In early August of 2026, Just City launched a campaign to remember and honor the 68 people who died in the Shelby County Jail since 2018. We wanted to tell their stories and make them known to the community. So, we went to one of the finest storytellers we know - Scott Hechinger, former public defender and principle of Zealous, an award winning advocacy, media, and education initiative. With Zealous' help, we launched Make Them Known, a living memorial to those we lost.

We wanted to go deeper with Scott, so our Communications and Advocacy Manager Laramie Wheeler talked to him about the importance of good storytelling, why he wanted to work with Just City, and, of course, Paw Patrol.

Judge David Pool is a fifth generation Memphian, but his pathway to becoming a state criminal court judge was a little out of the ordinary. As a touring musician, he took to the highways of America, and as beloved music teacher, he roamed the hallways of a local high school, inspiring another generation of musicians. In his latest chapter, he presides over Shelby County Criminal Court, Division VI, where, perhaps unsurprisingly given his past, his demeanor and courtroom presence set him apart. This interview will help you understand why.

Oh, and you can still catch him playing live music with his band, Risky Whiskey Boys!

Emily Galvin Almanza is a former public defender and the co-founder and executive director of Partners for Justice and the author of the new book The Price of Mercy: Unfair Trials, a Violent System, and a Public Defender's Search for Justice in America. She was in Memphis recently to promote her book and meet with our local public defenders. We spoke to Emily as part of a book talk at Novel, the East Memphis bookstore.

In advance of the upcoming county elections, we sat down with each of the seven candidates for Shelby County Sheriff to ask questions about the jail, immigration enforcement, and public safety. Here is our final episode in that series, a conversation with Anthony Buckner. Be sure to listen to the other candidate interviews and then vote.

Early voting ends April 30th and Election Day is May 5th!

In advance of the upcoming county elections, we sat down with each of the seven candidates for Shelby County Sheriff to ask questions about the jail, immigration enforcement, and public safety. Here is our sixth episode in that series, a conversation with Ricky Pollard. Be sure and check this feed before you vote; we'll post all seven interviews in the coming days.

Early voting ends April 30th and Election Day is May 5th!

In advance of the upcoming county elections, we sat down with each of the seven candidates for Shelby County Sheriff to ask questions about the jail, immigration enforcement, and public safety. Here is our fifth episode in that series, a conversation with MarcoYzaguirre. Be sure and check this feed before you vote; we'll post all seven interviews in the coming days.

Early voting ends April 30th and Election Day is May 5th!

In advance of the upcoming county elections, we sat down with each of the seven candidates for Shelby County Sheriff to ask questions about the jail, immigration enforcement, and public safety. Here is our fourth episode in that series, a conversation with Michael Pope. Be sure and check this feed before you vote; we'll post all seven interviews in the coming days.

Early voting ends April 30th and Election Day is May 5th!

In advance of the upcoming county elections, we sat down with each of the seven candidates for Shelby County Sheriff to ask questions about the jail, immigration enforcement, and public safety. Here is our third episode in that series, a conversation with Keisha Scott. Be sure and check this feed before you vote; we'll post all seven interviews in the coming days.

Early voting ends April 30th and Election Day is May 5th!

In advance of the upcoming county elections, we sat down with each of the seven candidates for Shelby County Sheriff to ask questions about the jail, immigration enforcement, and public safety. Here is our second episode in that series, a conversation with Brad Less. Listen to each interview and get out and vote!

Early voting ends April 30th and Election Day is May 5th.

In advance of the upcoming county elections, we sat down with each of the seven candidates for Shelby County Sheriff to ask questions about the jail, immigration enforcement, and public safety.

Here is our first episode in that series, a conversation with Reginald Hubbard. Listen to each interview and then get out and vote!

Early voting ends April 30th and Election Day is May 5th.

Mark Luttrell was the Sheriff of Shelby County, Tennessee for eight years beginning in 2002. He was then elected Shelby County Mayor for two terms. When he became Sheriff more than 20 years ago, Luttrell inherited a very unstable and chaotic situation at the Shelby County Jail. Violence, poor management, and overcrowding were the norm.

Under Sheriff Luttrell's leadership, the jail went from a deadly scourge on our community to a model facility. His staff and the jail made headlines because of the turnaround. The Shelby County Jail is back in the headlines in 2025 but for very different reasons.

So, we invited Mayor Luttrell on the podcast to discuss that jail turnaround, whether the same approach could work again today, and a few other odds and ends. Even in retirement, he is a very active public servant with a lot of experience and advice we'd do well to follow.

State Representative Justin J. Pearson represents District 86 in the Tennessee General Assembly. Though he's best known for getting expelled by Republican leadership in 2023 after speaking out about gun violence, Rep. Pearson has been a vocal advocate and skilled community organizer for years.

He's joining us at our 10-year celebration, Stand Up with Just City, on June 8th, so we thought we offer a brief preview on The Permanent Record.

We discussed some of his motivations as an elected official; we mourned the loss of meaningful debate in the legislature; and he told us his favorite spot on Beale Street!

Get tickets for Stand Up with Just City TODAY at justcity.org/standup.

The Tennessee General Assembly is speeding toward adjournment in the next few weeks, and some of the bigger issues and decisions are coming into focus. Stella Yarbrough of ACLU-TN rejoins the podcast this week for an update and discussion on some of the bills that interest us - voting rights restoration, the 1st Amendment, and constitutional amendments are all being considered. So is a new funding stream for District Attorneys across the state, but you'll have to listen to find out what that has to with the title of this episode.

