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About PJW
Providing education, empowerment, and support for all participants in California's parole hearing process.
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Mission Statement
PJW is a collaboration of parole attorneys, victims/survivors of crime, prosecutors, criminal justice advocates, community organizations, and formerly incarcerated people who have successfully reentered society through the parole hearing process.
Our mission is to promote meaningful and effective participation in California’s parole hearing process through education, empowerment, and trauma-informed support for all participants.
Team
Board of Directors
Heidi Rummel is the President of Parole Justice Works, which she founded in 2020.
Heidi served as a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Offices for Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, prosecuting violent crimes and criminal civil rights violations, including human trafficking, color of law, and hate crimes. As a prosecutor, she worked closely with victims/survivors of violent crimes and witnessed how further harm can be done to victims/survivors by the systems meant to vindicate their rights and enact justice.
Heidi is an expert in California’s parole process and has extensive experience as an educator. Since 2006, she has co-directed the Post-Conviction Justice Project (PCJP) at USC Gould School of Law, where she teaches and supervises second and third-year law students representing clients at parole hearings and in other post-conviction matters. Heidi also conducts parole workshops for attorneys throughout California, teaches a variety of law school courses, and leads parole-readiness workshops inside California prisons to educate and encourage incarcerated people to pursue authentic change and rehabilitation.
Heidi earned a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Go Heels!) and her JD from the University of Chicago Law School, and served as a law clerk to a federal district court judge in Washington, DC.
Elizabeth Calvin is a senior advocate in the Children’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch, and an attorney with experience in youth justice, foster care, and education rights. At Human Rights Watch, she focuses on children, youth, and emerging adults in conflict with the law. Her work includes research and writing on human rights violations against children, policy and legal advocacy, and building partnerships with community and national groups. She relies on the leadership of people directly impacted by human rights violations to determine the direction of her work.
Elizabeth’s leadership of coalition-based efforts in California has resulted in numerous legislative and policy changes that reduce incarceration and promote the potential of young people. She is the author of reports on extreme sentences imposed on youth, foster care and homelessness, and the effects of prosecuting children under 16 as adults. She works in partnership with youth activists, faith groups, family members of youth who are incarcerated, victims/survivors of crime, people in prison, and advocates.
Michael Chasalow is a Clinical Professor of Law at the USC Gould School of Law. Michael directs the USC Small Business Clinic, which provides basic corporate legal assistance to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit organizations in the community. He also teaches Business Organizations, Contracts, Partnerships & Limited Liability Companies, and Law and Entrepreneurship. Michael has received several teaching awards and also has published two books on Business Associations.
Michael attended University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a B.A. in both English and Economics. He earned his J.D. from Berkeley Law and his MBA at University of California, Los Angeles. After law school, he practiced law for several years, initially as a transactional attorney with Latham and Watkins in Los Angeles, and was the founder of a business and legal consulting group for start-ups.
Jarrett Harper is a criminal justice and foster care reform advocate working to stop life sentences for children, develop better rehabilitation resources for those returning to society, and put an end to the foster-care-to-prison pipeline.
Jarrett is a survivor of the California foster care system and served 20 years of mass incarceration. After experiencing unimaginable trauma and abuse, at age 16, Jarrett took the life of his abuser to protect himself and his younger brother. One 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, redemption, and hope and transformed his own life by helping change the lives of other men in prison who had the opportunity to be released.
After 20 years of creating and facilitating self-improvement programs for his peers, Jarrett’s sentence was commuted by Governor Jerry Brown. On June 18, 2019, he was released from prison through the parole hearing process. 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, University of Southern California, Princeton, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, and Human Rights Watch.
Trino Jimenez is one of Parole Justice Works’ consultants on victim/survivor education and resources.
Trino is a son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, and man of deep faith. In 2015, he was given an amazing gift when he had the opportunity to write to the man who was responsible for his brother’s murder many years earlier. After two years of letter exchange, on March 16, 2017, in the midst of his daughter’s battle with cancer, Trino took a trip to California State Prison Solano to participate in a VOD (Victim Offender Dialogue), a face-to-face meeting, and a day of healing. Then, in April 2018, Trino returned to the prison in neutral support of the responsible party at his parole hearing. In December 2019, another parole hearing took place and Trino was able to witness a transformed man be found suitable, after serving 34 years of incarceration.
This experience opened the door to participating in many restorative justice programs, visits to the State Capitol and universities, and sharing with state legislators his story, his trauma, and his journey of healing.
Trino hopes to continue on this path of healing, and hopes to share a space with the person who caused so much devastation and pain by joining him in sharing with those who are in need of healing and hope. It is a story of brokenness used to mend the broken.
Team
Anna Faircloth Feingold is the Executive Director of Parole Justice Works.
Throughout her career, Anna has developed expertise in the California parole process. Prior to joining PJW, she worked as a supervising attorney with USC Gould School of Law’s Post-Conviction Justice Project, and as an independent consultant doing policy work in California related to parole and post-conviction issues. For three years, she served as a volunteer leading a self-help program at California State Prison — Los Angeles County. She has organized, facilitated, and participated in numerous parole-related workshops at state prisons throughout California, as well as workshops to train attorneys and to work with community members impacted by crime and incarceration. She has also completed extensive research about the history of California sentencing laws.
