The Transformative Justice Center

Tyrell. Edwin. Mark. Three men. Three different lives. One shared outcome: life behind bars. Tyrell grew up in Compton, California. His parents worked multiple jobs, rarely home. Raised by an aunt who began abusing him at age five, Tyrell ran away at eleven. The streets became his refuge—and his downfall. Forced into a gang and a crime he didn’t choose, Tyrell was sentenced to 55 years to life. He's now 72, and still waiting for freedom. Edwin never even had a chance. Born to incarcerated parents, he bounced between foster homes where love and safety were strangers. At nine, one foster parent chained him to a bed, collar around his neck, forcing him to eat from a bowl on the floor. Edwin aged out of the system and turned to the streets to survive. At just 24 years old, he is serving 80 years to life. Mark grew up in Pebble Beach, California—surfing, thriving, attending Carmel High. But behind the privilege was a hidden battle with addiction that started in his parents' medicine cabinet. It spiraled into heroin use, culminating in a psychotic break and the tragic death of his girlfriend. At 35, Mark is serving 25 years to life. Every person behind bars carries a story—of trauma, survival, and abandonment by the systems and people who were supposed to protect them. These men are not just prisoners. They are my students—and my teachers. Over the last eight years, first as a sociology instructor and now as the founder of Empathy in Action , I have had the profound honor of walking alongside them. Their stories are not exceptions. They are the rule. Their pain is not distant. It is human. Because their suffering was never acknowledged, they became part of a cycle—hurting others, perpetuating the very pain they once endured. Where does it end? It ends with us. It ends when we decide to no longer look away. It ends when we bring healing, light, and human connection into the darkest, most forgotten corners of our world. Empathy in Action  builds bridges—real, lasting bridges of understanding and kinship —between the incarcerated and the public. Since 2022, we have brought over 500 volunteers  into CTF Soledad prison to sit, to listen, to heal alongside over 3,000 incarcerated men . Not a single person—volunteer or prisoner—has left unchanged. As Albert, one brother in blue, put it: "I'm not sure what we've created here over these eight weeks will change the world—but it changed mine. The love and empathy I felt proved to me that people can be good, kind, and forgiving. You have given me hope I thought I had lost forever." For years, I did this work alone—driving down Highway 101 to teach sociology behind prison walls. I discovered something extraordinary: In the absence of trees, clean water, healthy food, or trust, these men fought for something even more precious—growth, compassion, freedom of spirit. And I knew I couldn’t keep it to myself. That’s why Empathy in Action  was born: To bring 25–35 people from the public inside prison every week, to create a living proof that change is possible—and necessary. Now, we need your help to grow. We are launching our first-ever fundraising drive to expand our reach and sustain this critical work. Your donation supports: – Weekly in-prison healing circles – Volunteer training and coordination – Operations of the Transformative Justice Center  in Monterey – Expansion into Salinas Valley Prison  and Central California Women’s Facility Can you imagine a world where survivors, students, teachers, parents—people from every walk of life—go into prisons across California, across the nation, even across the world, to heal what has been broken? We are doing it at CTF Soledad. With you, we can do it everywhere. If you are unable to give financially, please consider volunteering ! We run Empathy in Action at CTF Soledad every Monday from 4–6pm. ALL are welcome . Be part of something revolutionary. Please, give today.