#womenshistorymonth #blackgirlmagic✨ #justice #power #PREentry ✊🏽 Keir Bradford-Grey works with every arm of the criminal justice reform system as she manages Philadelphia’s Defender Association. Under her leadership, the organization has thrown its weight behind robust pre-entry practices that connect at-risk populations with services and resources to keep people out of jail. Another unique Defender Association initiative is participatory defense. Modeled after a San Jose-based program, it puts hubs inside communities and trains volunteers on the details of the criminal justice system, and how to create biographical videos about defendants. The volunteers talk to the person charged with a crime, their employers, and their family and loved ones. It helps hold the courts, and public defenders accountable, said Bradford-Grey, with a constant reminder that the person on trial has a life outside of their mistake. Philly also opened the first participatory defense hub dedicated to children charged with crimes. Since the program launched in mid-2018, the city’s seven hubs have closed 46 cases. The program boasts an almost 100% court appearance rate, a spokesperson said. https://www.instagram.com/p/B9pIZGVFLNJ/?igshid=ax3oourfq3uw
