with women's organizations and an elected official and have resulted in her gaining invaluable experience in issue-oriented advocacy. Ayo lives in Manhattan's Alphabet City. Music Editor: Mazi Oyo served 11 years in prison. He is the Editor-In-Chief and CEO of Prison Pages, a quarterly publication that addresses the interests of people incarcerated and their loved ones. Prison Pages is circulated throughout the NYS correctional facilities and some outside of New York. He is also the Executive Producer of Prison Pages TV seen on BCAT/Time Warner cable. The show educates and entertains. While incarcerated he attended the college program, majoring in Business Management. When the program was cut Mazi went on to obtain a degree in Theology by taking correspondence courses. The ninth of 31 siblings, Mazi grew u p in a very close Brooklyn family. Soon after his release he partnered with his father Obaba Oyo to publish Prison Pages. Multi talented, Mazi is also a poet, screenwriter, and songwriter. His background in music as a promoter, producer, manager, and freelance A&R. Mazi lives in the People's Republic of Brooklyn. Production Assistant: Robert Sims spent 15 years in prison. Born and raised in Northern New Jersey, Robert spent his younger years crisscrossing the U.S., Canada and Mexico with one of the world's largest carnivals. While in prison he attended the New York Theological Se minary and Skidmore College. There he also became an advocate, peer counselor, facilitator and, ultimately, the Program Director of Transitional Services. Currently, Robert works as a case manager for an AIDS service organization that helps people with AIDS, substance abuse, the homeless and their families. He also attends Lehman College where he is working towards his graduate degree in social work with a concentration in administration. Robert lives in the East Village.