JOHN PACE

Senior Reentry Coordinator

pronouns: he/him

John A. Pace is the Senior Reentry Coordinator at YSRP.  He supports the leadership development of client partners and engages external community partners.  Sentenced to die in prison at the age of 17, John was determined to not be remembered for his worst mistake. After the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling, which determined that it was unconstitutional to sentence children under the age of 18 to a mandatory life without parole sentence, and serving 31 years in prison, John emerged from prison determined to support those who have gone through similar experiences as himself and young people who faced extreme and unjust sentences.

While incarcerated, John became a certified paralegal and worked with the Para Professional Law Clinic (PPLC), helping to provide access to the law to other incarcerated men.  He also served on the management team of the Prison Literacy Project (PLP), supporting those desiring to learn how to read.  John also developed a relationship with the Temple University Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program and have worked with them since, supporting the training of instructors throughout the world in the Inside-Out pedagogy.  John has done consulting with a number of universities and organizations, and currently serves on the board of the Philadelphia Bail Fund (PBF).  After a year long training with Represent Justice, as an Ambassador, John had the distinct honor of directing and producing a documentary called: Disrupted: Injustice, Trauma, and Healing. 

John is a certified paralegal; a certified Inside-Out Prison Exchange instructor; and he has an Associate and Bachelors Degree in General Studies from Villanova University.  While supporting client partners for John is a pleasure, exploring self care has become important to him.

Contact:  jpace@ysrp.org; 267-703-8053