The Behind Gray Walls podcast celebrated its 100th episode and celebrated 5 years of making episodes on the history of the Old Idaho Penitentiary. The podcast focuses on the people who have lived and worked in the period during its 101-year history from 1872-1973.
“It's something in which we try to tell the entire story of those incarcerated and try and be fair in the way we tell those stories,” said Samuel Anderson, one of the hosts of the podcast and the Education and Research Coordinator for the old Idaho Penitentiary.
Anderson says the podcast also tells the stories of correctional officers, guard staff and the victims of the crimes.
“We want to make sure we're representing how complicated a lot of these situations were and show the real-life consequences of some of these actions,” he said.
Anderson, Anthony Parry and Skye Cranney come together to share these stories to remember the past and take a different look for those who have been working and placed inside of the prison that can’t simply be read on a plaque.
“I would say just a better, deeper understanding of the humanity that lies within corrections. Understanding that we're all human beings and a lot of people make mistakes and it's a difficult place to serve time in prison and to adjust after life, after your release from prison. And then the folks that work within the institutions, I just have such a profound respect for them that, you know, we often don't hear about those heroes, those correctional officers that are working day in and day out,” Parry said.
To find out more and to listen to these episodes, visit Behind Gray Wallis.