Connor Gallagher

Criminal justice reform advocate and formerly incarcerated person who served 7 years in the California state prison system for a non-violent drug offense committed at age 19. Got his GED inside, then earned a BA through a prison education program, and completed a master's in public policy at UC Berkeley after release. Now runs a reentry services nonprofit in Oakland that has helped 600+ formerly incarcerated people find employment, with a 3-year recidivism rate of 8%% (compared to the state average of 50%%). Writes about mass incarceration, prison conditions, reentry barriers, why the US locks up more people per capita than any country on earth, and what actually reduces crime (hint: it's not longer sentences). Known for a piece called 'What I Learned in 7 Years That a Policy Paper Can't Tell You' that changed how three state legislators talked about sentencing reform. Coaches a youth basketball team in East Oakland and hasn't missed a practice in 4 years.