Better Days’ vision is to make a world that has eliminated the pipeline that propels foster children to prison.
focused on ending the horrific switch that transforms children from victims to perpetrators.
Better Days Mission
Advocating for the freedom of incarcerated foster care children through a multipronged approach:
- Public Education Campaign to help reveal the pitfalls of our foster care system to the general public through storytelling and beyond.
- Conduct Research within the prison population to help expose and quantify these perpetuated violence cycles. Unearth research and other findings to advocate for legislative and programmatic changes on a county, state, and eventually federal level.
- Provide Services to affected populations. Starting with healing circles in various institutions (CDCR, DJJ, Group Homes, and other DCFS Facilities). Reentry support for Returning Citizens that the Foster Care System has touched.
About Jarrett Harper
Jarrett Harper is the Founder and Executive Director of Better Days. He advocates for foster care reform & criminal justice reform while working to stop life sentences for children, develop better rehabilitation resources for those returning to society, and end the foster care-to-prison pipeline.
A Los Angeles County foster care system survivor, Jarrett endured 20 years of mass incarceration. After experiencing unimaginable trauma and abuse, at 16, Jarrett took the life of his abuser to protect himself and his younger brother. A year later, he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole plus ten years. Despite having no chance of release from prison, he found forgiveness and hope and transformed his own life by helping change the lives of other men in prison who had the opportunity to get out.
After 20 years of creating and facilitating self-improvement programs for his peers, Jarrett’s sentence was commuted by Governor Jerry Brown through the tireless work of a group of dedicated advocates, including Bryan Stevenson, John Legend, Ty Stiklorius, Elizabeth Calvin from Human Rights Watch, Scott Budnick as well as Loyola Law School. On June 18, 2019, he was released from prison by Governor Gavin Newsom. Shortly after his release, Jarrett became an ambassador for Represent Justice’s Just Mercy campaign and has quickly become a sought-after speaker, booking engagements for Verizon, Google, YouTube, Jordan Park, The Washington Post, National Urban League, USC, Princeton, LRNG, Beit T’ Shuvah, Big Brothers, and Big Sisters, Human Rights Watch, Parole Justice That Works, and most recently the Boston Celtics.
Social Contributions
This panel featured advocates, experts, and people with lived experience in the justice system as children. Panelists will speak on topics covered in a soon-to-be-introduced bipartisan package of legislation, including raising the minimum age of prosecution of children, strengthening Miranda Rights for Kids, and protecting child victims of sex crimes and trafficking who commit crimes against their abusers.
• (Panelist) Jarrett Harper, CEO and Founder of Better Days
• (Panelist) Yasmin Vafa, Rights4Girls
• (Panelist) Melissa Goemann, National Juvenile Justice Network
• (Panelist) Katrina Massey, Protecting All Children from Trafficking (PACT)
• (Panelist) Michael Mendoza, Anti-Recidivism Coalition
• (Panelist) Jerome Dixon, Anti-Recidivism Coalition
This congressional briefing discussed the evidence base supporting positive outcomes for foster youth with mentors and offered a chance to hear from program representatives, mentors, advocates, and young people about their experiences.
• (Featured Speaker) Jarrett Harper, Foster Care & Criminal Justice Advocate
• (Featured Speaker) Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, Chari Congressional Youth Mentoring and Congressional on Foster Youth
• (Featured Speaker) Mike Garringer, Senior Director, Research and Evaluation, MENTOR
• (Featured Speaker) Christina Haines, Senior Director, Strategy and National Impact, Silver Lining Mentoring
• (Featured Speaker) Jermaine Myrie Chief Executive Officer, Mentor
A Jewish alcohol/drug/addiction/re-entry facility. This is the largest fundraiser of the year to honor the Saul and Joyce Brandman Foundation and to invest in the vital work of Beit T’Shuvah.
• (Spotlight Speaker) Jarrett Harper, CEO and Founder of Better Days
Bridging Divides Through Mentoring – Discussing the role mentoring plays in uniting individuals and communities.
• (Spotlight Speaker) Jarrett Harper, CEO and Founder of Better Days
Extends the reach of the Boston Celtics championship legacy into their community through programs that directly benefit children in need.
Raised $3 Million dollars.
• (Moderator) Kristen Ingram
• (Panelist) Grant Williams, NBA Player
• (Panelist) Malcolm Brogdon, NBA Player
• (Panelist) Jarrett Harper, CEO and Founder of Better Days
• (Speaker) Jarrett Harper, The Jarrett Harper Story
Partnership with the NBA to create proximity between players and people involved in the criminal justice system.
Roundtable: Boston Celtics Team and Coaching staff, as well as 15 returning citizens
Topics: Criminal Justice Reform, Bridging the gap between sports, entertainment, and social justice
• (Speaker) Jarrett Harper, The Jarrett Harper Story
Jack and Jill of America create a medium of contact for children and teens to stimulate their growth and development. Through lobbying, education programming, dissemination of education materials, and the organization of community and charitable events, Jack and Jill of America, Inc has promoted public awareness and interest in children and teens, including child development, child growth, child quality of life, childcare and the portion of children’s rights.
