Advocating for Merit-Based Reforms
Yesterday, I had an opportunity to advocate for prison reform in a setting very different from a prison yard or a government conference room.
I participated on a panel at the Global Affair Business Mixer, a Pre-Grammy gathering hosted at Gravitas. The event was sponsored by Michael “Harry‑O” Harris and Godfather Entertainment, and it brought together leaders from entertainment, business, and public service.
I shared the stage with several influential voices, including Josh Smith, the Deputy Director of Prisons and Alice Johnson, America's first Pardon Czar. Her work on clemency and second chances has influenced countless lives.
I take advantage of every opportunity to share ideas about how we can improve outcomes for people impacted by the criminal justice system. That’s especially true when decision-makers and cultural leaders are in the same room.
During the discussion, I was asked two direct questions.
The first was what I believed was missing in the Bureau of Prisons during the time I served my sentence.
Earning Freedom
My answer was simple: opportunities to earn freedom
In the federal system, a judge sentences a person to prison. But time doesn’t stand still. People change. Some work hard to atone, to grow, and to prepare themselves to return as law-abiding, contributing citizens. Incentives would help more people pursue that path. While I served my sentence, the system did not do enough to recognize or reward that effort.
Under the First Step Act, more opportunities have opened. But we can do more.
I argued that the system should identify what excellence looks like in federal prison. Then, the system should incentivize the pursuit of excellence. If agencies created more structured mechanisms for people to earn higher levels of liberty based on documented merit, we would reduce volatility inside prisons and increase the number of people preparing responsibly for release. That preparation would lead to safer institutions and safer communities.
The second question asked whether I knew of other countries or systems that had taken a more effective approach.
Token Economy
I spoke about the “token economy” developed in Australia under Alexander Maconochie. Under that model, people in prison understood the best possible outcome from the beginning. As they worked toward that outcome, they earned tokens that the person could redeem for higher levels of liberty.
The principle was straightforward, and modeled in the spirit of promoting personal growth.
I appreciated the opportunity to share these ideas directly, and even more so, the follow-up conversations that continued after the panel ended. Those exchanges remind me that change often begins with listening and repeated exposure to ideas grounded in evidence and lived experience.
Big systems don’t change overnight. With complex challenges, progress often comes slowly—until it comes all at once. That’s why we keep pushing for incremental reforms, documenting results, and building proof that merit-based pathways work.
I’m grateful to Harry-O, his brother RJ, and the entire team at Godfather Entertainment for bringing this event together. I know the monumental efforts that went into hosting such an event, which involved discussions with leadership at the White House, as evidenced by the appearance of the Pardon Czar and the Deputy Director of the Bureau of Prisons.
Advocacy doesn’t always happen where you expect it—but it matters wherever it happens.