"Justice" is a word that most can define with confidence. So how is it that those definitions are often so different?

My definition of the word rests on a belief that "fairness" is often ambiguous, retribution is unproductive, and people are remarkably capable of change. And it's this definition that convinces me the U.S. justice system requires serious reform.

Years of study and professional experience have built this core conviction that motivates so much of what I do. Two years of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA promoting restorative justice practices in Illinois taught me how vital the concept of "restoration" is to justice-seeking--and how lacking it is in our legal system.

Now, as a student of public policy, my goal is to help strengthen the link between researchers and policymakers to produce effective, workable solutions to systemic problems.