Glenn E. Martin

Glenn E. Martin is an American criminal justice reform advocate, served six years in a New York state prison, and is the founder and president of JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA). JLUSA aims to cut the U.S. correctional population in half by 2030 through advocacy campaigns, leadership trainings, and member engagement. He also co-founded the campaign, Education from the Inside Out Coalition, a national campaign working to remove barriers to higher education facing students while they are in prison and once they are released.
Martin regularly comments on criminal justice in the media, including CNN, CSPAN, Al Jazeera, and MSNBC.

Martin was born and raised in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. He is the son of a retired police officer, brother of a US Marshall and former federal correction officer.

Martin spent six years incarcerated in New York prisons. In 1995, Martin was convicted for an armed robbery of a New York City jewelry store and was sentenced to six years in prison. He was detained on Rikers Island for a year and served five additional years in the Wyoming Correctional Facility in Attica, New York for his role in several armed robberies.

Education

While in prison, Martin took college level courses. Martin views his liberal arts education as a key turning point in his life. While at the Wyoming Correctional Facility, Martin earned an associate degree in social science from the Jesuit Canisius College based in Buffalo, N.Y. Martin faced barriers to employment with a criminal record even though he had a college degree.

Release

In 2000, Martin was released from prison in upstate Attica, New York. At release, a correctional officer thanked him: "He said my being there helped pay for his boat, and that when my son came there, he would help pay for his son's boat."

Martin has worked with and founded various criminal justice reform non-profits. Martin also regularly comments on criminal justice issues. Martin has been critical of the disenfranchisement of felons in New York state, and in the United States. In 2014, Martin gave a guest lecture at Bennington College on criminal justice reform.

Legal Action Center

Upon release from prison, Martin began his career with the Legal Action Center (LAC). Martin eventually served as the co-director of LAC's Helping Individuals with criminal records Reenter through Employment (H.I.R.E.) Network. Martin worked to address the obstacles facing ex-offenders who try to reconnect with their communities and society at large. Martin discussed what he viewed as discrimination faced by people with criminal records, based on their criminal records and their race, noting that people of color are disproportionately represented in the American criminal justice system. Martin regularly spoke with media regarding criminal justice issues.

Fortune Society

From 2007 until 2014, Martin worked for the Fortune Society, a group dedicated to helping returning prisoners succeed with starting new lives. Half of Fortune Society’s staff members were former inmates, and one-third of the board members were former inmates.

Martin regularly spoke with the media about criminal justice issues.

JustLeadershipUSA

In 2014, Martin founded JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA), JLUSA is aims to cut the U.S. correctional population in half by 2030 through advocacy campaigns, leadership trainings, and member engagement. Martin told Mic that he "believes the most compelling advocates of change are those who have been directly affected by incarceration." Martin appeared on the Brian Lehrer show to discuss the purpose of prison. JLUSA hosts training for ex-inmates wanting to have a voice in the national debate over criminal justice and prison reform.

White House experience

In early June 2015, Martin, along with other criminal justice reform activists, were invited to the White House to discuss mass incarceration and law enforcement issues. Martin was flagged by the United States Secret Service as a security risk because of his criminal record, and required to have a special escort in order to enter the White House complex for the discussion. Once cleared, Martin used the incident "to frame the topic for larger criminal justice reform." Ultimately, Martin met with President Obama to discuss JustLeadershipUSA and his efforts to help shrink the criminal justice footprint in the lives of all Americans.

• Make Justice Jails’ Prime Purpose
• Leading With Conviction: One Man's Journey to Freedom and Justice
• Leading with Conviction: JustLeadershipUSA
• Today, Millions of Americans Will Be Denied The Right to Vote
• EEOC issues new Policy Guidance on the Consideration of Criminal Records in Employment Decisions

• Legal Action Center's Arthur L. Liman Public Interest Award
• Crisis to Triumph Award, SUNY Empire State College (2015)
• Kentucky Colonel, Highest Honor bestowed by KY Governor Steve Beshear (2014)
• Youth Represent (2013)
• Hudson Link for College in Prison Brian Fischer Award (2010)
• United States Probation Office of Southern Ohio Achievement Award (2010)
• Exodus Transitional Community: Lonny McLeod Award (2009)
• United States Probation Outstanding Commitment Award (2009)
• Project Build Organization Community Reintegration Programs Award (2009)
• The Laurie L. Scott Visionary Award (2008)
• Kings County District Attorney Citation of Honor (2008)
• National Offender Workforce Development Annual Policy Advocacy Award Winner (2007)
• Citizens Against Recidivism Thurgood Marshall Advocacy Award (2007)
• The Root 100 (2015)

• "JPMORGAN'S GENERAL COUNSEL, STEVE CUTLER, AND FOUNDER OF JUSTLEADERSHIPUSA, GLENN E. MARTIN, TO BE HONORED AT LEGAL ACTION CENTER'S 2015 BENEFIT". Legal Action Center. Retrieved 2 August 2015. 
• http://www.youthrepresent.org/2013/08/save-the-date-youth-represents-annual-who-takes-the-cake-benefit-on-october-30-2013/
• http://www.theroot.com/articles/lists/2015/09/the_root_100_2015/glenn_martin.html
• http://www.theroot.com/articles/news/2015/08/the_most_influential_african_americans_tweet_their_excitement_for_appearing.html