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January 13, 2026
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The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights seeks to transform California’s justice system by investing in the leadership of people directly affected by incarceration. Through its Inside/Outside Policy Fellowship, currently and formerly incarcerated people help shape legislative priorities, lead advocacy efforts and ensure new laws address the needs of people navigating the criminal justice system. Their contributions demonstrate how much communities benefit when incarcerated people are given the opportunity to bring their expertise to bear.
This story is adapted from Bright Spots, a new mini-series within the Good Things podcast. Produced in partnership with Lemonada Media, the series features bite-sized stories of community impact that leave listeners feeling inspired and hopeful about what is possible. In a moment when so much feels uncertain, each story shines a light on the people who are making a difference in their communities right now, and the solutions that can make a difference in other communities, too. Listen to the episode below or wherever you get your podcasts, and check out Good Things for additional episodes.
Sometimes big transformations start small. Jesse Milo, an inmate at San Quentin state prison, was determined to fix a bench with metal sticking out of it. Jesse passed the broken bench—a health hazard and a missed opportunity for rest and connection—every day. So, he set out to do something about it.
“I had to understand how systems work in order to fix things,” Jesse shares. “And after a couple years of not getting a no, but not getting a yes either, I learned how bureaucracy works, then I learned how those same systems work in society. And so, once I was able to get the bench fixed, I not only fixed that bench, but I fixed several other benches. I just thought to myself like, wow, if I could do that here, imagine if I learned this when I was little in my community, how different would my life be today? How different would my community look today?"
I just thought to myself like, wow, if I could do that here, imagine if I learned this when I was little in my community, how different would my life be today? How different would my community look today?
This small but meaningful victory inspired Jesse to expand his advocacy work and take part in the Inside/Outside Fellowship Program at the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights.
Based in Oakland, the Ella Baker Center has long championed community-led alternatives to incarceration that focus on building safe and strong communities, including advocating for affordable housing and employment opportunities, as well as opposing punitive and bureaucratic state systems. The Center’s signature Inside/Outside Policy Fellowship exemplifies this approach by helping people with firsthand experience in the system shape statewide justice reform.
The nine-month Fellowship pairs individuals currently incarcerated in California prisons (Inside Fellows) with formerly incarcerated leaders working in their communities (Outside Fellows). Both groups receive training, real-time legislative briefings and opportunities to influence bills moving through the state legislature. Core to the Fellowship’s work is the belief that treating incarcerated people with dignity is essential—especially in a justice system that is imperfect, frequently incarcerates people who should not be there and often subjects inmates to inhumane conditions that undermine any real chance at rehabilitation.
James King, Director of Programs at the Ella Baker Center and a guest on a recent episode of the podcast mini-series, Bright Spots, knows how important it is for inmates to have a voice. During his time in prison, James saw how decisions made in distant rooms shaped the daily lives of the 90,000 inmates in California’s prison system, affecting everything from the price of deodorant to how many minutes someone could spend on the phone with their family.
James was inspired to start organizing while still incarcerated and create opportunities for inmates to evaluate proposed legislation and weigh in on new policies. His work eventually formed the basis of the Inside/Outside Policy Fellowship, which he now leads.
The Fellowship, currently in its fifth year, has already achieved major policy victories. When California advanced the Racial Justice Act—a landmark bill allowing people to challenge their conviction based on racial bias—Fellows played a key role in shaping and strengthening the proposal. They circulated surveys, organized focus groups and helped workshop language, ensuring the bill reflected what people inside prisons truly needed. They then coordinated trainings that helped incarcerated people understand the new law and what it would mean for them and their families.
Fellows regularly take painful experiences and turn them into fuel for change. Outside Fellow Barabara Chavez, for instance, uses her experience giving birth while shackled to advocate for women on the inside. Others are working to curb predatory canteen pricing, address severe environmental and health hazards, and more.
Through it all, Fellows are compensated for their work. The program insists on paying inmates for their expertise as they would for any other consultant. Receiving compensation also helps Inside Fellows build financial independence, easing the burden on their loved ones and boosting their sense of pride and dignity. This practice is especially impactful given that many prisons pay inmates well under a dollar an hour for their labor (while also charging exorbitant commissary fees).
“Our goal is not symbolic participation,” explains James. “We are asking people directly impacted to help drive the work—and we treat that leadership as essential.”
We are asking people directly impacted to help drive the work—and we treat that leadership as essential.
What makes the Fellowship such a bright spot is that it empowers those with direct experience to shape a more just and humane system for us all. It is also helping change the way our country views incarcerated individuals. The Fellows’ remarkable leadership is challenging misconceptions and broadening our understanding of democracy.
Hear from Inside/Outside Fellows and learn more about their success stories in the full Bright Spots episode, out now wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, visit https://ellabakercenter.org/.
Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies welcomes the expression of personal thoughts and reflections in Toward, our digital magazine. Each post reflects the opinion of its author and does not necessarily represent the views of our organization or our partners.
