Pro bono representation is one pillar of SCP’s mission to bring second chances to reformed individuals. Another objective of our organization is to support lived experience perspectives and recognize their inherent ability to humanize issues of mass incarceration and punitive policies that target minority communities. On Redemption: Second Chances and the Post-Conviction Landscape in Washington State, published by SCP in 2024, shares sixteen stories of resilience, atonement, and mercy, offering a narrative perspective on the second-look landscape in Washington. On May 15, 2025, SCP cohosted a panel discussion with the University of Washington’s Law, Societies & Justice Department. This was the second panel discussion in a series of events promoting the release of On Redemption. The panel featured two participants from the book and another individual who was granted a second chance. The discussion, moderated by On Redemption’s author and SCP Senior Writer, Brooke Kaufman, connected policies of disproportionate punishment and over-incarceration to the people who have survived them and are now advocating for their abolishment. The panel aimed to deconstruct abstract concepts and use person-first storytelling to advance the fight for justice. Events like this are an opportunity for students, educators, advocates, and other professionals to hear from impacted individuals, giving them a better understanding of experiences of enduring, perpetrating, and healing from harm.

You can watch a recording of the opening remarks and panel discussion here.