Nu'Man (left) and Baird

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorneys Felicia Nu'Man and Kimberly Henderson Baird are the next guests on Connections with Renee Shaw, airing Friday, Aug. 14 at 4/3 p.m. CT on KET2 and Sunday, Aug. 16 at 1:30/12:30 p.m. CT on KET1.

Prosecuting attorneys play a critical role in bringing criminal offenders to justice. However, because African Americans are disproportionately incarcerated, black prosecutors who secure convictions of black criminals often face criticism that they are participating in a racist criminal justice system. On the program, Nu'Man and Baird address those accusations and discuss contributing factors to the high number of African Americans behind bars.

The attorneys also discuss how they became prosecutors, working in the Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney, Kentucky's high incarceration rates and alternatives to incarceration.

Connections with Renee Shaw is a KET production, produced by Shaw and Carolyn Gwinn. More information about Connections, including streaming video, is available at www.ket.org/connections.