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Men in an Illinois prison said they were beaten in a spot with no security cameras. But no one took action, until someone died. Exposing violence and cover ups, Season 4 of Motive investigates the hidden world of big prisons in small towns. Places where everyone knows each other and difficult truths get buried. Sign up for the Motive newsletter for the latest episode drops, behind-the-scenes stories, additional content and updates on events. http://wbez.org/motivenewsletter

Damaria Bates and Jimia Stokes started their jobs as mental health workers, full of hope. But soon, they saw signs of severe abuse-- mentally ill prisoners with injuries, drenched in tear gas. When they tried to report the problems, they say fellow staff retaliated against them. In this episode we go behind the walls with the two women, as they try to make changes from the inside out. As two of the only black women on the mental health staff, they say they navigated racism and harassment. They began to feel like it was impossible to do the job they came to do. Sign up for the Motive newsletter for the latest episode drops, behind-the-scenes stories, additional content and updates on events. http://wbez.org/motivenewsletter

State investigators interrogate a high-ranking prison guard, who is accused of coordinating attacks on prisoners.

A man goes into prison with a 7 year sentence. But ends up getting 97 more years. How does that happen? And what do small town politics have to do with it?

A short update on Motive Season Four.

Two Illinois prison guards were tried for beating Larry Earvin to death. We try to make sense of the trial and what it says about prisons?

In the 1980s Illinois leaders held a competition, where rural towns competed to “win” prisons and the jobs that come with them.

Prisons helped rural towns, while Black communities in Chicago paid a heavy price. Now, rumors swirl that parts of Pontiac prison may close.

From our friends at WAMU and PRX. When 8 year old Relisha Rudd disappeared from a homeless shelter in Washington, D.C. in 2014, nobody noticed. By the time authorities formally declared Relisha “missing,” 18 days had passed since she’d been spotted at school or the shelter where her family lived. Seven years later, Relisha has never been found. Through The Cracks investigates gaps in our society and the people who fall through them, and in this first season, host Jonquilyn Hill asks if Relisha’s disappearance was, as the city later claimed, unpreventable

Exposing violence and cover ups, the new season of Motive investigates the hidden world of big prisons in small towns. Places where everyone knows each other and difficult truths get buried. Sign up for the Motive newsletter for the latest episode drops, behind-the-scenes stories, additional content and updates on events. http://wbez.org/motivenewsletter

A shy kid from Chicago shaves his head and prepares for an inevitable race war. In the early 1980s, it looked like organized white supremacy was declining in the U.S. But a generation of racist skinheads breathed new life into the movement. Season 3 of Motive examines the origins of the youth white supremacist movement in America. Episodes are released every Friday. 

It was the ‘80s. Reagan was president. And for angsty, angry teens, the punk scene provided family and expression. Until the Nazis showed up and ruined everything.