Mass incarceration as we know it today owes much of its existence to the political rationale created by the War on Drugs. Although proffered as a solution to the public health crisis of drug addiction, prisons actually provide little in the way of real care or rehabilitation for people struggling with substance abuse. In Alaska, True North Recovery, an addiction treatment and advocacy organization run by formerly incarcerated people, is working to expand care for incarcerated people suffering from addiction. Kara Nelson joins Rattling the Bars to discuss these efforts.

Kara Nelson is currently the Chief Operating Officer at True North Recovery, and a Governor-appointed board member of the Alaska Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Addiction. Since 2016, Kara has served as a chaplain for the Alaska Department of Corrections.

Studio: David Hebden, Cameron Granadino
Post-Production: Cameron Granadino

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26 thoughts on “Addiction and prison in Alaska | Rattling the Bars”
  1. I grew up from age 10-17 in Alaska and we had all that North slope money so LOTS of drugs that we did in the wilderness. If I hadn't moved away from my beautiful state, I surely would've ended up either dead ( as so many of my friends did) or with some kind of record…no doubt!

  2. We have such a greet pos Gov. they bring or let the drugs in to feed the prison's/beast system. So EVIL!!
    From the 65 year old carpenter☝Only Jesus!

  3. In the 1970s over here in California I used to get green-house marijuana grown in Alaska because "I knew a guy who knew a guy" ( It WASN'T a common source, more of a fluke !) My understanding was that Alaskan law, legislated under "frontier" conditions and still in force at THAT time made it legal for Alaskans to grow and produce or manufacture any damn thing they could on their own property under the logic that people surviving almost WHOLLY through their own efforts were exempt from "nanny-state" meddling based on trivialities! ("Trafficking" and "Transporting" WERE illegal but once you were home, you were "home free"!) This anomile has long since been eliminated in a fit of "Drug War" moralistic ammendments but the "consent of the governed" and how that was respected in the "Old Alaska" always brings a bemused smile to my face! It tickles my "inner libertarian" I guess!

  4. I don't know if I can stomach this.
    This is my dilemma. I get annoyed when people ignore real matters, but then don't watch them myself because I can't stomach it anymore. I have been watching real news since I was a teenager. 40 years later, I can't stomach the fact that nothing has fundamentally changed.
    So before watching, I am going to assume that's it's mostly native Alaskans who lost their land and livelihood in exchange for fire water?
    Just doing my part for the algorithms

  5. It is nice to see this mental health approach when it comes to one of the main problems society faces. One hopes that this approach could be attempted on another issue that plagues us- homelessness. Huge overlap between addiction and homelessness.

  6. Once again, Mansa, YOU BRING THE LOVE. AND THE LIGHT.
    And Kara **is** LOVE AND LIGHT. Thank you, both, so much!

  7. The MATCH GAME: From 1965 to 1969, the former "Monsanto Company" manufactured Agent Orange for the U.S. military as a wartime government contractor. The first Phos-Chek retardant product was available in 1962, and was the first phosphate-based fire retardant APPROVED by the United States Forest Service. The Phos-Chek brand BELONGED to the "Monsanto Company" until 1998, when ownership was transferred to Solutia Inc. BIG MONEY in "Forest Fires."

  8. Massive issues with Alaska Department of corrections, and police/troopers, many corrupt in the system. I know first hand as my stolen property recovered by the police vanished from police evidence room and turned up in a pawn shop in Anchorage.

  9. I'm impressed! Thank You Both for a real talk and never laying the burden on God. You can't fix anyone but you can create a space where people can work on themselves! It is a very good exercise for our hearts!

  10. Medical has seem to forgotten that waiting days does not change pain and our mental has to find other ways to alleviate the experience. Pain is detestable to all creatures! I just finished 26 years on the Oregon coast. It is now full of Tourists and only a service economy with Zero affordable housing for the workers. Left Fairbanks in 1997 and am ready to move back maybe to Petersburg where I have a friend or Homer. My daughters are grown I'm single and need to find a real community again.

  11. Well spoken and presented, excellent information sharing Reality 🎉 thank you for your work. Kia kaha, kia ora, kia manawanui… be strong, be well, be of strong heart, much love ❤

  12. Wears a shirt that screams, "My life matters!" It's like self-patronization – a deep subtle lack of self-respect – and very American.

  13. Let this sink in;
    If you simply take China and Russia off and set them aside. (Even though we have more in prison than either nation.)

    America has more prisoners than EVERY OTHER NATION LEFT ON EARTH PUT TOGETHER!!!! 😮😮🤯🤯

    Thats like 400 nations ADDED UP, and we blow them away as to how many TOTAL people are locked in prisons.

    This is horribly wrong.

  14. I like tha black lives matter shirt. I think everyone should be proud of every race. Due to all the hate white people get for things they were not even alive for I want some white lives matter shirts.

  15. Rattled. You stand between disappeared and incarcerated
    👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
    Keep going

  16. 2010 last time went on state vacation. 3 time down. Made the choice inside to make a change. Been off paper 2012. Stayed off college license set in my ways. 54 in 2012 when i got out. Nobody can fix it but You.

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