Ambivalent Offenders: Re-Examining History’s Most Questionable Figures
Just like history isn’t all black and white, neither are the people who lived it. So who are the ones living in the grey?
Welcome to Ambivalent Offenders— where we dig into the lives of people who’ve been called a lot of things: villains, scoundrels, monsters, misfits, or just plain morally messy. But were they really as bad as history says… or have they gotten an unfair rap?
In each episode, we unpack the stories, facts, and cultural myths surrounding some of the most questionable (and sometimes misunderstood) figures from the past — all in a tone that’s more friend-at-brunch (according to one listener review) than lecture hall. No dusty textbooks, no moral grandstanding. Just conversational storytelling, questionable behavior, and a little historical tea.
Ultimately, we’re here to do what humans do best: judge the hell out of some pretty interesting people.
Ambivalent Offenders: Re-Examining History’s Most Questionable Figures
"Just Throw Away the Key" Episode 1: Jails, Prisons, & Custody Levels, Oh My!
Available now wherever you listen to podcasts! Please subscribe to follow for future episodes!
This is episode one of "Just Throw Away the Key, the Hidden World of Prisons Behind Our True Crime Fascination," the podcast where we talk about what happens after the true crime story ends because there's so much left about what comes next, things that impact you and I in ways we sometimes are blind to one thing being funding. Prisons cost money to run for food officers, power heating programming, and often don't get the public attention needed to increase budgets, which puts us all at risk because when prisons are strapped for cash, well the things proven to reduce recidivism, the tendency for an offender to re-offend.
Such as education programming are cut because of a domino effect of laying off officers and other employees, which makes prisons unsafe to allow movement. Men are stuck or women, but mostly men are stuck in their cell. This makes things unsafe for all of us and.
It leads to a lot of issues that I'll be talking about on this podcast. Plus, on top of that, there are so many questions that aren't always easy to find the answer to. Have you ever wondered what prisoners do all day? What is it like to be a correctional officer? What about a teacher in a prison? How is it determined which prison inmates are sent to?
Why do some prisoners only serve two thirds of their sentences or less behind bars? What the hell do all those acronyms and words mean? Like what the hell is a swamper? What's the bubble? Isn't MSUA college? What about an ICS or OSI? Of course, we can't handle all of that in one episode, but we will get there together, and I'm sure a whole lot further today.
We're starting at the beginning. We're diving into the world of incarceration at the very start. Specifically the differences between jails and prisons, the distinctions between state and federal prisons and how custody levels work, particularly within Minnesota's correctional system.
Whether you are curious about criminal justice reform. I'm curious about the prison that's located maybe over in the next town, or you simply wanna understand how the prison system works. This episode has got you covered, at least the basics,
Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take!
If you have a judgement on any of the figures that we have covered (it can be a voice memo or an email that we can read!) or have a recommendation for a historical figure, please contact us at ambivalent.offenders.podcast@gmail.com!
