“I’ve seen the impact we can have as a community when we work together for change. I’m running because I believe our government should work for all of us.” – Tarra Simmons, Esq. Intro Tarra Simmons, Esq. is not your typical returning citizen. For one, she is now a licensed attorney, a feat that has…
The American Bar Association recently announced that, although the First Step Act has been critical in helping to overhaul our outdated criminal justice system, it hasn’t gone nearly far enough, nor has it yet been implemented completely. The First Step Act was passed by the 115th Congress and signed into law by President Trump December 21, 2018.…
Criminal justice reform requires vigilance. With the First Step Act passing earlier this year, we saw a new era in putting an end to recidivism by ensuring that certain inmates who were given inexcusable mandatory minimum sentences are released so that they can start contributing to their communities and get their lives in order. This…
There is so much out there about creating a positive narrative out of entrepreneurship. We cherish this with the frontier spirit that built the American West. We tell stories about famous ones like Benjamin Franklin, and Elon Musk named his electric car company for the one who inspired him — Nikola Tesla. They are fundamental…
Gainful employment is probably the most difficult thing to achieve as a returning citizen. Many returning citizens like you who are job hunting after being released will hear a lot of “No’s” or not even receive callbacks. You are not alone. It happens to almost all of us. The exceptions are probably the individuals who…
Ultimately, we need to rethink our approach to the entire criminal justice system. It’s a process that’s going to take time. Using spit and duct tape to try and solve these problems will end up creating more problems down the line. As such, we need to take a more long-term view of what will make…