Restorative Justice has been coming more into the forefront of the conversation around alternatives to a punitive approach to crime and violence, but there seem to be a lot of different ideas and misconceptions around what restorative justice is, who it’s for, how it works, and whether forgiveness is a necessary part of the process. In this episode, we speak to sonya shah, who has decades of experience as a restorative justice facilitator in communities and prisons to support victims and meaningfully address harm. In this conversation, we get personal about why we’ve felt resistant to RJ in the past and we learn a great deal from sonya about VODs (Victim-Offender Dialogues), how RJ centers the needs of survivors, and where it fits into the wide array of solutions we need for safety, healing, and accountability.

After landing in prison as a teenager under the Three Strikes law, Jay Jordan knows the ins and outs of the carceral system from firsthand experience. This knowledge informs his advocacy and leadership as the CEO of the Alliance for Safety and Justice.

In the second part of our 2-part conversation, Jay addresses what we need to do to move from a system of punishment to a system of care, and helps us imagine what that system of care could look like. He tells the stories of violence interrupters who are out on the streets every day, saving lives. We also discuss the role of creativity in activism and how it manifests to bring us into a better world.

Jay Jordan is the CEO of the Alliance for Safety and Justice. Jay landed in prison as a teendager under the Three Strikes law. While spending two years in solitary confinement, a single question prompted Jay to change his life forever: Who are you? Since then, Jay has been answering that question every day through his advocacy on behalf of crime survivors and formerly incarcerated people who want to rebuild their lives after prison. In this episode we talk about everything from how Three Strikes can and should change to the inspiring journey of imperfection and how we can all learn to lead by example. This is the first of a 2-part conversation.