Alesha Judkins: Public Safety, Crime, and Second Chances

This week, host Grant Callen sat down with Alesha Judkins, Mississippi State Director at FWD.us to discuss Mississippi's criminal justice system and our high imprisonment rate – the highest in the nation. Alesha has over 16 years of criminal justice advocacy in Mississippi and Alabama. Alesha and Grant discussed Alesha's journey into advocacy, why she is passionate about criminal justice reform, and how her faith fuels her work. They discussed ways to improve public safety and decrease the number of people behind bars through reforms like presumptive parole, parole, expungement, and drug courts. They discussed ways of setting people up for success once they are released from prison, so they are more likely to become active members of their communities and not recidivate. They celebrated the progress that Mississippi lawmakers have made in recent years that have made Mississippi a model for reform and improved public safety. And they talked about some of the opportunities on the horizon in Mississippi to keep moving the needle in the right direction. Tune in!