The In Their Hands documentary tells the powerful personal story of Ronnie Carrasquillo. Ronnie was only 18 years old when he committed the crime for which he was convicted. It was a shooting of a plainclothes police officer that occurred in 1976 during a gang-related incident in Chicago, resulting in a sentence of 200-600 years in prison. 

As you watch In Their Hands, Ronnie appears destined to die in prison. His life is in the hands of a parole board whose decision-making is swayed by shifting political sands and an ever-present police union. But we’re glad to tell you that Ronnie was finally released from prison in 2023 after serving 47 years.

And we’re so grateful he is with us on the podcast today—along with the film’s director/producer Dan Protess—to talk about his story and this powerful documentary that JustLeadershipUSA is honored to be partnering on as it airs on PBS stations across the country during the month of April, Second Chance Month — what we’re also calling “Fair Chance Month.”