NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Beginning in April, commemorating the start of Autism Acceptance Month, veteran Nashville based music producer and podcast host Tony Mantor will launch Humanity Over Handcuffs: The Silent Crisis, a special series on his chart topping Why Not Me the World podcast on autism. During his recent address to the U.S. Congress President Trump cited the rising prevalence of autism diagnoses which have risen from one in 10,000 children, to one in 36.
More specifically, how Autistic people have been historically treated in the legal system will be Mantor’s specific focus on the special series launching in April. Autism and the legal system is undoubtedly a relative topic and societal challenge that has been recently reported on by NPR, Salon, The Marshall Report and ABA Journal. Mantor’s new series seeks to revitalize a conversation around the highly sensitive topic to bring about solutions.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
“The series purpose is to refrain from assigning blame, and instead focus on developing solution driven strategies,” Mantor said about the new podcast series. “I just think we need to do more to acknowledge and be empathetic enough to find solutions on how the justice system deals with autism or other mental health issues, versus just arresting them and treating them as criminals. Not only here in the United States, but worldwide.”
The Humanity Over Handcuffs series will take a deep-dive into stories and cases of autistic people’s experience by both the law enforcement and legal system from thought leaders Patrick J. Kennedy, former U.S. House of Representatives, Rhode Island (1995-2011); Dr. Tim Murphy, former U.S. House of Representative, Pennsylvania (2003-2017), Psychologist & U.S. Navy Veteran; Milton L. Mack, Wayne County, Michigan, Probate Court Chief Judge; Steve Leifman, 11th judicial Circuit Court Judge, Miami, Florida (retired 2025); Bart Barta, Autism Safety 101 and Coral Gables, Florida Police Officer, Criminal Investigations Division (Retired); John Puls, LCSW, Licensed Psychotherapist, South Florida Psychotherapy; Elizabeth Kelley, Nationwide Criminal Defense Lawyer, representing people with mental disabilities; and Mark Mahoney, New York Attorney specializing in Autism/Asperger cases.
Since launching in 2023, Mantor’s Why Not Me The World podcast has been downloaded more than 900,000 times across 85 countries and more than 1,500 cities worldwide. It has topped various mental health podcast charts worldwide including Spotify’s Top 200 chart and Apple Podcast’s Mental Health charts in the U.S., Great Britain and Canada. Leading podcast search engine Listen Notes consistently rates the podcast among the top 0.5% of podcasts worldwide.
Why Not Me The World has featured a worldly group of autism thought leaders, medical professionals, celebrity guests from the world of music and entertainment, parents and others from the Autistic community. Listen now on all major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart Media, or at TonyMantor.com.
More like this:
