What if prisons redeemed kids instead of warehousing them? That was the mission Illinois took up three and a half years ago, when it separated juvenile prisons from adult ones. And it’s one of the questions at the heart of WBEZ’s series Inside and Out.

We follow the stories of young people—to find out how they get caught up in the system and what happens to them when they get out.

Even with an atmosphere of agreement that capping carbon is good for the planet, world leaders are still generating a lot of hot air arguing how to do it.

This edition of America Abroad explores the issue – from the Peruvian rainforest where economic development is slashing a weapon in the war on warming, to the U.S. where businesses are struggling to scrub their smokestacks, and the carbon credit debate is heating up on Capitol Hill.

At 3pm January 25th through 29th ONLY we’re testing out a show on our air and asking you to share your thoughts on it.

It’s called “Q“ -  a daily arts and culture interview program from the CBC hosted by Jian Ghomeshi.

Each episode features the well-prepared and conversational Jian interviewing guests like Leonard Cohen, Lily Allen, Woody Allen, Radiohead and Salman Rushdie.

Take a listen, and during the course of the week, let us know your thoughts. Is it good? Is it bad? Is it just OK?  Share your thoughts in the comment thread at our blog or via email at feedback@wbez.org.

All Things Considered will be back, as usual, during the 3pm hour beginning Monday, February 1st.

For nearly 30 years, the AIDS epidemic has ravaged lives and nations around the world.  This edition of America Abroad examines the practice of prevention and treatment in South Africa and Brazil - countries afflicted with the same disease that pursued very different prescriptions. America Abroad also examines the procedures behind the Bush Administration’s controversial Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Radio Lab returns with Season Six!  January 4th through 8th at 9am and 8pm.

Monday--Stochasticity:  This hour, Radiolab examines Stochasticity, which is just a wonderfully slippery and smarty-pants word for randomness.  Do we live in a world of magic and meaning or … is it all just chance and happenstance?

Tuesday--After Life: What happens at the moment when we slip from life...to the other side? Is it a moment? If it is a moment, when is that moment? And what happens afterward? It's a show of questions that don't have easy answers.

Wednesday--Parasites: What's gotten into you? In this hour we explore nature's moochers - the good, the bad, and the hideous. We have stories of lethargic farmers, zombie cockroaches, and even mind-controlled humans (kinda, maybe).

Thursday--New Normal? How do you tell the difference between a sea change and a ripple in the water? Is there ever really even a norm? In this hour we examine three stories that reframe our sense of normalcy.

Filmpsotting takes a break this week and we air episode two of The Moth.  The Moth Radio Hour features true stories told live on stage without scripts. Each Moth Radio Hour mixes humorous, heartbreaking, and poignant tales.

In this hour, a severely stuttering child years later becomes the world's premier jaguar expert. Plus, a Texas tale of moon pies and bedazzlers; the surprising story of a Harlem man who ends up at a rodeo in Oregon; and one father's way of coping with a son who loves the color pink.

The State We're In starts the year off talking to people who are trying to change their part of the world.  And they're doing that through encounters with people on the other side of a political, ethnic or ideological fence. 

Toast of Nation features live music all night on New Year's Eve--a holiday special for your party. Raise a glass with listeners coast to coast and revelers at five-jazz locations across the continent until 12:30am.

Intelligence Squared presents a debate about Obama and his economic policies. Economists are debating whether or not the recession is over. When Obama took office, the debate was whether a sharp decline in economic activity would trigger more bank failures in a vicious cycle, culminating in a full scale depression.

Others argue that his policies will seriously undermine the long-term growth of the US economy. Our fiscal outlook is so poor that inflation is likely, undermining faith in the dollar as a global reserve asset.

A holiday tradition celebrates two decades this winter: It's the 20th annual A Jazz Piano Christmas. Every year, NPR invites great jazz keyboardists, revered giants and fresh new voices alike, to spin unique takes on holiday music, live in concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.