Sports, Entertainment & Business Leaders Launch REFORM Alliance to Transform U.S. Criminal Justice System

Renowned Activist & TV Host Van Jones Tapped As CEO

Today, leaders across the worlds of sports, entertainment and business announced an unprecedented partnership to launch REFORM Alliance, a groundbreaking organization to transform the American justice system. REFORM’s aim is to drastically reduce the number of people who are under control of the criminal justice system by changing laws and public opinion.

REFORM’s founding partners include award-winning recording artist Meek Mill; Philadelphia 76ers co-owner and Fanatics executive chairman Michael Rubin; entrepreneur and business mogul Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter; Kraft Group CEO and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft; Brooklyn Nets co-owner and philanthropic investor Clara Wu Tsai; Third Point LLC CEO and founder Daniel S. Loeb; Galaxy Digital CEO and founder Michael E. Novogratz; Vista Equity Partners founder, chairman and CEO Robert F. Smith.

Together, they have collectively made significant commitments to launch REFORM. They will share time, resources, energy and platforms to ensure impact. The alliance formed in the aftermath of Mill’s controversial two-to-four-year prison sentence for technical probation violations in November 2017. This unjust ruling spurred an international #FreeMeek campaign, resulted in his release on bail in April 2018 and ultimately raised awareness to the issues within the American criminal justice system.

According to the 2017 Bureau of Justice Statistics, there are 6.6 million people in the United States who are incarcerated or on probation or parole. There are an estimated 2.2 million people in prisons and jails and 4.5 million people currently on parole or probation, many for well beyond a reasonable term.

To address this problem, REFORM will help pass probation and parole bills at the state level. It will also use media to expand public support for comprehensive reform. And it will build an inclusive, bi-partisan alliance of business, entertainment, sports and community leaders.

REFORM’s founding partners have tapped renowned activist, author and CNN host Van Jones to serve as the organization’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO). In his role, Jones will oversee the implementation of the alliance’s mission and spearhead operations management.

Jones has been a leader in the fight for criminal justice reform for more than 25 years, having founded and piloted several thriving social enterprises, including the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Color of Change, and the Dream Corps. The Dream Corps is a social justice accelerator that houses #YesWeCode, #GreenForAll, and #cut50. Most recently, Jones and #cut50 led the charge to pass the FIRST STEP Act (a bipartisan federal bill that the New York Times called “the most substantial breakthrough in criminal justice in a generation”).

To learn more about the alliance, please visit http://www.reformnow.com/.

About REFORM Alliance

The REFORM Alliance is committed to advancing criminal justice reform and eradicating laws and policies that perpetuate injustice in the United States. To achieve that objective, the REFORM Alliance will strive to pass probation bills at the state level, use media to amplify the need for comprehensive reform and build an inclusive, bi-partisan alliance of leaders from the business, entertainment, sports and community industries who share a cohesive vision for ambitiously and efficiently transforming the criminal justice system.

To learn more about the alliance, please visit http://www.reformnow.com/.