Anna earned her J.D. from USC Gould School of Law. After graduating from law school, she completed two federal clerkships and spent several years in private litigation practice. She also served for two years as a founding Board member of a faith-based nonprofit.
Renee J. Lizarraga is the Deputy Executive Director of Parole Justice Works.
Throughout her career, Renee has developed expertise in California criminal law. Prior to joining PJW, she worked as a Deputy Public Defender in Santa Barbara County, representing both juvenile and adult clients. In 2020, Renee co-founded a Santa Barbara based nonprofit devoted to providing high quality legal representation to low- and moderate-income community members. She currently serves as a founding board member of a California based nonprofit and teaches Clean Slate Clinics focused on post-conviction relief for community members in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties.
Renee earned her J.D. from USC Gould School of Law. While in law school, Renee worked as a student attorney with USC Gould School of Law’s Post-Conviction Justice Project where she conducted parole hearings and resentencing hearings. After graduating from law school, she worked in private litigation practice before moving into criminal defense.
Allen Burnett is Parole Justice Works’ lead consultant on inside education and resources.
After 28 years of incarceration, Allen’s sentence of life without the possibility of parole was commuted by California Governor Gavin Newsom in 2019. In 2020, he was released through the parole hearing process.
Allen is a member of Human Rights Watch’s National Life Without Parole Leadership Council, as well as the Transformative In-Prison Workgroup Leadership Team and Project Rebound at California State University Los Angeles. He has extensive experience leading and facilitating self-help programs geared toward cultivating insight, healing from trauma, and rehabilitation through writing. He is an accomplished public speaker and has published numerous articles.
Allen earned a B.A. in Communication Studies, with emphasis in Organizational Communication, from California State University, Los Angeles, where he is currently an M.A. student in Communication Studies.
Dana Drusinsky is one of Parole Justice Works’ consultants on victim/survivor education and resources.
Dana is a Deputy District Attorney in Alameda County, where she specializes in post-conviction matters. She has appeared at dozens of parole hearings on behalf of the People of California and works on various post-conviction motions. Previously, Dana was an Assistant District Attorney in San Francisco, as well as a Deputy Public Defender in both Contra Costa and San Francisco counties.
Dana earned a B.A. from University of California, San Diego. She earned a J.D. from University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. She serves as a victims/survivor education and resources consultant in her personal capacity.
Maya Emig is Parole Justice Works’ lead consultant on attorney support. She works closely with state-appointed California Board of Parole Hearing Panel Attorneys, providing feedback and support and conducting hearing observations.
In May 2005, Maya founded her own law office handling parole revocation matters and a variety of civil litigation, and she became well-known throughout the state. She has handled more than 7,500 parole revocation matters and more than 1,000 parole suitability hearings privately and through state appointments. Maya is a true believer in rehabilitation and reuniting her clients with their loved ones after they have earned their freedom. The culmination of her extensive hearing experience, and her passion for using the law to help people, is her book entitled Earning Your Freedom. Maya has appeared on the Today Show, Dateline on the Law and Crime Network, and in press articles from the LA Times and The Guardian. She also writes a monthly column in the Mule Creek Post.
Maya earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego. She earned her J.D. from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.
Trino Jimenez is one of Parole Justice Works’ consultants on victim/survivor education and resources.
Trino is a son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, and man of deep faith. In 2015, he was given an amazing gift when he had the opportunity to write to the man who was responsible for his brother’s murder many years earlier. After two years of letter exchange, on March 16, 2017, in the midst of his daughter’s battle with cancer, Trino took a trip to California State Prison Solano to participate in a VOD (Victim Offender Dialogue), a face-to-face meeting, and a day of healing. Then, in April 2018, Trino returned to the prison in neutral support of the responsible party at his parole hearing. In December 2019, another parole hearing took place and Trino was able to witness a transformed man be found suitable, after serving 34 years of incarceration.
This experience opened the door to participating in many restorative justice programs, visits to the State Capitol and universities, and sharing with state legislators his story, his trauma, and his journey of healing.
Trino hopes to continue on this path of healing, and hopes to share a space with the person who caused so much devastation and pain by joining him in sharing with those who are in need of healing and hope. It is a story of brokenness used to mend the broken.
Amanda serves the PJW Board of Directors in an officer capacity as Secretary and Treasurer, in addition to managing PJW’s day-to-day business operations. She has over 20 years of diverse leadership experiences in both for-profit and non-profit organizations, public schools, and political organizations.
Amanda earned degrees in Business Administration and Education from Oregon State University.
Danica Rodarmel is one of Parole Justice Works’ consultants on victim/survivor education and resources.
Danica is an attorney and policy consultant whose work centers on challenging and changing unjust criminal laws and creating a world where well-being and healing are truly accessible for all people. She is directly impacted by crime, harm, and the criminal justice system, having experienced the incarceration of multiple loved ones and the incarceration of people who have committed violence against her family members. She served as State Policy Director at the San Francisco Public Defender from 2020-2022. In 2022, she established a consulting firm in Sacramento.
Danica earned her J.D. from Berkeley Law.
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