Josephine Horace-Jackson
By B. Andi Lee “It’s about being intentional and knowing where you can best serve. You may be good at a lot of things, but what’s that thing you’re best suited for at this particular time?” Driven by a sincere desire to “see people do better and not get stuck with their past mistakes,” Josephine […]
Michael Cannon
By MoDena Stinnette At the heart of the Education Justice Project’s Reentry Guide Initiative is the Advisory Council. Below we share some wisdom from Advisory Council member Michael Cannon. Michael served 29 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after being sentenced to 60 years in prison. He stated that he found purpose while in […]
Keiathy Jones
Keiahty Jones, EJP alumni incarcerated for almost 14 years, was able to go home in November. How would he summarize reentry? “It’s like walking on glass through a desert,” he said. Keiahty spoke about his experiences during prison and reentry as part of EJP’s 2022 Impact Week, which featured EJP alumni speaking to EJP supporters […]
Joseph Mapp
“Living life as if I’m one day out.” During EJP’s virtual Impact Week, we were joined by EJP alumni Joseph “Joe Joe” Mapp. Joseph is the Communities Partnering 4 Peace program manager and director of reentry at Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation in Chicago. He recently graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in Interdisciplinary […]
David Todd
After being incarcerated for 22 years, one of David “Happy” Todd’s biggest challenges upon release was adjusting to his family and their way of living. Happy shared his reentry experiences with his family as part of EJP’s 2022 Impact Week, which featured EJP alumni speaking to small groups of EJP supporters via zoom. To them, […]
Deportation Resources
EJP publishes two reentry guides every year: Mapping Your Future: A Guide to Successful Reentry in Illinois and A New Path: A Guide to the Challenges and Opportunities After Deportation. Of the two, A New Path is created for those who face deportation to Mexico or Central America following their sentence. Lee Ragsdale, the reentry guide initiative director at EJP, says A […]
RGI Behind The Scenes
The Education Justice Project started the Reentry Guide Initiative to try to answer some of the questions that formerly incarcerated individuals might have when reentering the world after finishing their sentence. Currently, EJP produces two reentry guides; Mapping Your Future: A Guide to Successful Reentry in Illinois and A New Path: A Guide to the Challenges and Opportunities […]
Reentry Guide Delivery
The Reentry Guide Initiative team recently printed 7,000 copies of the 2021 version of Mapping Your Future: A Guide to Successful Reentry — the largest order up to date. Of the total copies, 4,000 were delivered to the Illinois Department of Corrections and they will be distributed to prisons throughout Illinois. “We hope to get […]
Johnny Page
Johnny Page has come a long way since he enrolled in classes at Cook County Jail just to get off the deck. Locked up at eighteen, he had always enjoyed reading and was an exemplary student when younger. However, in high school he got caught up in street life and dropped out. Once he started […]
Robert Reed
As a father of three, Robert Reed recognized while in prison that he needed to be a strong example for his children, Anthony, Diamond and Justin. Robert knew, as soon as he heard about EJP, therefore, that he wanted to join. Along with his wife, Arlinda, he has been connected with the program for more […]