Jonathan Irons Joins Bo at JCCC

After meeting Jonathan Irons and Maya Moore Irons at the annual CCDA conference in Portland, OR in October, Bo and Jonathan learned about each other’s shared experiences and formed a bond around their united vision for transformational change in prison.

Jonathan was wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit and was charged as an adult when he was 16 years old. He spent 23 years in the MODOC before being exonerated in 2020. Jonathan and Maya started their own non-profit, Win with Justice, that focuses on addressing the issues of prosecutorial misconduct in the justice system. Jonathan and Maya also wrote a book about their story, Love and Justice: A Story of Triumph on Two Different Courts.

After meeting in Portland, Bo and Jonathan remained in contact and on November 7, Jonathan and Bo headed to JCCC to participate in their first resident-led GLA session. This experience was meaningful because Jonathan spent 16 years at JCCC and knows many of the COs and residents.

Captain Davison and James Dunn led a GLA session based on John Maxwell’s 2018  talk about mindset. The session was meaningful for everyone in the room and Bo invited Director Strid who attended the session along with Warden Morriss, 20 residents and 20+ staff, administrators and executive administrators. The group was large and the lead team already had impressive ideas that prove why peer-led prison ministry empowers the participants to create transformational change in prison with the goal of changing the culture in the prison. Jonathan, Bo and Deputy Warden Kempker all commented that the group was impressive in the comments and ability to create a community with a shared experience and common focus.

The beginning of the GLA at JCCC, a maximum security facility, is important because many of the participants are serving life without parole. This is further proof that GLA, a peer-led program, can provide transformational change, even in a facility where some of the residents are serving life without parole. The difference between the GLA at JCCC and the GLA at ACC is that everyone at the minimum security facility will eventually re-enter society and the skills they learn as members of the GLA will need to apply both in prison and in communities. The main difference is that at JCCC, the GLA members are able to use the same leadership principle to improve their lives and living situations even though some of the members will never re-enter society. This is clear evidence that a peer-led program is effective, impactful, and meaningful regardless of the security level of the facility.

The GLA session raised the spirits of everyone in attendance and by attending the session, Director Strid agreed that GLA should be implemented in all MODOC facilities. Second Mountain will continue to work toward this goal.

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