Chicago, IL (August 22, 2024) – At the Democratic National Convention, REFORM Alliance convened a pivotal and timely event, bringing together influential leaders, activists, and policymakers to discuss the future of criminal justice reform and public safety.

Just hours before Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for President and highlighted her record as a smart-on-crime prosecutor, the country’s leading Democrats including Govs. Josh Shapiro & Wes Moore and Attorneys General Dana Nessel of Michigan & Kwame Raoul of Illinois joined artist and activist Yo Gotti, REFORM Alliance officials, impacted voices and state lawmakers to discuss progress made on criminal justice reforms and how a Harris/Walz Administration could further advance critical policies that reduce recidivism and make communities safer. Criminal justice emerged as a theme this week – with remarks from Doug Emhoff and Angela Alsobrooks – and is a crucial issue for the 2024 campaign. 

This event – hosted by REFORM Alliance, the criminal justice reform organization founded by Meek Mill & Jay-Z – also championed the crucial criminal justice and supervision reforms made in the past years at the state and federal level, including laws in PA, MI, CA, VA and IL. 

Please see link for downloadable video of the event

Additionally, several speakers shared remarks on the need for reform in our prisons and supervision systems, including Mario Sentell Giden Mims aka “Yo Gotti,” Rapper and Music Executive; Victor Kwesi Mensah aka “Vic Mensa,” Rapper and Activist; Cheryl Henderson, a prison reform advocate and mother of the late Chadarion Henderson, whose tragic death in prison was featured in the A&E documentary “Exposing Parchman;” as well as Joakim Noah, former NBA star and activist.

The event was sponsored by REFORM Action Fund.

Mario Sentell Giden Mims aka “Yo Gotti, speaking about what provoked him to get involved in the fight to reform Mississippi prisons,

“There was a lot of graphic content online, like [prison] cells with blood, or cells on fire. People inside the prisons made videos to try and get help about their outside––that the lights hadn’t been on, and that they were cold. ” 

Cheryl Henderson, prison reform advocate and mother of the late Chadarion Henderson, discussed what she wants the Governors and Attorneys General sitting on this panel to do so another mother does not have to experience losing her child to the justice system:

“I would love for them to understand the importance of REFORM Alliance because REFORM is the voice for formerly incarcerated minority individuals who were failed systemically. I would want them to push to get other programs like REFORM out there. I appreciate Yo Gotti, Jessica [Jackson], and ROC Nation, and the people in the room who have put me on this platform so I can tell my son’s story.” 

Wes Moore, Governor of Maryland, explained why he is proud of the success of the state’s Thrive Academy:

“In the first year, we invested in the Thrive Academy, which essentially is working with [groups] to identify which kids do we think have highest probabilities of either being victims of crime or perpetrators, and how do we wrap them with enough services and supports––and their family members–– to make sure that they can make it safely through a city, through a summer, through the year. The reason I am proud of this program is that it was done based on data, and it works. From what we see in our first year and a half,  for every single one of our children that are now involved with the Thrive program, not one has been the victim or the perpetrator of a homicide or a mass violent crime in our jurisdictions. In addition to that, we’ve watched how Maryland has had the most precipitous drop in violent crimes and homicides of any state in the country. The last time the crime rate was this low in Baltimore, I wasn’t even born yet.”

Josh Shapiro, Governor of Pennsylvania, shared his pride in passing major criminal justice reform in his state around expungement, as well as probation and parole reform:

“In a political environment that is as polarized as Pennsylvania’s, we have made criminal justice reform an economic empowerment issue. We have made safe communities an issue that is not just about policing, but about lifting up the community as well. I’m proud of what we are building; we have more work to do, but we now have a foundation for progress that we didn’t have before.” 

Dana Nessel, Attorney General of the State of Michigan, discussed why she is proud of her “Job Court” prosecutorial diversion pilot program:

“What we’ve often found is that the most dangerous person on the street is that person who has got nothing to lose. We want to give everyone something to lose––and that’s a good paying job with benefits.” 

Kwame Raoul, Attorney General of the State of Illinois, spoke about his pride in an initiative to invest in trauma recovery centers:

“I started my career as a county prosecutor in juvenile court where I did background checks on the delinquency side and criminal side. Often I’d find out that the young people had been in the building before as a victim of abuse and neglect in their own home so violence begins violence and that if we don’t invest in the interruption where it grows out of, we’re not going to take a real bite out of reducing that crime, so we’ve invested in intervention.” 

Illinois State Representative and Speaker Pro Tempore Jehan Gordon-Booth discussed what they did in their state to revise their criminal justice reform system:

“In Illinois, what we did is […] pass the most transformative bipartisan criminal justice reform bill in Illinois history in 2017. Because of that legislation, we were able to do away with over 10,000 mandatory minimums, create 17 trauma recovery centers across Illinois, and decarcerate the Illinois Department of Corrections by more than 20,000.”  

