Narrative, Parole, and Who Gets Mercy

John J. Lennon, currently incarcerated at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, discusses The Tragedy of True Crime: Four Guilty Men and the Stories That Define Us, arguing that true crime's fixation on innocence obscures the harder stories of guilt, punishment, and change. He describes refusing to be branded "Inside Evil" on Chris Cuomo's show—and how that exploitation pushed him toward critiquing the genre from within. Lennon explains why he writes himself beneath the other men he profiles—even as he's "owning [his] sh*t on the page" so he can have a life when he gets out. Also: an analysis of the odd-bedfellows coalition pushing to force a House vote on releasing the Epstein case files.

Produced by Corey Wara

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