Bold goal for the REFORM Alliance: "get 1 million people out of the criminal justice system in five years"

In this post earlier this year, I blogged about the celebrities and business leaders coming together to form the REFORM Alliance, which is committed to "dramatically reduce the number of people who are unjustly under the control of the criminal justice system – starting with probation and parole."  I have long had great respect for the commitment and vision of this group, but I was especially exciting to see this press article discussion a bold goal for the Alliance.  The piece is headlined "Inspired by Meek Mill, Michael Rubin sets a goal: Get 1 million people out of the criminal justice system," and here are excerpts:

Michael Rubin first encountered the criminal justice system when he saw rapper Meek Mill sentenced to prison for a violation of his probation. “That was a life-changing moment for me," Rubin said.

Speaking at the B.PHL Innovation Festival in the Entercom media headquarters Tuesday, Rubin explained how that moment sparked a movement.  The billionaire entrepreneur made it his mission to get Mill out of prison and, following a massive public outcry and social media campaign (#FreeMeek), he was released after five months.

Now, Rubin and Mill, who have been close friends for years, are working to transform the criminal justice system. In January, Rubin and Mill founded The REFORM Alliance, a partnership of titans in the entertainment, sports and business worlds.  They’re focusing on disrupting the probation system, which oversees 180,000 people in Pennsylvania alone, according to federal figures.

The REFORM Alliance is pushing to change Pennsylvania law to reduce the number of years people can stay on probation and to ensure people can’t be sent back to prison for technical violations.  About one in four prison admissions nationwide are due to probation violations, according to a study by the Council for State Governments Justice Center.

Pennsylvania is just the first step for the REFORM Alliance.  Rubin said the organization’s nationwide mission is to get 1 million people out of the criminal justice system in five years.  Nationwide, there are more than 4.5 million on probation and parole. “One million is a gigantic number,” Rubin said.  But he added, “I’m going to be unrelenting until we accomplish that.”...

Rubin’s got the money and the message to make a difference.  He’s the founder and CEO of Kynetic, the firm which owns online retailers Fanatics, Rue La La and ShopRunner.  He’s also a partner of the Philadelphia 76ers and a minority owner of the New Jersey Devils.

He lined up heavy hitters to build REFORM.  Other founding partners include hip-hop superstar and entrepreneur Jay-Z, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Robert Smith, founder and CEO of Vista Equity Partners and the richest black man in America.  Rubin tapped political activist Van Jones to serve as the CEO of REFORM.  The group now has more raised than $50 million and is working to convince lawmakers and voters of the need for change.

Via Law http://www.rssmix.com/