This year a new cohort of Smart Justice Ambassadors (SJAs) joined the Campaign for Smart Justice to continue the work of advocating for communities that are the most deeply impacted by Delaware’s justice system.
The 2024 cohort completed extensive training to better understand and navigate avenues for enacting change locally, such as canvassing in neighborhoods to garner support for probation reform legislation.
Since then, they have participated in several tabling and canvassing events across the state that continue to grow their skills and make them better community advocates on Smart Justice issues such as policing, sentencing, prison, reentry, probation, expungement, and more.
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By: Crystal Chatman, Lead Smart Justice Ambassador
My journey as a Smart Justice Ambassador (SJA) has been a ride. As a female advocate and person of color, being an SJA has allowed me to be a part of the resolve and betterment of my community. I have learned how to navigate our judicial, legislative, and probation systems in the State of Delaware.
Probationers as well as their families have had to navigate Delawares judicial and probation systems with far less in today's climate. Our probation system is supposed to help reintegrate offenders before incarceration and after time is served. My family has found that our probation system in the State of Delaware has far fewer tendencies to promote success for an offender.
The State would rather hold probationers and their family's hostage with barbaric tactics and minuscule violations to instill fear and increase reincarceration. This not only affects the probationers but their families, as well. Our probation system must be reformed and restructured for more successful outcomes for people who have made mistakes on their road towards survival and redemption. Our past does not reflect our futures, and our mistakes do not define our character.
Our systems are flawed and stacked against people of color and poor people in general. As an SJA, I have been educated in the realities of the laws and how they are written and executed in our communities. Education is key to moving people of all ethnicities forward in the pursuit of equality and justice. Freedom is a continued fight and struggle for existence. My duty as a champion for Smart Justice will continue until true reform is established.
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Help make probation reform a reality by urging lawmakers to support Senate Bill 4 (SB 4) to eliminate systemic barriers that prevent those recently released from prison from successful reentry into our communities!
