<p>Tocqueville saw America’s faith in its own democracy as a vital force. But these days the majority of Americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction. Can a group of maximum security prisoners in Sing Sing offer a vision of how to get back on track?</p><br><p>Guests and Hosts</p><p><br></p><ul><li>John Prideaux, <em>The Economist</em>’s US Editor</li><li>Sean Pica, executive director of Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison&nbsp;</li><li>Jean Frantz, prisoner at Sing Sing Correctional Facility&nbsp;</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Topics&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><ul><li>Alexis de Tocqueville’s views on voluntary associations</li><li>Sing Sing prison education programme</li><li>Prisoners’ views on the American dream&nbsp;</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Let us know what you think. Email [email protected] </p><br><p>To listen to the full series, subscribe to <a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Economist Podcasts+</a></p><br><p>If you’re already a subscriber to <em>The Economist</em>, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our <a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FAQs</a> page or watch our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">video</a> explaining how to link your account.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>