Beginning this Wednesday, July 13, 2025, and the following three Wednesdays, I will publish a Four-Part Series about a successful criminal legal system advocacy movement I led with a number of formerly incarcerated individuals, entitled “The Anatomy of Advocacy.”

The series is summarized below.

Part 1 – The Landscape: How “Tough on Crime” Politics Reshaped Justice in New York

In the mid-1990s, New York was gripped by “tough on crime” politics. Headlines were filled with fear, politicians raced to outdo each other on punitive policies, and communities—especially Black and brown communities—bore the brunt. But behind the slogans and soundbites, laws were quietly reshaped in ways that would keep people incarcerated longer and under state supervision for life. One of the most consequential was Governor George Pataki’s push to eliminate parole for “violent offenders.”

Part 2 – Birth of a Movement: The Ad Hoc Committee on Lifetime Parole

Every advocacy campaign starts with a spark—an injustice so glaring it demands action. For the people sentenced to lifetime parole under Pataki’s policy changes, that spark came when their parole officers told them, plainly: you will never be discharged. That’s when the organizing began.

Part 3 – Strategy in Action: Building the Campaign and Winning the Fight

Successful advocacy is rarely about one big move—it’s about hundreds of small, strategic steps that build into unstoppable momentum. The Ad Hoc Committee on Lifetime Parole knew this, and they executed with precision.

Part 4 – Lessons Learned: The Blueprint for Effective Advocacy

Victories like the 2008 repeal of lifetime parole for Class A-1 felonies aren’t accidents—they’re the product of strategy, discipline, and persistence. The Ad Hoc Committee’s campaign offers a blueprint for anyone seeking real change in the criminal legal system.

Please tune in every Wednesday, beginning July 13, 2025, at 5 PM EST, to learn about this remarkable and successful advocacy movement led by those  “closest to the problem,” as Glenn Martin has stated.

Related: Explore Scholarship & Essays for selected writing on participatory research, parole, advocacy, race, punishment, and criminal-justice reform.