Meeting Announcement

Details: Please join us on Monday, December 15th, from 3-4 pm, EST, for a remote Q&A Discussion during which we hear and learn from speakers with a range of experience and expertise relevant to the Workgroup's mission and goals. 

Jason Rodriguez

We are delighted to be joined by Jason Rodriguez, a Policy Research Associate at the Legal Action Center, who focuses on advancing criminal justice reform and promoting equitable policies for marginalized communities. He holds a Bachelor of Science from California Coast University and brings both academic credentials and firsthand experience in the criminal legal system to his policy work.

Incarcerated at age 18 with only a sixth-grade education, Jason spent 24 years in prison, where he pursued both academic and legal self-education. That foundation led him to serve as a law library clerk, assisting incarcerated individuals to navigate the legal system, pursue appeals, and assert their rights. He supported efforts to challenge wrongful convictions and inhumane prison conditions and founded The Equal Access to Attica’s Law Library to ensure equitable access to legal resources. He also taught legal research to empower others for roles as jailhouse lawyers.

Jason’s broader work included facilitating rehabilitation programs on anger management and restorative justice. He also led mentorship efforts for at-risk youth through structured community outreach, drawing in part on his own early experiences with bullying and unresolved trauma that led to his incarceration. These programs aimed to disrupt cycles of incarceration through guidance, Know Your Rights training, and support around navigating trauma, peer pressure, and systemic barriers. His work focused on equipping young people with tools to make informed decisions and engage more constructively with their communities.

Before joining the Legal Action Center, Jason served as a Research Analyst at the Vera Institute of Justice, where he contributed to research on New York’s pretrial services and advised on policy strategies. His approach is grounded in lived experience and practical expertise, with a focus on advancing inclusive, community-driven policy solutions.