UJC SUMMIT 2023

Hate crimes target more than individuals. They send fear through entire communities. Fighting back requires accountability, stronger protections, community action, and a collective commitment to ensuring everyone can live freely and safely without being targeted for who they are.

Reducing recidivism takes more than release. From clearing criminal records and securing stable housing to mentorship, employment, education, and community support, this conversation explores what people actually need to rebuild their lives and how addressing those needs can create meaningful second chances.

Mental health shapes how we show up in every part of our lives. Breaking stigma means creating space to talk openly about pain, seek support, and recognize that healing is not just about surviving. It is about finding the tools, care, and community that allow people to truly thrive.

Accountability does not have to mean incarceration. From diversion and community-based programs to restorative justice and therapeutic approaches, creating a more just system means looking at the circumstances that bring people into it and considering alternatives that address harm without relying on prison as the first response.

Probation and parole were intended to help people successfully return to their communities, but too often supervision creates new barriers to jobs, housing, family, and opportunity. Reform means shifting away from punishment and toward resources, guidance, human dignity, and the support people need to move forward.

Probation and parole were intended to help people successfully return to their communities, but too often supervision creates new barriers to jobs, housing, family, and opportunity. Reform means shifting away from punishment and toward resources, guidance, human dignity, and the support people need to move forward.

No family asks to be thrust into the criminal justice system. After losing loved ones to police violence or wrongful convictions, these families found themselves fighting for the truth, challenging narratives that dehumanized the people they loved, and learning how to navigate a system they once trusted to deliver justice.