Rep. Gordon-Booth added,

“When we talk about criminal justice reform, it’s about mandatory release, it’s about probation, it’s about parole, it’s about sentencing––but it’s also healthcare, jobs, and ensuring we have adequate housing. This work has to have a constituency; in order to build that constituency, we have to look at the underlying issues […] if we are able to eradicate those problems, always remaining with our eyes on the prize, we can make real things happen.” 

 

California Assemblymember Matt Haney discussed how reforms passed in his state both helped reduce prison populations while also reducing recidivism and bringing crime rates down:

“California went from having over 160,000 people in prison in 2006 to now being close to 90,000. […] This happened because of laws that reform organizations passed ensuring people are not in prison for minor technical violations of probation or parole. […] At the time we reduced our prison population by that amount, our crime rate also plummeted. We had the lowest violent and property crime rates in California since the 1960s. We can do this right, we can provide alternatives and treatment, not lock people up and actually get them help, and crime will go down.”  

Pennsylvania State Rep. Jordan Harris shared,

“Since Pennsylvania passed the Clean Slate law in 2018, more than 45 million criminal records have been sealed in the state of Pennsylvania, which affected more than 1 million Pennsylvanians.” [Before that], our criminal justice system was more punitive than restorative. We had to work to convince my colleagues because it was the right thing to do [to change that]. But what we did on Clean Slate is the same thing you can do on probation, you take what you can for the moment. […] We can’t have a punitive system because we are mad at people, but a system that is about actually correcting actions. ”

Don Scott, Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegate, shared why criminal justice reform is a personal topic for him as well as what they have achieved in Virgina on probation and parole reform:

“I have a commitment to criminal justice reform because I was incarcerated. […] With my freedom comes responsibility, so in 2019, I decided to run for office. When I got involved [in issues of probation and parole], I did a probation reform bill and we got it done, with REFORM’s help and other local partners in our state. […] We had 50,000 people on probation––people getting violated literally for missing a call with their probation officer, for losing their job they were going to every day, or moving without telling their probation officer. So we changed that and called those technical violations, where folks wouldn’t get all of their time back and go to jail.” 

Vic Mensa offered his take on what is needed to make progress on reforming the criminal justice system:

“We have to have the courage to believe in things that seem impossible, to create a future that is worth living in. Oftentimes what I feel like we are doing here-– working on striking down an iron tower of a system that is built to control us––seems completely insurmountable. But it is constant work, incremental progress, and unshakeable and unbreakable faith that we can do it.” 

Joakim Noah, former NBA basketball player and community activist, discussed the inner-city basketball league he founded, which often works with young men impacted by the criminal justice system via probation, parole, or just having a felony on their record:

“This is the most powerful work I’ve ever done. I’m here for a reason. I don’t pretend to be an expert. When I talk to the kids, the thing that is most important is listening–listening to their stories.” 

Jessica Jackson, CEO of REFORM Alliance said,

“The theme of public safety and justice––along with justice reforms that balance both––are perhaps the defining issues of this election and for millions of American voters. Despite crime being down to historic levels, voters are more concerned about safety than at any point in the last 30 years. It’s time to reshape the narrative around public safety and reform. At REFORM, we are doing just that – we’ve passed 18 bipartisan bills, in 11 states, that have created pathways for more than 800,000 people to exit the system. Today is an opportunity to hear from some of the incredible lawmakers and advocates who helped make those changes possible today.” 

Erin Haney, Chief Advocacy Officer of REFORM Alliance added,

“The [panelists invited today] all have the unique ability to turn passion into progress, moments into movements, and to flip the rhetoric about retribution to a focus on redemption.” 

Event recap (photos & video)

PANELISTS:

• The Hon. Wes Moore, Governor of the State Maryland
• The Hon. Josh Shapiro, Governor of the State of Pennsylvania 
• The Hon. Dana Nessel, Attorney General of the State of Michigan
• The Hon. Kwame Raoul, Attorney General of the State of Illinois 
• Jehan Gordon-Booth, Illinois State Representative
• Jordan Harris, Pennsylvania State Representative
• Matt Haney, California State Assemblymember 
• Don Scott, Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates

SPEAKERS:

• Mario Sentell Giden Mims aka “Yo Gotti,” Top American Performer and Activist
• Victor Kwesi Mensah aka “Vic Mensa,” Rapper and Activist
• Joakim Noah, Former NBA Player and Activist
• Cheryl Henderson, prison reform advocate and mother of the late Chadarion Henderson, whose tragic death in a Mississippi prison was featured in the A&E documentary “Exposing Parchman”
• Jessica Jackson, CEO of REFORM Alliance
• Erin Haney, Policy & Law Director of REFORM Alliance 

CONTACT:  Alex Gudich- 415-240-2016; alex@reformalliance.com media@reformalliance.com 

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About REFORM Alliance:

REFORM Alliance aims to transform probation and parole by changing laws, systems, and culture to create real pathways to work and well-being. A justice system that holds people accountable and redirects back to work and well-being leads to stronger families and safer communities. Instead of keeping people trapped in a revolving door from probation/parole to prison — which costs taxpayers billions of dollars — we’re working to move people from the justice system into stability. REFORM Alliance has passed 18 bipartisan bills in 11 states, including Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.