Maria Harar | CIIP 2023 Blog Portfolio

This week I went to a meeting with local non profits working to reform the parole process. At the event, there were 5-6 panelists who were incarcerated before the age of 18 and were unable to be released for 30+ years. Hearing their stories that obviously highlighted the flaws and injustices in the parole system was very insightful yet sad.

What shocked me the most was when they explained that they were rejected because they were seen as a recidivism threat but the reasons why were copied from someone else’s case. While it is important to keep the community safe, it is also important to release the individuals who would like to get out and make a change.