Event Information
How does the value we place on someone’s freedom reflect our values as a society?
Catch the replay of this extended 45-minute conversation in our What If? Series. PJI’s Meghan Guevara and Tenille Patterson—along with special guest Robin Steinberg of The Bail Project—discussed the role money plays in our system, from bond amounts to tax dollars, and what it would look like to invest resources in a way that puts our money where our values are.
Speakers
Shavonte Keatonhas dedicated her 15-year career to advocacy and direct service for vulnerable communities. She has worked as both a peer and professional advocate for foster youth, served as a case manager for homeless youth and families, and provided legal services to marginalized communities. Her work has consistently centered on partnering with those most impacted to develop solutions to the unique challenges and barriers faced by system-impacted individuals and their families. Guided by her experiences as a former foster youth and the child of a formerly incarcerated parent, Shavonte brings both lived experience and legal education to her deep commitment to advocacy and systemic change. She strives to create processes that bridge the gap between systems and impacted communities, fostering safer and healthier outcomes for all. Guided by her experiences as a former foster youth and the child of a formerly incarcerated parent, Shavonte brings both lived experience and legal education to her deep commitment to advocacy and systemic change. She strives to create processes that bridge the gap between systems and impacted communities, fostering safer and healthier outcomes for all.
Tenille’s work at PJI is part of a lifelong mission to create safe, nurturing workplaces for people representing diversity of thought, lived experience, gender, race and ethnicity. A CPA by trade, she transitioned to the nonprofit field to align with her spirit of advocacy and social justice. She has spent the last ten years as an executive leader, helping to drive transformational change in nonprofit organizations, including the Center for Urban Families and PJI.
Robin Steinberg is the founder of The Bail Project, a national effort to combat mass incarceration by transforming the pretrial system in the United States. Over a 35-year career as a public defender, she represented thousands of low-income people, trained public defenders across the country and internationally, and founded several other innovative organizations including The Bronx Defenders in New York City and Still She Rises in Oklahoma.
Resources
What If: 10 Questions for Sparking Local Pretrial Change
These ten questions — along with a discussion guide and valuable tools and resources — examine the issue by reframing safety and community wellness.