Restorative Justice Educator, Organizer, Social Advocate
A fierce advocate for currently and formerly incarcerated community members, Jose co-founded After Incarceration, an organization that helps people process the trauma of incarceration, heal their internalized dehumanization, and forge the resiliency necessary to (re)build relationships. He works with community organizers and systems-impacted people to reimagine the world our grandchildren will live in, fighting together for a legacy of liberation.
Jose also works for the Bard Prison Initiative, harnessing the social capital of his own Bard education to increase access to higher education for other non-traditional students. He recruits students for tuition-free college opportunities in Brooklyn and Harlem and provides additional academic support outside the classroom.
In addition to his professional roles, Jose also serves as the President of the Mid-Hudson Valley Area Council for the Alternatives to Violence Project. His leadership there, as elsewhere, is rooted in relationships. These relationships have enabled him to forge a new path forward—a way for credible messengers to be holistically equipped to both interrupt violence and give life. Finally, as a member of the Transformative In-Prison Workgroup NY Leadership Team, Jose works to support and expand meaningful prison programs, departmental transparency, and wraparound reentry models.