Onward Blog

Mark Rice on Wisconsin’s plan to overhaul prison system

By JLUSA

November 10, 2025

“[GBCI] should’ve been closed down 20 years ago,” said Mark Rice (Leading with Conviction™ 2017). “The timeline is just too slow.”

Jonathan Morgan explains why saying “reentry begins at arrest” is actually wrong

By JLUSA

November 3, 2025

Jonathan Morgan (Leading with Conviction™ 2022) writes, “When we call everything ‘reentry,’ we lose sight of what truly helps people succeed ...”

Jamira Burley on what it’s like to rely on food assistance programs like SNAP

By JLUSA

October 29, 2025

Jamira Burley (Leading with Conviction™ 2015) writes, “Most people don’t know what it’s like to [experience food insecurity]. I do.”

David Garlock on the Menendez brothers being denied parole

By David Garlock

September 11, 2025

“I have lived their life. My brother and I ... were the same ages as Erik and Lyle, and our offense happened a decade later.”

JLUSA President & CEO DeAnna Hoskins returns from White House Fellowship

By JLUSA

September 9, 2025

A message from JLUSA President & CEO DeAnna Hoskins

Louis L. Reed on how prison reform laws could safely free thousands of people

By JLUSA

“Criminal justice reform ... offers a rare opportunity for common ground.”

David Gaspar on why ending cash bail actually works—in the New York Times

By JLUSA

September 3, 2025

“Community safety, not personal wealth, best determines who is released and who is detained.”

Dr. Aaron Kinzel on going from incarceration to academia

By JLUSA

September 2, 2025

We are so excited that Dr. Aaron Kinzel has joined JustLeadershipUSA as a Research Fellow!

Doug Smith on his new book The Path of Rocks and Thorns: Leadership Lessons from a Prison Cell

By JLUSA

August 20, 2025

Doug Smith (Leading with Conviction™ 2018) has a new book entitled The Path of Rocks & Thorns: Leadership Lessons from a Prison Cell.

Robyn Hasan-Simpson on the importance of diversion programs in Atlanta

By JLUSA

July 28, 2025

“We continue to punish many of the most vulnerable individuals for the crime of, in essence, being poor in public.”

Michael Saine responds to social media uproar that led to the first VFW post inside a prison being shut down

By JLUSA

July 25, 2025

Michael Saine (Leading with Conviction™ 2024) “It was my severe displeasure to read about the closure of the first VFW post inside a prison facility.”

Judith Negron on reclaiming and redefining your purpose after reentry

By JLUSA

July 21, 2025

Judith Negron (Leading with Conviction™ 2023) proves that reentry isn’t just about returning—it’s about reclaiming and redefining your purpose.

Brittany Lovely on Ten Years Home

By Brittany Lovely

July 16, 2025

Brittany Lovely (Leading with Conviction™ 2022) writes, “I built a new life, but I will not stop there. I will continue to build ...”

Joshua Hoe on how to create meaningful change in a divided America

July 14, 2025

Josh Hoe (Leading with Conviction™ 2021), Senior Policy Manager for Dream.Org, talks politics as “the art of the possible.”

Oswald Newbold on “The Strength of Healed Wounds”

By JLUSA

July 7, 2025

In this powerful episode of the Breaking Chains Podcast, Oswald Newbold (Leading with Conviction™ 2024) shares his transformational personal story.

Go shopping with Matt Sutton to buy an outfit for a job interview after reentry

By JLUSA

June 25, 2025

In a compelling “man on the street”-style video, Matt Sutton (Leading with Conviction™ 2023) shows how difficult it is to buy clothing after reentry.