Episode 130: Kim: Working with Incarcerated Women and the Power of the Word “If”

This week’s episode of the 1 Girl Revolution Podcast features Detective Kim Bogucki, co-founder of The If Project. Kim was on the 1 Girl Revolution Podcast in 2019 and it was such an inspiring, informative, and powerful episode, that we wanted to revisit her original episode for our series on incarceration + women. We also did an update interview with Kim in this episode to hear how things have been going over the past two years, what The If Project has been up to, and what they’re working on now. This is a jam-packed episode that you won’t want to miss! 

Also, it’s worth noting that the original episode with Kim and the story of The If Project changed the trajectory of 1 Girl Revolution forever. It was The If Project’s documentary and our conversation with Kim that opened our eyes to the issues facing incarcerated women and we knew that we had to do something. And that was the beginning stages of “The Girl Inside.” 

The If Project is an innovative partnership between law enforcement, currently and previously incarcerated adults, and community leaders to build commonality, reduce misperceptions, and serve as a deterrent to recidivism and future incarceration. This initiative centered around the question “if” — “If something had been different, how would your life be different?” “If there was something that someone could’ve said or done to change your path, what would it have been?” 

The If Project has been asking the “If” question to incarcerated women for years and using their answers to guide and support them when they get out of jail or prison. Whatever the individual says could have been different or could have helped them or would’ve kept them out, The If Project, law enforcement, and others help make sure that the support or need is met when the individual gets out of jail and prison. This is all hugely lowering the recidivism rate. 

Kim and her team are doing incredible work. You don’t want to miss this powerful episode of the 1 Girl Revolution podcast!

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Kim’s life story; 
• The story of how she decided to get into law enforcement;
• How her time working in a prison and the relationships she built there led to The If Project;
• The story of how The If Project came to be and more about their incredible work;
• What The If Project has been up to over the past two years and how their work is evolving and growing;
• And so much more.

For more information on The If Project, please visit The If Project website. 

Follow The If Project on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

Watch the powerful documentary, The If Project, here.