SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO REINVENT THE WHEEL

The Hustler Files with Lisa Reilly - Stories That Challenge What You Thought You Knew

We’ve all heard the quote – ‘The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.’ With more than 600,000 people being released across the U.S. each year yet more than two thirds are rearrested within three years, the prison reform wheel needs to become more innovative, and leading that charge is the California organization, Impact Justice. Their overall mission, to get creative, change the script and rules of engagement, believe in one another, and expand what’s possible. Aishatu Yusuf, Vice President of Innovation Programs breaks down some of the transformational projects that take the prison reform movement, head on. Impact Justice programs run the gamut from a reentry mentorship program for formerly incarcerated, to a sharing economy model that pairs returning citizens with welcoming community housing hosts, and a first of its kind partnership to improve food quality, and provide access to fresh, nourishing, appealing food behind the wall. As Aishatu Yusuf says, ‘at Impact Justice we are all doers’.