Iowa Public Radio’s talk shows are examining Iowa’s corrections system for our summer series, which will run through July. With help from Iowa Public Radio reporters we’re looking at issues that have been in the news recently, like treatment for Iowa’s sex offenders. We’ve discussed the purpose of prison, and how our view of that purpose shapes how we run and fund our correctional institutions. We’ll be examining the perspective of crime victims and their role in the corrections system. We’ll talk about commutation and clemency in the wake of the Rasberry Williams case. We’re also planning shows on the community corrections system and its role in monitoring and treating offenders; how mandatory minimum sentences have impacted the makeup of Iowa’s prison population; the increasing incarceration of women and how having parents in prison impacts families; what it looks like to age and die in prison, and the role God plays in prison; the various programs that exist to help prisoners through their daily lives, and to help them succeed once they leave prison; and the difficulty of finding and keeping employment outside prison, and how that impacts recidivism. If you have suggestions, or would like to offer your expertise or story for our series, please contact Executive Producer, Katherine Perkins, at kperkins@iowapublicradio.org.