Criminal Justice Reform: MLK Day Talk
Social Justice Matters, Inc. invites community members to a Zoom conversation with Ronald Pierce of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice (NJISJ) on restoring voting rights to people with criminal convictions, among other reforms.
The program, on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, Jan. 17, from 1:30-3 pm, will outline the impact of current policies on the incarcerated people of color.
Hear a firsthand account of Pierce’s journey as an advocate from his days in public housing, to his decades in prison and his return to society, now as a NJISJ Democracy and Justice Fellow. Pierce is part of the movement to abolish isolated confinement and to allow,83,000 people on parole and probation – as well as incarcerated people – to vote.
Pierce will touch on incarceration’s historic roots, its staggering costs to families and communities, and challenges formerly incarcerated people face on re-entry. Statistics and reports show that sentencing, arrests, incarceration and re-entry affect populations of color disproportionately. It is fitting that we take time on the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., to examine the situation, its historical precedents, and ways we can work toward just and equitable restorative measures.
About Ronald Pierce
Pierce is the inaugural Democracy and Justice Fellow at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice (NJISJ). The Fellowship, awarded to an advocate who has been formerly incarcerated, focuses on restoring voting rights to people with criminal convictions. Pierce is a frequent commentator and lecturer on issues related to voting rights, re-entry and human rights of the incarcerated. His writing has been published in The Star-Ledger, NJ Spotlight and Truth Out. Pierce graduated from Rutgers University-Newark summa cum laude in 2018 and was a recipient of the Vera Institute Scholarship.
He works with the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice as part of the Technical Support Team for the NJ Sentence and Disposition Commission and has been appointed to the Advisory Board for the NJ Corrections Ombudsman.
About Social Justice Matters, Inc.
Social Justice Matters (SJM) is a local grassroots nonprofit organization based in Scotch Plains and Fanwood, NJ. It is committed to active inquiry into matters of race in society and to efforts toward an equitable community. SJM serves as a resource for community concerns, and facilitates truthful and meaningful discussions and action about race and related topics.