The Justice Beat Talk Show
Season 6

Reentry Program Manager for Readi Chicago

E1 Reentry Programs with Communal Inclusion

Raqueal Pullums is a Reentry Program Manager for Readi Chicago. Raqueal has a Masters in Social Work from Loyola University and currently volunteers for the Big Brother Big Sister Foundation.

Senior Advisor/Writer in Residence for the Women's Justice Institute in Chicago

E3 Women and their Fight to Self-Awareness

Sandra Brown has an MA in Humanities from California State University-Dominguez Hills and is a doctoral student enrolled in California Coast University's EdD in Organizational Leadership program. She also served 22 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections as an incarcerated survivor. the first incarcerated woman in Illinois history to pledge and gain acceptance into the Gamma Pi Delta Honor Society, earn an academic Master's degree, and be accepted into an academic doctoral program. Brown is a two-time recipient of the Davis-Putter Scholarship and the Marilyn Buck Award. She now lives in L.A and works as a Senior Advisor/Writer in Residence for the Women's Justice Institute in Chicago.

Leader of Black-Tie Group

E5 Loving or Nothing: Jubilee Ministry Reentry Program for Formerly Incarcerated Men

My name is Joseph Pullaro and I am 54 years old and have been addicted to drugs for over 35 of those years. My drug addiction destroyed my life and adversely affected the lives of everyone that I met. My drug use hurt not only me but hurt the people I love the most and left a trail of destruction a mile long behind me for everyone else to deal with...I had lost everything in my life that mattered to me including my will to live. I was stuck in the cycle of addiction and using drugs against my will became my normal. On August the 2nd 2022 I finally had enough. I could no longer go on like this so I surrendered and begged for God's grace and mercy...After 7 days in detox I arrived at Jubilee Ministries the place that I would soon call home. Jubilee loved me until I could love myself and completely reset my entire approach to life. Under the leadership of Dr Brian Moore I have learned how to be the man thar God has intended me to be...On April 2nd I will have 8 months clean and am in the early stages of a life I never believed that I could have. I have good job, I am a leader among the men that I live with and I lead by example always remaining loving or nothing...I have just started my journey and I am excited about the future, a future I never believed was possible for me just 8 months ago.

Leader of Black-Tie Group

E5 Loving or Nothing: Jubilee Ministry Reentry Program for Formerly Incarcerated Men

Hi, I’m Joshua Johnson 37 yrs old East Saint Louis, IL I've in addition since I was 21. That's around 16 yrs. I came to Jubilee on Oct. 5, 2006. I am 6 months sober, I am working again, I am rebuilding my relationships with my family, having a closer relationship with my daughter, and getting closer to God.

Criminal Justice Policy Manager

E6 Public Policies that Promote or Impede Successful Reentry

Gwen Smith is a St. Louis native who joined Empower Missouri in June 2022 as the Criminal Justice Policy Manager. Over the past 8 years, she has worked in various capacities with justice-involved community members. Gwen has managed direct service and reentry housing programs, provided direct support to individuals incarcerated in jail and prison, and led local efforts to coordinate reentry support services. She has a BS in Criminology and Criminal Justice from UMSL and an MSW from Washington University.

Program Manager for Neighborhood Funders Group

E2 Intimate Chat About the Trans & Queer Community

Neda is an organizer & connector working toward abolition, liberation, and ending gender-based violence. They are an organizer with Survived & Punished, a national project working to end the criminalization of survivors of domestic & sexual violence and a co-author of Punished by Design: The Criminalization of Trans & Queer Incarcerated Survivors. Neda’s experience also includes program design, facilitation, and management and social justice and domestic violence education and training. They are currently the Program Manager at Neighborhood Funders Group. Neda is an Afghan nonbinary queer person of color, first generation graduate, and survivor of domestic and sexual violence born and raised in the Bay Area. In the rare moments they are not immersed in planning the details of something, Neda is probably out enjoying the sunshine.

Mitigation Specialist

E4 The Role of a Mitigation Specialist

Ronda is a mitigation specialist that is currently working on Death Penalty Cases, juvenile transfers and Franklin/ Yop cases. Ronda graduated from California State University and has over 20 years of experience in working in the foster care with with 15 of those years being a social worker and investigator.

Sergeant of Black-Tie Group

E5 Loving or Nothing: Jubilee Ministry Reentry Program for Formerly Incarcerated Men

Hello, my name is GarriOnn Adolph I am 27, I struggled from an addiction of methamphetamines for seven years. I started my addiction when I was 19 and I accumulated a number of felonies along the way before I was arrest In July of 2022. After I spent two months in jail I and my family found Jubilee and that is when my life finally started. I just celebrated 9 months clean on the 12 of this month and I am the sergeant in Dr. Bryan Moores Black-Tie group.

General of Black-Tie Group

E5 Loving or Nothing: Jubilee Ministry Reentry Program for Formerly Incarcerated Men

My name is James Boshears and I will be 45 years old this April. I started doing meth when I was 17 years old and continued to do that and every drug I could get my hands on for 25 years. God brought me to Jubilee in Dec 2018. I didn't think I'd ever stop, and thought I didn't want to either. Now I work for the church. A manager of one of our houses. I got my associates in biblical studies. I am an ordained minister and a general of Dr Moore's Black-Tie group.