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Every year, JustLeadershipUSA sets out with a singular, unyielding conviction: the expertise of those closest to the problem is the most powerful tool we have to dismantle the carceral state. As I look back on the incredible strides we made over the past year, I am filled with immense pride for our community and renewed determination for the work ahead. None of this progress would have been possible without your steadfast support and belief in our mission. Because you have stood with us and invested in directly impacted leadership, together we have amplified the voices of those closest to the problem, shifted national narratives, and driven meaningful policy change across the country.
This has been a year defined by our deliberate movement toward innovation, strategic expansion, and powerful advocacy. We have refused to stand still, instead finding new, unexpected ways to scale our model and deepen our national footprint. …
Our work is far from finished, but our foundation has never been stronger.
Thank you for standing with us, investing in our leadership, and marching with us toward true liberation. Our experience is our expertise. It always has been and always will be.
Forward Together,
DeAnna Hoskins
President & CEO
JustLeadershipUSA
Throughout the past year, JLUSA strengthened the infrastructure of the movement by developing leaders, expanding national networks, advancing groundbreaking research, building strategic partnerships, amplifying lived experience, and creating new pathways for systemic change.
Emerging Leaders (EL)
EL is organized in collaboration with community-based partners, directly Impacted individuals, and communities with a commitment to systemic criminal and/or juvenile justice reform. Rooted in core curriculum topics, EL is customizable based on the needs of the community and organizations JLUSA works with.
LwC+ is built off the core foundational elements of our original Leading with Conviction™ program. LwC+’s enhanced offerings focus on the technical skills that are core to developing the knowledge, skills, and abilities to understand executive level leadership competencies. LwC+ is open to any systems-impacted leaders aspiring to or currently serving in senior/executive-level leadership roles.
JustLeadershipUSA is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and offers IACET Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Since earning certification in June 2023, JLUSA has held 14 training events, serving 514 participants, and awarding nearly 800.00 CEUs.
Leadership in Action
The JustUS Coordinating Council (JCC) is a national collective of systems-impacted leaders, community members, and national organizations who no longer demand a “Seat at the Table” but are instead “BUILDING OUR OWN.” The JCC actively collaborates with and serves as a connector to local, state, federal, and national policy stakeholders. The JCC is focused on shaping policies that protect the rights and economic mobility and stability of those affected by the criminal legal system.
leaders trained across 45 states and Washington, D.C.
rising advocates completed our premier Emerging Leaders and LwC+
leaders reached with JLUSA/JCC livestream events
people engaged via communication channels
Our Scaled Reach: 2,000+ leaders trained across 45 states and Washington, D.C., establishing a nationwide network of proximate leaders dismantling systemic barriers from the ground up.
Deepening the Bench: 115 rising advocates completed our premier Emerging Leaders and Leading with Conviction+ fellowships this year alone.
Amplifying the Movement: Beyond our core cohorts, we expanded public discourse by engaging over 800 leaders via interactive livestream events and building a digital mobilization community of 90,000+ advocates.
JLUSA does not just train; we launch systemic interventions. Our alumni convert lived experience into policy and institutional infrastructure. For example, Marcus Kelley leveraged his JLUSA training to establish The Change Up, directly organizing the campaign to end the exception in the 13th Amendment. And Marlon Chamberlain established the Illinois Coalition to End Permanent Punishments in order to remove permanent collateral consequences of a criminal conviction.
Nearly
people living with an arrest or conviction record
laws and statutes continue to marginalize and oppress the lives and opportunities of people with a criminal record
adults under correctional control (including jail and prison confinement, parole, and probation)
Nearly
people are currently incarcerated
The Scale of Marginalization: Nearly 80 million Americans are shackled with an arrest or conviction record and locked out of economic mobility by a web of over 45,000 collateral laws and statutes.
The Supervision Trap: With 5.5 million adults under correctional control and nearly 2 million currently incarcerated, the vast majority are navigating probation and parole. We have partnered to review national standards of what supervision should focus on for individuals living in communities.
The Racial and Fiscal Disparity: African Americans are incarcerated at more than six times the rate of white Americans. If racial equity were structurally achieved, the total U.S. correctional population would drop by almost 40%.
The U.S. criminal legal system drains $445 billion annually from taxpayers to sustain incarceration. By contrast, federal appropriations provide a mere $150 million annually for reentry and basic human stability.
Funding JLUSA is not a charitable donation to a local program; it is a strategic investment in the only nationwide network of trained, proximate leaders capable of shifting a $445B broken system toward equity and economic productivity.
