#211 iChange Justice Podcat – Grassroots Reentry That Worked: Larry Ballesteros and the Transition Offenders Program

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iChange Justice Season 5

Restorative Community Coalition with Joy Gilfilen and Karen Ball

217 episodes

1 day ago

🎙️ iChange Justice Podcast: Season 5 Real People. Real Stories. Real Voices. Welcome to the Fifth Era of iChange Justice! Broadcasting from Whatcom County, we are a converging network of Visionaries, Healers, Authors, and Leaders dedicated to restorative action. 🛶✨ Bridge the gap between Service Providers and those in need of services. We share raw, unfiltered conversations with leaders, teachers, indigenous mentors, and citizens directly impacted by mental health, poverty, addiction and incarceration. 🏛️⚖️ From logic to legacy, we explore the "magical combination"

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#211 iChange Justice Podcat – Grassroots Reentry That Worked: Larry Ballesteros and the Transition Offenders Program

iChange Justice Season 5

48 minutes 19 seconds

1 month ago

#211 iChange Justice Podcat – Grassroots Reentry That Worked: Larry Ballesteros and the Transition Offenders Program

Host Joy Gilfilen welcomes Larry Ballesteros—a Native American leader and symbol of deep resilience (tribal name: Bear from the Earth).

Larry reveals his journey from incarceration to innovation, detailing how he co-created the grassroots Transitioning Offenders Program (TOP) after realizing the system was designed to fail those being released (leaving prison with only a $40 check).

Larry and fellow inmates built a comprehensive, data-driven reentry network right from inside the walls. When audited by state officials, their inmate-run program demonstrated a stunning 92% success rate (7.8% recidivism)—a record unmatched by formal programs at the time.

In this powerful conversation, Larry discusses what it truly takes to transform lives behind bars, the power of self-mastery (requiring participants to read Jonathan Livingston Seagull), and how programs like TOP offer a blueprint for the future of restorative justice.

Airing Everywhere on November 20th.