Onward Blog

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.

Mark Rice on proposed Wisconsin Office of the Ombudsperson for Corrections

By JLUSA

June 23, 2025

“Currently incarcerated people ... need to really be more at the center of decision-making.”

Dominique Grant on Georgia’s new Survivor Justice Act

By JLUSA

June 17, 2025

LwC 2024 graduate Dominque Grant writes about Georgia's new Survivor Justice Act

Saad Soliman on economic mobility for formerly incarcerated people — in USA Today

By JLUSA

June 16, 2025

“The U.S. economy loses between $78 and $87 billion annually in gross domestic product due to the employment barriers faced by [PwLE].”

Pauline Rogers on the prospect of reopening prison on Alcatraz Island

By JLUSA

June 11, 2025

Reopening [Alcatraz] would symbolize a return to punitive measures over rehabilitative approaches.

Chazidy Robinson talks about Post-Incarceration Syndrome on the Inside Out Podcast

By JLUSA

May 28, 2025

In a new episode of the Inside Out Podcast, host Noah Asher engages in a profound conversation with Chazidy Robinson (Leading with Conviction™ 2021).

Lana Mendis on the mental health needs of women impacted by incarceration

By JLUSA

May 7, 2025

Too often, the mental health needs of women impacted by incarceration are overlooked or inadequately addressed.

Rick Speck discusses Michigan banning mandatory life without parole for 19- and 20-year-olds convicted of murder

By JLUSA

April 24, 2025

JLUSA’s Leadership Programs Coordinator Rick Speck (Leading with Conviction 2021) spoke to Michigan NPR. Here’s what he had to say!

Mark Rice testifies at state budget hearing on “Wisconsin’s disastrous system of mass supervision”

By JLUSA

April 21, 2025

Mark Rice (Leading with Conviction™ 2017) recently gave testimony at a state budget hearing in West Allis, WI. Here’s what he had to say.