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Survivors of the Criminal Justice System

A Latino father stands on a hillside overlooking a valley in the golden light of the evening. He’s hugging and kissing his five-year-old son.

photo: panther media gmbh

header photo: charlie pizarro

Our criminal justice system gravely injures families and communities.

And while this isn’t news, our society’s ongoing blindness still requires that it be said: the system rains particular terror, trauma, and harm on Black people.

The strong souls who survive the worst of the criminal justice system are expected to build their lives with at least one arm behind their back. Their success requires intelligence, resilience, and the courage to withstand systemic efforts, not just to keep them down, but to deny their very humanity.

My work with criminal justice survivors began during the twenty years that I helped people on death row tell their stories. Today, I support incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people and their families as they make others understand who they truly are, what they have to offer, and how their very survival is an act of pride and courage and love.

These partnerships are a privilege.