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As valedictorian of his graduating class, 26-year-old Sean Wilson was beaming as he got in line with about 100 other men to receive his college diploma. But this wasn’t a typical college graduation. Wilson and his fellow classmates are all convicts, serving time at California’s Ironwood State Prison, and this graduation ceremony was held behind bars with correction officers watching …

Susan Sobel, ARC Ally, InsideOUT Writers (IOW) teacher and second-year law student at Seattle University, created Closer to the Cuts to lift the voices of incarcerated youth and change the narrative around criminal justice reform. In Susy’s own words, “Closer to the Cuts is a visual interpretation of a poem that was born from my experiences working as a poetry …

Scott Budnick, producer of The Hangover series, put his Hollywood career on hold to start the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC). It’s a non-profit that helps formerly incarcerated young men and women transition back to life on the outside. Listen to the full radio interview by clicking play below.

When California voters amended the state’s harsh three-strikes law in 2012, they ensured that nonviolent third offenses would no longer lead to life sentences. Significantly, they made about 3,000 people serving those life sentences suddenly eligible for release. Since then, more than 2,000 have emerged after years in prison into worlds dramatically transformed from those they left behind. This Op-Doc …

As he sits in the airport waiting for a flight, 22-year-old James Anderson talks about his life before, during and after incarceration with breathtaking candidness. He runs through his teenage years spent in and around the San Fernando valley, revealing a catalogue of drug addiction, brutal physical abuse by his father, suicide attempts, being sucked “in deep” into gangs and …

What were Richard Branson, Sean Stephenson, and the Jabbawokeez doing inside Ironwood State Prison? Be part of the experience and watch the short 9-minute documentary here! https://youtu.be/yog403ksGqk

NEW YORK, NY – Today, Scott Budnick, the Founder and President of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC), was appointed by President Obama to serve on the Advisory Council of the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance (MBK Alliance). The MBK Alliance is made up of a diverse group of leaders from across the country, including successful business leaders, high-profile entertainers, government officials, and leading nonprofit …

Singer John Legend got behind the microphone at the Sacramento Convention Center on Monday, not to perform, but to advocate for social change. “I don’t want to live in a nation that criminalizes addiction and poverty,” Legend said. He’s using his voice to call for less punishment for crime and more crime prevention. He addressed the audience at “Survivors Speak”, …

by Newt Gingrich Last month, I was honored to co-host an amazing and genuinely bipartisan summit on criminal-justice reform, along with my friends Van Jones, Donna Brazile, and Pat Nolan. Nearly 600 citizens from both parties came together to discuss real solutions for our country’s failing incarceration system. The day surfaced an extraordinary range of good ideas, but one in …

This article originally appeared on Juvenile Justice Information Exchange on March 30, 2015. Click here to view. by Lynne Anderson Louie Chagolla was in and out of trouble with the law for most of his teenage years. He was in lockup twice and, when not in lockup, he was on probation. Possession of a deadly weapon made the scared but tough-acting kid …

by Kent G. Mendoza Morales The date is April 9, 2014. It’s 12 noon, and I’m coming home. My name is Kent G. Mendoza Morales and I’m 21 years old. At the age of 12, I had my first encounter with the law. Three years later, I received a sentence of nine months in a juvenile facility that initiated my …

This Op-Ed originally appeared on Juvenile Justice Information Exchange on March 31, 2015. Click here to view.  by Alton Pitre I felt like a young politician last week during my four-day visit to Washington, D.C., with the Anti-Recidivism Coalition on our policy trip. From meetings with members of Congress to a meeting with a deputy assistant to the president in the White …