• (Panelist) Jarrett Harper, Represent Justice, Ambassador
• (Panelist) Senator Kamlager
Description: Represent Justice advocate for Prop 17
Speaker series with voices from people impacted by the system who speak out and express the need for equitable justice. Raised $1.56 Million dollars.
• (Speaker) Jarrett Harper, Social Justice Impactor at Friends at Work
Represent Justice is a 501c3 based in Los Angeles, CA. This campaign launched alongside Warner Brothers’ release of the film ‘Just Mercy’ an adaptation of Bryan Stevenson’ NY Best-Selling book of the same title. As a Black American directly impacted by the systems portrayed in the film, my role as an Ambassador and Activist is to share my life experience, discuss the importance of this film and build allies in the fight for criminal justice reform. This method of spreading awareness through storytelling aims to bring attention to the many gaps within the broken criminal justice system.
Raised $800,000 for The Alliance for Children’s Rights
• (Speaker) Jarrett Harper, Friends at Work, Social Justice Impactor
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization headquartered in New York City that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The Children’s Rights Division focuses on issues affecting children worldwide, including child labor, armed conflict, education, migration, and juvenile justice. My position focuses on educating targeted audiences about the foster care-to-prison pipeline. This is a fixed-term and part-time job reporting to the Senior Advocate of the Children’s Rights Division based in Los Angeles, which included participation in various speaking engagements, including conferences, high-level meetings, seminars, and workshops. Attending collaborative workshops with underserved communities and religious groups to target specific issues and create action for foster children. The development and
implementation of ongoing programs for foster children. Consultation to individuals and organizations.
Advocate Package of Bi-Partison bills before the House of Representatives for “Treat Kids Like Kids.” • (Moderator) Michael Mendoza, Anti Recidivism Coalition
• (Panelist & Speaker) Jarrett Harper, CEO and Founder of Better Days
Class panel discussion of the music industry and how it connects to social justice and entrepreneurship.
Serves as a critical component to close the representation gap of Black leaders serving in key positions that make and administer the law, such as; Attorney Generals, District and State Attorneys, Judges, and Sheriffs.
• (Panelist) Jarrett Harper, CEO and Founder of Better Days
Topics of Discussion: Impact of Covid19 in the prison system, The relationship between law enforcement and Race in America
Purpose: Fundraising to support Organizations struggling during Covid19.
Raised $750,000 for Free America – John Legend’s Non-Profit Organization
Topics of Discussion: The need for progressive prosecutors to create a more just legal system, The importance of electing black officials to leadership roles (i.e., District Attorneys, Politicians, Judges) to advocate for people of color.
Topics of Discussion: Foster Care to Prison pipeline, Lack of social distancing available in prisons during Covid 19, how to safely release people back to society, Negative impact of the carceral institution, and how policy reform can significantly enhance public safety.
• (Panelist) Craig Silliman, EVP public policy and general counsel
Description: The mission of this Represent Justice Facebook Live Conversation for Mental Health Awareness month is to inspire people to talk about their lived experience navigating mental health challenges, destigmatize issues not always discussed openly, and galvanize a movement to drive significant cultural, political, and policy changes.
Description: Rachel Gerrol, Co-Founder of Nexus, assembled a group of leaders in the criminal justice space to speak at their 2020 Summit. This convention was held at the US Institute of Peace, with over 500+ next-generation Nexus members in attendance. Over the past decade, Nexus has grown to be the world's largest network of significant young philanthropists and impact inventors.
(Speaker) Jarrett Harper, Friends at Work, Criminal Justice Reform Presentation, The Jarrett Harper Story
YouTube is using virtual, augmented reality to advocate for prison reform. The Google-owned video-sharing platform partnered with Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY)- a non-profit that works to end extreme sentencing for youth in America – launching Project Witness, which uses technology to show the realities of child incarceration.
Google and YouTube, in partnership with the Campaign for Fair Sentencing of Youth, launched Project Witness (50,000 views to date). This project uses immersive storytelling tools to build empathy through proximity. This campaign utilizes Google Lens and Virtual reality to anchor viewers in the experience of an incarcerated child. My participation in this project consists of a Google animation of my journey through the criminal justice system as a child.
State-of-the-art concert featuring Common at the California Rehabilitation Center, creating proximity with artists and inmates, encouraging healing circles and rehabilitation.
California Endowment is a not-for-profit foundation with $3.4 million in assets under management. The foundation primarily focuses on healthcare issues, including access to healthcare, health, and well-being in California. It is the largest private healthcare foundation in California.
The official first screening of ‘Just Mercy’ with a follow-up discussion. Jarrett’s involvement as a panelist included elevating the voices and humanity of the incarcerated population through his own experiences in prison. In addition to his journey for redemption through rehabilitation, Jarrett connected the audience to Bryan Stevenson’s work and accomplishments by being a recipient of relief after his victorious argument in Supreme Court Miller vs. Alabama case.