DON IKE JONES

Reentry Coordinator

pronouns: he/him

Don “Ike” Jones is a Reentry Coordinator at YSRP, where he supports client-partners as they transition into adulthood and prepare for life after incarceration. Ike works alongside young people to secure employment, housing, counseling, and other resources, while offering mentorship and guidance grounded in his own lived experience navigating the criminal legal system.

Before joining YSRP, Ike served as a Crime Intervention Specialist for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office and worked in reentry programs helping people returning from state prison find jobs, housing, and stability. He has also been a violence interrupter with the Philadelphia Anti-Violence Network, president of the Graterford prison branch of the NAACP for 19 years, and a member of the Temple University Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program Think Tank for 16 years. Ike co-founded G.R.O.W.N. (Gaining Respect Over Your Night) with fellow former juvenile lifer Donnell Drinks, focusing on mentorship and violence prevention, and is an active member of the Greater Freedom Think Tank and the Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network (ICAN).

Ike holds certifications in Mental Health First Aid, OSHA safety, mediation and conflict resolution, and HIPAA compliance. He attended Villanova University while incarcerated. Outside of work, Ike is committed to ending gun violence, advocating for systemic change, and ensuring that people coming home have a real opportunity to succeed.

Contact: djones@ysrp.org; 215-360-3064