We also chatted about a Presidential pardon that hits close to home and the growing call for a new jail in Memphis.

Do you like what you're hearing? Do you have ideas for future episodes? Give us some feedback. We'd love to hear from you at info@justcity.org

The recent spike in deaths in the Shelby County Jail resulted in quite a bit of media coverage and a tour of the jail for local journalists. Unfortunately, Brittany Brown and Katherine Burgess from MLK50: Justice through Journalism were not invited on the tour. So we invited them to join us on the podcast! We talked about that decision by the Sheriff; we discussed the history of jail conditions in Shelby County; and we considered the families left behind when someone dies in custody.

Katherine also recently wrote about the announcement by Memphis Mayor Paul Young of a task force that will address problems at the Memphis Police Department. Katherine sat down with the Mayor and retired Judge Bernice Donald, the head of that task force, and then she sat down with us.

Do you like what you heard? Do you have ideas for future episodes? Give us some feedback. We'd love to hear from you at info@justcity.org

Criminal justice and public safety make headlines everyday in our community. The Permanent Record will take you behind the news reports and help you understand what keeps us safe and what doesn't. Listen as Just City Executive Director, Josh Spickler and the Legal Director at ACLU of TN, Stella Yarbrough, talk about the latest from Memphis and beyond.

In this episode, Josh and Stella discuss the recent spike in jail deaths in the Shelby County and what we can do about one of the deadliest jails in the country. They also talk about a TN immigration bill that will ban children from public school classrooms unless they can prove their legal status. Finally, they weigh in on the effort underway at the General Assembly to remove the Shelby County District Attorney. Spoiler alert: it may not be as popular as one West Tennessee senator thinks it is.

Do you like what you heard? Do you have ideas for future episodes? Give us some feedback. We'd love to hear from you at info@justcity.org

We're shaking up the Permanent Record for 2025. Criminal justice policy, crime, and public safety make headlines everyday in our community. So, for the next few months we're going to shift from an interview format to one that offers news and analysis, and we're going to be recording more often.

To help us out with this new style, we invited our friend Stella Yarbrough, Legal Director at ACLU of TN, to sit down with our executive director, Josh Spickler, and discuss a few news items that relate to our work.

The Tennessee General Assembly is regrettably back in session, and in this week’s episode, Josh and Stella take a look at some of the legislation that could be filed in the next few months. They also discuss embattled Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis, who was reappointed in a surprise, last minute City Council vote, and how it’s possible to get a $5,000 bond for stealing $11 worth of coffee, cookies, and cigarettes from a gas station. 

Give us some feedback on this new format. We'd love to hear from you at info@justcity.org

We're shaking up the Permanent Record for 2025. Criminal justice policy, crime, and public safety make headlines everyday in our community. So, for the next few months we're going to shift from an interview format to one that offers news and analysis, and we're going to be recording more often.

To help us out with this new style, we invited our friend Stella Yarbrough, Legal Director at ACLU of TN, to sit down with our executive director, Josh Spickler, and discuss a few news items that relate to our work.

In the first episode of this new version of the Permanent Record, Josh and Stella discuss the Department of Justice findings from its "pattern or practice" investigation into the Memphis Police Department; newly announced crime trends; and the retirement of Shelby County General Sessions Judge Bill Anderson.

Give us some feedback on this new format. We'd love to hear from you at info@justcity.org

In the second of two episodes highlighting our Court Watch program, defense attorney Kaitlin Beck and student intern Lily Resha talk with longtime Court Watch leader, Yonée Gibson. Their discussion touches on the value of court watch from an attorney perspective, the unexpected patterns that emerge after months of observing criminal court, and how one watcher ended up becoming a witness.

Just City's Court Watch program enlists community members to observe Shelby County's criminal courtrooms and empowers them to record what they see and hear. These volunteer watchers bring much-needed transparency and accountability to a criminal court system that is often more opaque and obscure than it should be.

Learn more about Just City Court Watch and sign up to participate at www.justcity.org/courtwatch

Just City's Court Watch program enlists community members to observe Shelby County's criminal courtrooms and empowers them to record what they see and hear. These volunteer watchers bring much-needed transparency and accountability to a criminal court system that is often more opaque and obscure than it should be.

In the first of two episodes of this special series spotlighting Court Watch, Yonée Gibson, our Program & People Experience Manager - and longtime Court Watch leader - talks with two of our court watchers, Laramie Wheeler and Ruchie Borkar. They share their motivations for volunteering, some of what they've observed in court, and why they believe it's important to keep watch.

Learn more about Just City Court Watch and sign up to participate at www.justcity.org/courtwatch

Mark Loughney returns to The Permanent Record. We last spoke to Mark while he was incarcerated in Pennsylvania. We first met Mark when The Marshall Project covered his Prison Portraits exhibit. Work from Mark's Pyrrhic Defeat series is always on display at the Just City office in downtown Memphis. Mark's new series, "Prison Buddies", will be on display in Memphis at the Goodwyn Gallery in the Hooks Central Library from June 9th through the 30th.

Check out more of Mark's work:

https://www.loughneyart.com/

https://www.instagram.com/loughneyart/